Tag: 2023 football recruiting

4-star offensive lineman ‘amazed’ by Napier’s offer during visit

Billy Napier caught this recruit by surprise during his recent visit.

Florida football is in the midst of a massive program overhaul after the departure of [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] and his staff. Now under the administration of former Lousiana Ragin’ Cajuns head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his veritable army of tireless coaches and staffers, the Gators are on the hunt for the best prep prospects in the nation for the class of 2023.

Last weekend, the Orange and Blue hosted four-star interior offensive lineman [autotag]Kelton Smith[/autotag] out of Columbus (Georgia) Carver High School for an unofficial visit on campus. During his tour of the facilities on April 2, he had an opportunity to briefly meet Napier in person, who surprised him with an offer to join the program.

“I really didn’t know what to say,” Smith said according to Swamp247. “I was just amazed. He said he just had to offer me because of how I move at this size.”

The 6-foot-5-inch, 300-pound lineman now has 13 total reported suitors according to 247Sports, which includes seven SEC schools. He currently has two crystal ball projections for the Florida State Seminoles per the same publication, while On3 has the Auburn Tigers in front of 11 listed schools with a 38.8% prediction.

The other conference schools vying for his talents based on a combination of both sources are the Georgia Bulldogs, Tennessee Volunteers, Ole Miss Rebels, South Carolina Gamecocks, Kentucky Wildcats and LSU Tigers.

While a date has yet to be set for an official visit to Gainesville, Smith told Gators Online that Florida would “probably have one.” The good news is that after his April stop at the Swamp, the Gators “moved themselves up a lot on my list,” in his own words.

The interior offensive lineman prospect is ranked No. 258 overall and No. 13 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports Composite, while the On3 Consensus lists him at No. 222 overall and No. 14, respectively.

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2023 TE recruit an intriguing prospect for Florida’s depleted corps

This 2023 recruit could help the Gators rebuild its tight end room back to glory.

The tight end position for Florida has quickly become a contentious topic as injuries have decimated a corps that not long ago was among the best in the business. A potential career-ending injury sustained by redshirt freshman [autotag]Gage Wilcox[/autotag] in spring practice combined with redshirt freshman tight end Nick Elksnis and sophomore tight end Jonathan Odom also joining him in the trainer’s room has the Gators teetering perilously near the edge at a position that has become increasingly important in the modern game.

Long gone are the days of [autotag]Kyle Pitts[/autotag], who now hauls in passes for the Atlanta Falcons, while 2021 starter [autotag]Kemore Gamble[/autotag] entered the transfer portal and headed down the turnpike to join the UCF Knights for the 2022 campaign. While the Gators did sign three tight ends in the 2023 class, it behooves the program to ensure a long-term pipeline of talent at the position.

One of Florida’s options when it comes to cultivating the next crop of student-athletes is three-star tight end [autotag]Reid Mikeska[/autotag] out of Cypress (Texas) Bridgeland, who has been reported to have high opinions of the Orange and Blue under new head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] after a visit to campus on April 2.

“It was my first time in Gainesville and I really enjoyed it,” he told Swamp247. “Had a lot of fun. They’re definitely a school very high up on my list.”

Mikeska’s primary point of contact has been tight ends coach [autotag]William Peagler[/autotag], who was the one who extended an offer to him recently. The 6-foot-5.5-inch, 233-pound prep had some encouraging words to say about him.

“I’m a real big fan of coach Peagler,” Mikeska said. “He was kind of with us the whole day. He’s a really smart coach. I definitely think he’s a coach that can develop me.”

The Lone Star State prospect ranks No. 436 overall and No. 24 at tight end nationally according to the 247Sports Composite, while the On3 Consensus ranks him at No. 533 and No. 26, respectively. Neither publication has a lead school in his recruitment but On3 has nine programs — including Florida — listed at 8.1% in its predictions.

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Vaunted 4-star safety seeks Florida visit after receiving offer

This big-time safety prospect really wants to visit Florida.

The recruiting trail is getting red hot in Gainesville as Florida football’s new head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his army of staffers burn the midnight oil in their efforts to bring the best prospects into the fold. The month of March featured a flurry of visits from potential players that has continued as the calendar flipped to April.

Among the many making the trek down I-75 this month is four-star safety Isaac Smith out of Fulton (Mississippi) Itawamba Agricultural, who received an offer from co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] last week. The 6-foot, 200-pound high school junior has since voiced his desire to get better acclimated with the staff and the campus via a visit, according to Swamp247.

While his contact with the team has been funneled primarily through Toney and cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag], he has also been connected with others on the staff.

“Things have been building up for a little while with Florida,” Smith said. “Me and coach [Jamar] Chaney have been in contact since he was at Mississippi State. I have been talking to him for about two years now. When he went to Florida, we stayed in contact. We kept getting close, but I was also starting to talk with Coach [Corey] Raymond a little bit too. I talked to him last week and he also put the defensive coordinator the phone. We chopped it up a little bit and then he offered me.”

An in-person visit would certainly help improve these relationships by helping to put a face to the name as well as allowing both parties to nurture more intimate relationships than those that are developed over a distance. Smith also mentioned that he knows little about the school’s history, which makes bringing him to Hogtown that much more important, but did note that he “can see they are going to be building something big in the future.”

While a specific date for his visit has not yet been arranged, Smith says, “I will for sure try and get out there to visit them. If I can’t get out there to visit them in the spring I will in the summer.”

The safety prospect is ranked No. 169 overall and No. 13 at his position nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite, while the On3 Consensus ranks him at No. 153 and No. 9, respectively. The Ole Miss Rebels are currently listed in the lead for his services by both publications.

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This 5-star OL really likes Florida as he prepares to narrow down options

The No. 2 offensive tackle in the country is impressed with Billy Napier’s program so far, but will the Gators make his top five?

Francis Mauigoa is one of the many five-star recruits Billy Napier‘s staff has been in contact with over the last few months and those efforts are paying off as the IMG Academy prospect gets closer to narrowing down his options to a top 5.

That cut should come before the summer, according to 247Sports. Mauigoa wants to take official visits in June when his parents are in the country for an extended stay. The only problem is that Mauigoa is finding it difficult to cut back from the top 13 he released in the middle of March.

A few schools are standing out, though. USC has been aggressive in recruiting Mauigoa, and he says that he can see himself playing in the cardinal and gold. Miami and Florida stick out as local teams since moving to IMG and he’s hoping to stop by both universities again in the near future.

“It’s a good atmosphere and a good environment (at Florida),” Maugioa said. “You know the people around you there would allow you to have success, and you want to surround yourself with those people. They train people to be successful. Not only the field but also in the classroom.”

Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Penn State and Texas are the other schools currently in the hunt for the No. 2 offensive tackle recruit in the country.

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Top 2023 running back sets his sights on Gainesville this week

The Gators are finally going to get one of the best running back prospects in the nation on campus.

It was a rough season for Florida football in 2021, resulting in the dismissal of the entire coaching corps and a fresh start with a clean slate after the hiring of former Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]. Now that the new army of staffers is fully assembled, the Gators have gone to war in the recruiting trenches as they vie for the top talent in the nation.

One of the athletes Florida is fighting for is four-star running back [autotag]Justice Haynes[/autotag] out of Roswell (Georgia) Blessed Trinity Catholic, who is listed among the top 100 preps in the nation for the 2023 recruiting class. The 5-foot-10-inch, 200-pound prospect initially received an offer from the former regime under [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] back in October 2021 but failed to ever make it onto campus. That appears to be changing quickly under Napier, as the high school junior is scheduled to visit Gainesville on Wednesday of this week, according to Swamp247.

Haynes also plays baseball and is currently participating in a tournament held in Jacksonville, making the visit to north-central Florida convenient for the Georgia native. And speaking of the neighboring state to the north, Haynes is a legacy with the Bulldogs through his father, Vernon Haynes. He told BamaOnline that the connection plays “not one iota” into his decision-making even though UGA currently holds both of 247Sports’ crystal ball predictions.

The burgeoning student-athlete is currently ranked No. 49 overall nationally and No. 3 at running back according to the 247Sports Composite, while the On3 Consensus lists him at No. 37 overall and No. 3 at his position.

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This top defensive lineman prospect sets his Florida visit date

Can Billy Napier work his magic on this top-100 player?

Florida football continues its search for the next crop of student-athletes to round out its roster as [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his staff look to turn around the wayward program after a disastrous 2021 campaign. While there is a long and winding road ahead for the new army of coaches and staff, the team is already in the thick of the hunt for the best prep prospects from around the nation.

Among the many recruits Florida is in hot pursuit of is four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Tomarrion Parker[/autotag] out of Phenix City (Alabama) Central, who is listed as a Top100 player by 247Sports. The 6-foot-4-inch, 255-pound junior was originally offered by former head coach [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] and was re-offered by UF last week, compelling him to set a visit date to meet up with the nascent staff. According to Swamp247, he will arrive in Gainesville on April 14 to get a glimpse at the new program Napier is putting together.

However, the Gators have a lot of ground to make up with the highly-coveted lineman, as they missed the cut for his top-five destinations released earlier this year. The list is comprised of some serious contenders in the Alabama Crimson Tide, Tennessee Volunteers, Penn State Nittany Lions, Georgia Bulldogs and Ohio State Buckeyes, so Napier’s work is certainly cut out for him. However, the re-offer was enough to catch Parker’s attention which means there is still a chance for the Orange and Blue to pull off the coup.

Parker is ranked the No. 83 player overall and the No. 10 defensive lineman according to the 247Sports Composite, while the On3 Consensus — which lists him as an EDGE defender — has him at No. 91 nationally and No. 11 at EDGE.

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Heavily-pursued in-state offensive lineman likes what he sees at Florida

The Gators are hot on the trail for this in-state offensive lineman.

Florida football continues to hit the recruiting trail hard, with the program hosting multitudes of prep prospects as the spring season wears on. One of the latest targets for [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his staff is three-star offensive tackle [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] out of Rockledge, Florida, who has been frequenting campus the past few weeks.

The 6-foot-5-inch, 325-pound lineman has made visits to Gainesville over the past three consecutive weekends, with his most recent stop a bit more eye-opening than those before, according to Gators Online.

“I hadn’t seen the meetings yet, so I got there at 8:30,” Lovett offered. “I sat in meetings, saw all of that, and then went and watched practice again. Some of my teammates came with me, so we looked around the facility, took pictures and were just chilling.

“It was good though. I got to see how they talk and how they do their meetings, so it was good. I like how they do it.”

While On3 has him listed as an interior defensive lineman, Lovett expects to get more reps on the outside at tackle. 247Sports and Rivals both have him listed as an offensive tackle in their respective scouting reports as well.

Speaking of 247Sports, recruiting reporter Blake Alderman submitted his crystal ball prediction for Lovett back in late March, with the Gators leading the way for the big lineman’s services.

The in-state athlete is considered the No. 653 overall prospect and the 57th-best player at offensive tackle, according to the 247Sports composite, while ranking No. 727 overall and 66th among all interior offensive linemen according to On3.

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2024 IMG Academy 5-star CB picks up offer from Gators

Billy Napier is taking a strong interest in this five-star IMG Academy recruit.

The Gators have taken a methodical approach to recruiting since Billy Napier became the head coach at Florida, but that doesn’t mean the class of 2024 is totally being ignored early on. Five-star cornerback [autotag]Ellis Robinson IV[/autotag], an IMG Academy product, received a scholarship offer from UF on Saturday while on an unofficial visit to the Swamp, according to 247Sports.

Napier has talked about establishing an IMG to UF pipeline in the past and he seems like the man to do it after breaking the “IMG curse” almost immediately with the Kamari Wilson signing. What would be even more impressive is if Napier gets Robinson to re-classify and get to campus a year early. It might seem like a bit of a stretch with the offer just being extended, but it’s a topic

“Coach Napier was talking to me and my parents. He was saying he sees me as a 23 not a 24 and then he offered me. I was very grateful. He said they liked my overall skillset. They say I don’t look like a 24. Also my character and how I carry myself. My parents always keep me humble. He seemed really cool. Very genuine in our conversation. My parents got a good vibe as well off first impression..look forward to building over the next two years.”

Robinson spent plenty of time with cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] on his trip as well. The two would work directly together at Florida, so establishing a good relationship early on is crucial. It helps that Raymond is known as a strong recruiter considering the competition Florida faces for Robinson’s services.

Alabama and Georgia are the two schools that are sticking out early for him. He made his way to both schools for unofficial visits in March, and now the Gators are the latest SEC team to wow him. He should be done with trips for the spring, but recruiting doesn’t ever truly stop.

The 247Sports composite ranks Robinson at No. 20 overall and No. 4 at his position in the class of 2024.

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In-state 4-star WR impressed by new Florida staff in person

The new coaching staff continues to impress elite recruits at Florida.

Billy Napier and his staff played host to Lakeland four-star wide receiver [autotag]Tyler Williams[/autotag] on Saturday and the in-state recruit left Gainesville impressed with the new group coaching the Gators.

Williams got the full recruiting experience this weekend, according to 247Sports. He sat in on receiver meetings, did a photoshoot and observed practices before having his own meetings with coaches. Both sides were being introduced in person for the first time, so it was a learning experience for everyone.

“I thought it was better meeting with them in person than talking to them over the phone like we have been,” Williams said. “It was nice to be able to have a conversation with them about different things. They got to actually see me and me see them. The coaches thought I was big and fast and they were saying how they really like my film. They said I am a strong guy and can play any position they would want from me on the field.”

One thing Williams noticed in practice was that Florida lacked depth at wide receiver. That could translate into some early playing time for the recruits that pick UF, but nothing is guaranteed. Regardless, Williams also liked the way Florida ran its practices, involving all of the receivers on the roster rather than only the first string players.

“They have a good rotation at practice,” he said. “I think they have like eight plays for each group and then rotate. You get to see different people and it helps different guys get reps. You can see the moving pieces… They make all their players get involved and not just the 1’s getting all the reps. Coach (Keary) Colbert just doesn’t tell guys what to do. He actually gets out there and runs the routes and shows them.”

Williams hopes to make a commitment by August, but he’s still in the heat of the recruiting process. Clemson, Georgia and Stanford have all made their mark by hosting him, and Florida joins that group now as well. Baylor, Miami, Michigan, Tennessee and USF are also in the mix despite some of those programs not having been offered yet.

Official visits should come over the summer but nothing has been ironed out just yet. The 247Sports Composite ranks Williams as the No. 248 overall prospect and the No. 30 wide receiver prospect.

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Florida’s pursuit of 4-star legacy running back includes his cousin

Florida impressed four-star running back Treyaun Webb and his cousin and Gator Great Dee Webb on latest visit.

Four-star running back [autotag]Treyaun Webb[/autotag] has visited Florida several times since the new coaching staff has taken over. This time it was special because his cousin, former Gator great Dee Webb, accompanied him on the visit.

“It was great,” Webb told Swamp247 about his latest visit. “I finally got a chance to get up there with my cousin, and they showed a lot of love to me and him. Every time I go up there, they show me how amazing it is. They tell me how important it is to play in front of your home team and your home crowd. That is the biggest thing they pitch to me.”

Webb said he really liked having Dee around him on his latest visit. He appreciates how much love the coaching staff showed his cousin. He said Dee enjoyed it because he got a much warmer welcome compared to the one he received from the old regime.

After the Gators were an afterthought in Webb’s recruitment under former coach [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag], Florida has made a massive comeback to become the favorite for his pledge. Both of Florida’s recruiting reporters for 247Sports released crystal ball predictions for the Gators with a confidence of seven on Saturday.

Florida continues to stand out in his recruitment because he feels like the whole coaching staff is constantly recruiting him. He put out a tweet on Saturday saying, “Why Not Florida,” then a couple of hours later the rest of the Gators staff tweeted the same thing.

“I was just as surprised as everyone else. I put that tweet out and then next thing I know someone called me and asked if I had seen Twitter. So I go check my timeline and I see my tweet and then I see the whole staff tweeting the same thing. I thought that was so crazy. The little things like that is what makes Florida a school I like so much. The way I feel, I just don’t think you can get much better than Florida.”

It seems like Webb will likely become a Gator, and that it’s a matter of when and not if at this point.

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