The first edition of Florida football’s midsummer Grill in the Ville event is just a day away as the program prepares to host a plethora of prep prospects from a range of recruiting classes into the Swamp in an effort to build a closer relationship with Billy Napier and the Gators’ staff.
The 2024 class by far outnumbers the other two but the 2025 visitors all arrive in Gainesville with blue-chip ratings. Among them is four-star linebacker [autotag]Riley Pettijohn[/autotag] out of McKinney (Texas), who scheduled his late-July stop in Gainesville shortly after his visit in early June.
The 6-foot-3-inch, 200-pound defender has a positive view of the Sunshine State’s flagship university after his first visit.
“I like Florida because one, it’s in the south, and when I last visited, the coaches and facility were top-notch,” Pettijohn told Gators Online’s Corey Bender. “I don’t really talk with anyone often, but (running backs) coach (Jabbar) Juluke or (recruiting assistant) Joe Hamilton will hit my family up sometimes.”
The Texas Longhorns, LSU Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, Oregon Ducks, Auburn Tigers, Florida State Seminoles, Oklahoma Sooners, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas A&M Aggies and Notre Dame Fighting Irish are among the many programs that have extended an offer to the high school junior so far, with many others also in play.
Pettijohn is ranked No. 51 overall and No. 9 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 62 and 8, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has the Southern Methodist Mustangs with a 17.7% chance of signing him, followed by Texas (15.5%), FSU (13.3%) and Florida (11.1%).
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