IMG Academy five-star offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa didn’t have Florida on his list of top 10 schools coming into his visit to the Swamp on Saturday. But after his visit, he said the Gators are now firmly in the mix and will make that list when he releases it on March 16.
One of his favorite parts of the visit was getting to tour the new standalone football facility that is currently finishing up and meeting offensive line coaches Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton.
Coach Billy Napier‘s staff is unique to others in college football because of the two coaches manning the offensive line. Mauigoa told Swamp247 he likes the idea. The No. 8 overall prospect also enjoyed Florida’s approach on the visit, noting that the Gators didn’t talk about football immediately.
“The first thing they talked to me about is family,” Mauigoa said. “How is my family? That kind of triggered me, and they care about family. They care about who you are. Could see outside of football people look at you like what personality you have. People tend to judge you by personality. We talked about a lot of things, personalities, families and mostly football.
“We were talking about how’s Samoa doing, me coming all the way from Samoa. Like do I miss them? Like what time will I be able to go home? Then I told him, ‘No, I only go home when the business finish,’ and that’s after the NFL.”
Mauigoa plans to come back and visit Florida in the spring, so he can see spring practices. He also wants to hold Zoom meetings with the coaching staff, so his parents can play a role in his recruitment.
Looking ahead to official visits, he said he will take two or three this summer and two more in the fall. Mauigoa added that a decision could come anytime between the end of summer and the early signing period.
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