Tag: 2023 football recruiting

This 4-star WR adds Florida to top schools after visit

Four-star wide receiver Hykeem Williams added Florida to his top list of schools after his Friday visit.

Florida made quite a first impression on four-star wide receiver Hykeem Williams’ first trip to the Swamp on Friday. After a strong visit, he has now added the Gators to his top list of schools along with Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State, Rutgers, Texas A&M, USC and Pitt. Williams currently sits as the 81st best prospect overall and the 10th at his position, according to the independent 247Sports rankings.

He told Swamp247 that his first meeting with coach Billy Napier and staff went great. Williams enjoyed meeting Napier and wide receivers coach Keary Colbert and touring the University of Florida campus.

“They were all really amazing,” he said. “I thought they were really cool college coaches. They were telling me they think I fit in real well. Coach Colbert was telling me how he would develop me as a player. They like my size and speed, man. They said they can’t find a lot of guys like me around the nation. They were just talking about how I can be a great fit there and a big help to them with me being a big, fast receiver. They think they can develop me to be an even better player on the field and get me to where I want to be.”

When making a decision of where he wants to spend his next three to four years, he said he’s going to look for a school he’s most comfortable with and study the program’s present and future.

He added he is in no rush to make a commitment anytime soon and plans to wait until the Early Signing Period in December.

Williams is scheduled to visit the Seminoles Sunday, the Panthers on the 18th, the Bulldogs on the 25th and the Crimson Tide and Aggies in April.

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Florida extends offer to this 4-star WR after first campus visit

Florida’s out there grinding away on the recruiting trail.

Recruiting season is back in high gear in Gainesville as Billy Napier and his staff undertake the arduous task of rebuilding Florida’s football program after Dan Mullen left the team in shambles. While the 2022 cycle is over, work on impressing members of the 2023 class still has a long way to go, though it appears that the new army of staffers is making a lot of headway with the latest crop of prep prospects.

One of the latest recruits to receive an offer from Florida is four-star wide receiver Traylon Ray out of North Florida Christian in Tallahassee. The 6-foot-3-inch, 180-pound pass-catcher visited Gainesville on Wednesday for the first time despite being just two hours up the road. According to Gators Online’s Corey Bender, UF has, “been showing interest for a couple of months now.”

Contrary to the profile sought by the previous regime in the Swamp — that is, smaller, speedier guys — Ray brings a more physical skill set to the table. His size and soft hands earned him reps on the defensive side of the ball as well, and he is also a force to be reckoned with on the basketball court. He has amassed 960 yards and 16 touchdowns on 60 catches while notching 52 tackles and three interceptions on the defensive side of the ball.

Ray currently holds offers from Florida State, Central Florida, Miami, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, South Florida, West Virginia and Mississippi State. According to Gators Online, he is still unsure where the Gators stand among his suitors but he did mention, “I like that outside of sports, it is a really good school academically.” He currently has no plans set to visit any other school.

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4-star in-state defensive back high on Florida after Thursday visit

Gators in the mix for this talented defensive back.

Florida football’s recruiting efforts are back on full blast this week as Billy Napier and his army host the next crop of prep prospects on campus. The visits began rolling in on Tuesday and continue through this weekend, with no shortage of blue-chip names making appearances in Gainesville.

One of those highly sought recruits is four-star defensive back Sharif Denson from Bartram Trail in Jacksonville, Florida. The 5-foot-11-inch, 170-pound high school junior made his visit on Thursday, spending quality time with defensive backs coaches Patrick Toney and Corey Raymond while also getting some face time with other members of the new staff.

The two coaches made quite an impression on Denson in their first meeting, with the Gators’ staff offering him a clear vision of what his role at Florida would look like.

“They said that they will develop me completely as a corner because of my versatility and that I have a great shot to play early based on what I did on tape,” Denson told Swamp247. “I sat in the film room with Coach Toney, and he showed me some tape that also had my film in there with it. Just showing me everything I can do in their scheme.”

The talented young defender was reluctant to make a commitment, however, but despite the lack of a current top school, Denson stated, “Florida sits in a very great spot.” He also mentioned that he was putting off any major decisions to focus on the upcoming spring football season as well as trips to other schools. 247Sports Composite’s No. 167 overall prospect noted that he plans to visit Florida State on Saturday, followed by Ohio State the first weekend of April and South Carolina on April 19.

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In-state OL target locked in for late March return visit to Gainesville

Gators looking to keep impressing this Ocala prospect at the end of the month.

One of the primary focuses of Florida football’s recruiting efforts under new head coach Billy Napier is taking advantage of the crop of talent growing in their own backyard. In recent years, the Gators have fallen behind in the race for Sunshine State prospects and the new regime is looking to turn that around.

Among those currently pursued by Florida is three-star offensive lineman Tommy Kinsler from Trinity Catholic just down the road in Ocala. The 6-foot-6-inch, 330-pound trench warrior has made the trip to Gainesville many times prior under Dan Mullen, attending a majority of the home football games in 2021. He already made one visit since Napier took over back in January, arriving on the final weekend of the 2022 recruiting cycle.

His second trip to campus is now planned for March 26, according to 247Sports. The good news is that the Gators might not have to do too much wooing for the student-athlete’s services, as he currently has Florida at the top of his list of 15 schools that have extended offers.

“Florida is still on top for me. It’s just the atmosphere they have there and they keep it about family there. They treat you like family up there, so I really like it. The staff is just really different from the old one. The whole staff now treats you like family.”

On his last visit, the 247Sports Composite’s No. 622 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class spent some quality time with offensive line coaches Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton, and it is likely he will get some more face time with the pair as well as other members of Napier’s army.

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Blue-chip linebacker planning late March visit to Florida

The Gators have a chance to score big with this prospect later on this month.

The month of March is a busy one for Florida football’s newest head coach Billy Napier and his staff, as the team turns the page on the 2022 recruiting cycle and begins hosting their potential brood of 2023. One of the primary focuses of the new regime is to return the Gators to its previous glory when it came to attracting the biggest and best talent, and those efforts are currently underway in Gainesville.

One of the bigger names on Florida’s list of prep prospects is 4-star linebacker Terrance Love out of Langston Hughes in Fairburn, Georgia. The 6-foot-3-inch, 195-pound defender had received an offer from Dan Mullen’s staff before being disbanded but managed to maintain contact with the new crew in the interim.

Still, there is a sense of growing attachment between the potential student-athlete and the school, as he recently told Gators Online, “I talk to them here and there, but the relationship with the coaches is starting to pick up a little bit more.”

He also added, “It’s been a few times I’ve spoken with coach (Sean) Spencer. I’ve been talking to them recently and it’s been going well… The defensive scheme they run is pretty good. I just want to see it for myself, like, I want to be there to see it. I also like the weather.”

The high school junior will get his chance to see the schemes as well as enjoy the warm climate with an unofficial visit to the University of Florida set for March 26. The Gators are among 35 total offers for the linebacker’s services, including Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M, USC, Auburn, Notre Dame and Michigan. Love visited Georgia Tech on Tuesday and will travel to Auburn on March 18 before making his way to Gainesville the following weekend.

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Legacy 4-star RB recruit almost committed during Florida visit

Four-star running back Treyaun Webb almost gave his pledge to Florida during his visit on Thursday.

Under Dan Mullen, Florida was an afterthought in four-star running back Treyuan Webb’s recruitment. But since coach Billy Napier‘s arrival, the Gators have turned up the heat. They got him on campus Thursday for the first time since the new staff’s arrival and told Swamp247 he thought about committing just before he departed from Gainesville.

“It was an amazing visit, man,” he said. “I really don’t even know where to start. Really everything. From the time I got there, to the time I am leaving. For me to be there so late shows you how amazing it was. I was the last one out of the building. I even thought about committing while I was there, so that tells you how good the visit was.”

His favorite part of the visit was meeting Napier and running backs coach Jabbar Juluke. He said they were the same people in person as they are on the phone.

Webb hails from Jacksonville, Florida, and is related to former Gators cornerback Dee Webb. He is currently ranked sixth-best player at his position and 159th overall, according to the independent 247Sports rankings.

Florida is now a strong contender for Webb after sitting on the outside looking in because of how much they are prioritizing him.

In the next couple of weeks, he plans to visit North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, but he wants to come back to Florida soon. He also has official visits set to the Gamecocks and Penn State and wants to have a decision made before his senior season.

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This 2023 in-state safety has set a date for his Florida visit

The Gators are making steady progress with three-star in-state safety Jaremiah Anglin. He’s now set a date for his visit to the Swamp.

In-state safety Jaremiah Anglin will be in Gainesville on April 2 for an unofficial visit to the University of Florida, according to 247Sports.

Florida got the ball rolling with the three-star defensive back out of Lake Wales High in February by extending an offer. Anglin, who described UF as his childhood dream school, started working on travel plans immediately. His developing relationship with defensive coordinator Patrick Toney is another good sign for the Gators.

Toney offered Anglin and is the coach he talks to the most along with wide receivers coach Keary Colbert. This spring visit will allow him to meet the entire staff and bond with them.

“Coach Toney said the biggest thing he likes about me is how I am a ballhawk, and how I am not scared to be physical and come down in the run game,” Angling said.” “He said I can be the type of player who can play all around the secondary. The nickel, corner, or the free safety position. From talking to Coach Toney, he wants to run multiple defensive backs. He said he wants DBs to be rolling around back there. He wants guys to make plays and get to the NFL.”

Anglin will be by Florida State on March 5 for the Seminoles’ first day of spring practice and Junior Day. FSU is considered the leader right now for Anglin because of the family connection with Derwin James and he outright said it back in January. The Gators do have Gervon Dexter, Anglin’s former high school teammate, though.

On3 has Anglin as a four-star recruit that is the No. 14 safety and No. 198 overall recruit in the class of 2023. He was unranked at the time of his offer and has since seen a bump in his stock. 247Sports considers Anglin to be the No. 32 safety in the country and the 63rd best player in the state.

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Report: Florida makes top 6 for 5-star QB Arch Manning

Florida has reportedly made the top 6 for 5-star QB Arch Manning. Could we see him suit up in the Orange and Blue?

Five-star quarterback Arch Manning is reportedly down to six schools, which includes Florida, according to 247Sports. The other schools making up his top schools are Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss and LSU. Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, nephew of Peyton and Eli and grandson to Archie.

Arch currently sits as the No. 1 rated high school quarterback in the class of 2023, per the 247Sports rankings. 247Sports director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong said the next step in the process is going out in seeing his top schools. He wants to watch how they go through spring practice and get a feel for the coaches in that setting.

Wiltfong added that he believes he’s most interested in the Bulldogs, Crimson Tide and Longhorns currently.

The Gators were a late addition to his recruitment because of the coaching change from Dan Mullen to Billy Napier. However, the former Lousiana-Lafayette coach has prioritized him and has made some headway even without getting him on campus. The next step for the Orange and Blue is getting Arch to the Swamp to meet the new coaching staff.

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Report: Florida football offers JUCO wide receiver Malik Benson

The Gators extended an offer to this JUCO wide receiver.

Florida’s recruiting staff has been focused on getting to know the high school class of 2023 since national signing day, but now the Junior College players are getting looked at by the Gators. Malik Benson, a wide receiver for Hutchinson Community College in Lansing, Kansas, received an offer from the Orange on Blue on Tuesday, according to 247Sports.

“A couple of days ago they called me,” Benson said. “They told me they liked my film and said they would be in touch. Last night around like 10, Coach Colbert called me and told me again how he liked my film, and that he wanted to personally let me know I have an offer from them.”

That offer came during the first conversation between Benson and wide receivers coach Keary Colbert. Prior to Tuesday’s conversation, the JUCO prospect had only talked with off-the-field recruiting personnel.

Colbert’s first impression wound up being a good one, but Florida will have plenty of competition for Benson. Tennessee, Texas Tech and Oregon talk with him regularly, and he has his eyes on Georgia and South Carolina as well. Fortunately, Florida was named among the schools Benson would like to visit. The only problem is that he has classes and practice eating up most of his schedule.

A summer visit might be in store for Benson then as he looks to take all five officials before making a decision. With no firm timeline set, Benson expects his recruitment to extend well into the fall but says it depends on how his visits go.

247Sports doesn’t have a ranking for Benson as a JUCO prospect but he was 3-star high school athlete.

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This 5-star cornerback sets up another Florida visit

After visiting in January, five-star cornerback Tony Mitchell is about to visit Florida again.

Florida currently has two five-star cornerbacks and one four-star safety slated to visit during the weekend of March 19, but now coach Billy Napier has added another five-star cornerback to the visitor’s list that weekend: Tony Mitchell. He is set to make his second visit to see the Gators since the calendar flipped to the year 2022, per Swamp247.

Mitchell hails from Alabaster, Alabama, and is considered the 28th best player overall and the second at his position, according to the independent 247Sports rankings.

On his first visit to the Swamp in January, Napier and cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond made a strong impression on him. He said he spent the majority of his time around Raymond and enjoyed meeting him in person for the first time.

“We talked today and he showed me a lot of love, and the people in the recruiting office showed me a lot of love, too,” Mitchell said about the Gators. “They just show a lot of love at Florida. Coach Raymond was telling me how I am so versatile and how that would help them in the secondary. He said I am a guy who could come and play right away and they really need me here.”

Mitchell recently dropped a list of his top seven schools and plans to cut it to five soon. He said the Gators have a good chance of making it because of his chance to play early and his relationships with Napier and Raymond as well as his ability to get his players to the National Football League.

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