Florida football’s season-opening matchup against the Utah Utes carries a great deal more importance than the action on the sideline as a cohort of top recruits from around the nation plan on attending the first game of the Billy Napier era. The Gators have an opportunity to woo some of the best the prep ranks have to offer come game time and the staff has wasted no time getting a head start on the weekend.
Not all of the Gators’ targets will be in attendance, however. Four-star offensive lineman [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag], a Florida State Seminoles commit in the 2023 recruiting class from Orange Park, Florida, will get a visit from the Gators’ inside linebackers coach [autotag]Jay Bateman[/autotag] on Friday night during his high school game, according to Swamp247.
The 6-foot-4-inch, 300-pound lineman has made several trips to Gainesville including an official visit back in June from which he came away with positive words for the program.
“I had a great time,” Kearney said according to Swamp247. “I learned a lot about the new coaching staff and all the other coaches they have off the field. They were all great and I had a really good time. I got to see the new facility they are building, I got to hang out with some players at the school, and just meet a lot of the O-linemen.”
The Seminoles ended up prevailing in his recruitment, receiving his verbal commitment not long after his stop in the Swamp. However, there is still room to rescind the decision and the Gators are working hard to flip him to the Orange and Blue. The Garnet and Gold, nonetheless, still hold a firm grip on the young athlete’s future.
Kearney is ranked No. 121 overall and No. 4 at his position in his class nationally according to the 247Sports composite, while the On3 consensus has him at Nos. 128 and 8, respectively. On3’s recruiting prediction machine still holds a 38.9% chance of FSU sealing the deal while UF trials in second at 28.4%.
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