Tag: 2023 football recruiting

Billy Napier personally offers massive OT during his Florida visit

Three-star offensive tackle Connor Stroh had the honor of receiving a scholarship directly from Florida head coach Billy Napier.

It’s not often that a prospect gets to meet with a school’s head coach in his office and be offered a scholarship in the midst of a visit. That’s exactly what happened during three-star offensive tackle [autotag]Connor Stroh[/autotag]’s trip to Florida on Saturday, according to 247Sports.

“I met with (Florida head coach Billy) Napier,” Stroh said on Sunday. “He took the time to wait for my tour to be over and personally offered me a scholarship in his office. It was great for me. It made me feel special.”

Napier made a strong first impression on him. Stroh believes he is a great coach and appreciates how he made time to personally meet with him and his family.

Florida is one of the latest SEC schools to offer him. He currently holds offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss and Tennessee.

Hailing from Frisco, Texas, Stroh and his family spent the first part of the day at Florida State and then made the two-hour trip to the Swamp.

Besides being offered by Napier, one of Stroh’s favorite parts of his Gators visit was meeting offensive line coaches [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag].

He plans to visit Texas A&M, SMU and Arkansas later this month and wants to take official visits during the summer.

Florida may have jumped late into his recruitment, but its chances with him were elevated significantly because Stroh thoroughly enjoyed his visit.

The 247Sports composite rankings have Stroh as the 393rd overall prospect and the 28th best player at his position.

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Florida receives two crystal ball predictions for legacy 4-star RB

When could Florida see four-star running back Treyaun Webb hop on board after these crystal ball predictions?

Four-star running back [autotag]Treyaun Webb[/autotag] said after one of his visits earlier this month that he thought about committing to Florida before departing campus. Webb and his cousin and former star Gators cornerback [autotag]Dee Webb[/autotag] visited the Swamp again this past weekend.

247Sports’ Florida recruiting reporters Blake Alderman and Jacob Rudner have opted to submit crystal ball predictions with high confidence of seven for Webb after another strong visit to the Gators this weekend.

Webb hails from nearby Jacksonville, Florida, and plays for Trinity Christian that have produced players like Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade, Florida wide receiver [autotag]Marcus Burke[/autotag], Florida State and Indiana receiver D.J. Matthews Jr. recently. The 247Sports composite rankings have Webb as the 116th overall prospect and as the fifth-best running back in the country.

Coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] had his work cut out for him once he took over the Gators program. Florida was an afterthought for Webb under previous head coach [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag]. They quickly surged up his leaderboard and became the favorite.

Napier and running backs coach [autotag]Jabbar Juluke[/autotag] want to take two tailbacks this cycle. The top target on their board is [autotag]Cedric Baxter Jr.[/autotag] and would love to couple him with Webb.

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4-star defensive lineman looks to make an official visit this summer

Things look to heat up on the recruiting front in June with this 4-star DL planning to make a visit.

Four-star defensive lineman [autotag]John Walker[/autotag] hasn’t made nearly as many trips to Florida as his Osceola teammate [autotag]Derrick LeBlanc[/autotag], but he wrapped up his second visit to the Swamp on Friday. He told reporters afterward that an official visit schedule is starting to come together. Walker wants to take one to Michigan, Ohio State, USC, Florida and UCF.

During his most recent visit, he spent the most time around head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and defensive line coach [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag]. He relished the ability to build a stronger relationship with Spencer in particular.

The Gators didn’t practice on Friday following the team’s first scrimmage of the spring. However, he met with Spencer and broke down some film from some of the practices this month and last. It gave him some perspective on what Spencer wants from his group.

Walker said Spencer wants his players to be fast, athletic, have excellent get off and be willing to run to the ball on every play. He demands his unit to give 110% on every play.

Spencer really covets him because he needs more guys to control the line of scrimmage. Walker likes him as a coach because of how genuine he is.

He doesn’t have a formal leaderboard at this point in his recruitment but continues to emphasize that the Gators are up there and isn’t sure when he would like to award his pledge to one of his top schools. Walker said it could come any time between the start of his senior season and the early signing period in December.

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This 4-star DL completes his fourth visit to Florida this weekend

Florida priority target and four-star defensive lineman Derrick LeBlanc visited Florida for the fourth time this past weekend.

Four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Derrick LeBlanc[/autotag] made his fourth trip to Florida and the Swamp this past weekend. After his visit, he told 247Sports that the Gators continue to push all the right buttons in his recruitment.

LeBlanc is a priority target for coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and defensive line coach [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag]. The 247Sports composite rankings have him as the 87th overall prospect and as the 11th best player at his position. He hails from Osceola, Florida, and is teammates with fellow four-star defensive lineman [autotag]John Walker[/autotag], who is also a top target for the Gators.

He said he really wanted to spend more time around Spencer this weekend and came away accomplishing that. Spencer showed LeBlanc film from spring practice and started quizzing him on Florida’s defense because he’s been there so many times.

The Gators need more top defensive line prospects after the previous regime struggled mightily with recruiting. LeBlanc feels like he can see the field early if he chose Florida.

He also spoke with current defensive linemen [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag] and [autotag]Brenton Cox[/autotag]. They said they love the new current coaching staff and that if they could stay two more years to play for them, they would.

LeBlanc will visit Miami next weekend and will take an official visit to Penn State during the weekend of June 10. He also wants to take official visits to the Gators, Hurricanes and Oklahoma during June. He also believes that these four schools are recruiting him the hardest.

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Florida football hosting another batch of top prospects this weekend

Florida is set to host one five-star and nine four-star recruits this weekend. Many recruits want to see the Gators in action this spring.

Coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and staff have brought a boatload of top recruits to campus the past couple of weekends to check out Florida’s spring practices. The Gators will continue that trend this weekend, bringing in one five-star and nine four-star prospects.

This weekend’s visitors list is headlined by five-star linebacker [autotag]Malik Bryant[/autotag] out of Orlando, Florida. He’s ranked as the 27th overall prospect and as the second-best at his position, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. This will be Bryant’s second trip to the Swamp this year after he made one in January. He plans to make his commitment known to the public on July 23.

Four-star teammates [autotag]Derrick LeBlanc[/autotag] and [autotag]John Walker[/autotag] will also be in attendance this weekend and plan to stop by UF’s campus on Friday. For LeBlanc, this will be his fourth trip to see Napier and Co. since they’ve taken over at Florida. He will also make his commitment known publicly with Bryant on July 23. Then this will be Walker’s second visit to the Gators in 2022.

The University of Florida is hosting the Florida Relays this weekend, which means many high school football prospects across the state who also run track will be in Gainesville. Napier and his staff are using that to his advantage for four-star wide receiver [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag], who is also considered a legacy recruit for the Gators because his parents both ran track at Florida.

Additionally, five-star running back [autotag]Richard Young[/autotag] is also competing at the Florida Relays and could stop by and see the coaching staff, but 247Sports and On3 haven’t reported on his official plans as of publishing.

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4-star Louisiana OT plans visit to Florida after picking up offer

Billy Napier has been recruiting four-star offensive tackle Tyree Adams since he was the head coach at Louisana.

Four-star offensive tackle [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] has known Florida head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and running backs coach [autotag]Jabbar Juluke[/autotag] since they were coaching the Ragin’ Cajuns in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Napier offered the St. Augustine recruit a scholarship to play at ULL and he still wants him on his team after moving to the SEC. Adams picked up an offer from the Gators on Tuesday and has quickly planned a visit to the Swamp on Tuesday, April 5, according to Gators Online.

“When they left, they still continued to keep an eye on me. They wanted to evaluate me a little bit more to see if the SEC was right for me, and then eventually I put in the work. I did what I had to do and they pulled the trigger.”

In addition to Florida, Adams plans to stop by LSU and Texas A&M in the coming weeks. He holds offers from Florida State, Ole Miss and Mississippi State as well, so there’s plenty of competition for the No. 15 offensive tackle in the country, according to On3’s individual recruiting rankings.

LSU has a history of keeping Lousiana kids in the state, but Napier has been able to use his regionals ties to keep pace with the Tigers fairly often. [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] was the big name out of the state to sign with Florida last season and Florida was on the table for [autotag]Trevonte’ Citizen[/autotag].

Adams already has chemistry with the Florida coaches, and he says they’re sitting high on his list before he even gets to see the campus in person.

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This 2023 blue-chip defensive lineman has Florida in his top 4

Billy Napier has Florida in play for another elite recruit from the South.

Five-star Thompson (Alabama) recruit [autotag]Peter Woods[/autotag] has narrowed down his list of schools to four and Florida has made the cut.

Woods spoke to 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong and told him what stood out for each program. For the Gators, it was new head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] that made the difference by hiring an elite staff and jumping on Woods’ recruitment early.

“Coach Napier came in and made that staff amazing and took some guys from a little bit of everywhere and I respect the vision of the program. They hopped on me as soon as they got there and Florida’s great reputation speaks for itself.”

Co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag] has been Woods’ main contact and the Alabaster, Alabama, recruit thinks he can develop him into an NFL prospect.

As for the rest of the schools in the race, Alabama‘s reputation also speaks for itself, Clemson‘s culture interests Woods and Oklahoma has poached enough staff members with ties to him to keep the Sooners firmly in the race. The plan is for Woods to take officials in April or June so he can make a decision before the season starts.

Woods is the No. 28 overall recruit on the 247Sports composite and the No. 3 defensive lineman in the class of 2023. ESPN has him ranked fourth in the country and On3 has him at No. 20.

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Report: New Orleans offensive tackle offered by Gators, plans visit

The Gators are looking to pull this 4-star offensive lineman out of the Louisiana bayou.

Caden Jones might not have expected to pick up an offer to play for Florida when Gators running backs coach [autotag]Jabbar Juluke[/autotag] asked to call him on Tuesday night, but that’s exactly what happened, according to 247Sports.

Just a few days after getting the offer, Jones says he’s planning on visiting the Swamp on April 6. It will be his first time in Gainesville and his first time meeting Juluke despite having talked with him since Juluke was recruiting within his home state of Louisiana.

“(Juluke) was the main guy I was talking to at ULL when he was over there, so now he’s the main guy I talk to at UF,” Jones said to 247Sports. “He’s a great coach and I like him. I would say I have been talking to him since last summer. So I’ve been talking to him for about a year now.”

Jones has picked up more interest from elite programs in recent weeks. Florida State, Mississippi State and Texas A&M have all recently offered him and LSU has been involved since June. Juluke is no longer recruiting a diamond in the rough. Jones is good and word is getting out.

Although he isn’t ranked by 247Sports, On3 ranks Jones as a four-star recruit and the No. 27 offensive tackle in the class of 2023. Florida has struggled to land four and five-star offensive linemen in recent years, so having some history with Jones could help.

Right now, the most important thing for Florida regarding Jones is to wow him when he gets to campus in a little over a week.

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Florida is going after this 4-star DL committed to Texas A&M

Could Florida steal this four-star defensive lineman from Texas A&M?

Four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Anthony James[/autotag] committed to Texas A&M on February 11, 2021 but that hasn’t stopped him from talking with other elite programs over the last year. One of the teams in James’ ear recently has been the Florida Gators.

James tweeted on Tuesday that Florida’s new staff offered him a scholarship, tagging head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag], co-defensive coordinators [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag] and [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag], running backs coach [autotag]Jabbar Juluke[/autotag] and defensive personnel analyst [autotag]Joe Hamilton[/autotag].

He’s supposed to visit the University of Miami on April 16, so there’s an opening for Florida’s recruiting staff to try and schedule a visit with him while he’s in the state. James plays for Wylie East (Texas), so it may be hard to pry him away from his home state.

Jimbo Fisher is coming off the No. 1 recruiting class for 2022 and James is one of the centerpieces of the Aggies’ 2023 class. He’s ranked No. 54 overall and No. 8 among defensive linemen on 247Sports’ individual rankings.

Texas A&M has already seen one four-star de-commit from the program (Eli Holstein), so it’s not entirely out of the question that James backs off his pledge as well. Michigan most recently hosted James in November on an unofficial visit for the Ohio State game.

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Coveted TE recruit quickly sets Florida visit date after receiving offer

Three-star tight end Reid Mikeska quickly scheduled a visit to Florida after he received an offer earlier this week.

Florida wasn’t planning to take any tight ends in the 2023 recruiting cycle after it inked three players in coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s transition class. However, the Gators have changed their tune after depth issues have arisen following [autotag]Nick Elksnis[/autotag] and [autotag]Jonathan Odoms[/autotag]’ injuries that will cause them to miss the rest of spring. They currently only have one healthy scholarship tight end left.

With Florida’s change of plans, coach [autotag]William Peagler[/autotag] has delivered several scholarship offers to prospects. One recipient is three-star [autotag]Reid Mikeska[/autotag], and after giving the green light, he is slated to visit the Swamp this weekend.

247Sports ranks Mikeska as the 428th overall prospect and the 23rd best at his position. The Cypress, Texas, native hauled in 24 catches for 229 yards and four receiving touchdowns during his junior season.

Mikeska looks forward to putting Peagler’s name to a face when he comes to campus this weekend. He told Swamp247 that he has a good relationship with him so far and has communicated with him for a few months before Peagler gave him the good news.

He also recently dropped a top 12 that included the Gators. Mikeska hopes to make a commitment before the start of his senior season and wants to use his official visits in June.

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