Tag: 2023 football recruiting

This 4-star wide receiver named Florida his leader after Tuesday visit

We’ll see if Florida and coach Billy Napier can close the deal after 4-star WR Eugene Wilson III named the Gators his top school.

Florida quickly became a major player for 4-star Eugene Wilson III after offering him during the last week of February. Wilson immediately set up a visit to see the Swamp after the dead period concluded. Now after his visit on Tuesday, Wilson dubbed the Gators as his top school.

Following his visit, he spoke with Swamp247 about his experience. He said he really enjoyed it because of the time he spent around the Florida coaching staff.

“I got to meet the coaches I have been talking to these last couple of weeks, and they are all just real cool,” Wilson said. “They are people that are easy to talk to and easy to have a conversation with. It was just a really good experience. It just felt good being there and all that.”

He said he did spend time with coach Billy Napier but was with wide receiver coach Keary Colbert the most. Even though it was his first time meeting him, Wilson felt like he has known him forever. Colbert’s main message to him was that the Gators needed smaller and speedier players and that he could come in and make a difference.

This offseason, however, Wilson has seen his recruiting stock soar. He has recently been offered Georgia, Alabama and Oregon but said Florida now sits at the top of his list.

Wilson added that the Gators are his top school because he got to see them in person and heard glowing reviews from current players about the new staff. Florida will receive one of his future official visits, but he plans to visit the Bulldogs and the Ducks, too.

We’ll see if Napier and Colbert can close the deal on Wilson after he named Florida his leader.

[lawrence-related id=78866,78830,78827,78740,78738]

[listicle id=77787]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Florida makes top 7 for this highly-touted 4-star safety

Florida made the top 7 for 4-star safety Joenel Aguero Wednesday. He’s the second-best player at his position, according to 247Sports.

Four-star safety Joenel Aguero hasn’t seen the Swamp since coach Billy Napier and staff have taken over the Gators but that didn’t stop him from including the Orange and Blue in his top seven on Wednesday. Florida made the cut along with Ohio State, LSU, Miami, Texas A&M, Alabama and Georgia.

Several hours before he dropped his list, the No. 2 ranked safety prospect, according to 247Sports, told Swamp247 that Florida is doing everything right ahead of his weekend visit starting on March 18 because they are constantly in communication with him.

Cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond is a significant reason why the Gators factor so highly in Aguero’s recruitment. Raymond offered the Danvers, Massachusetts, native while he was at LSU and established a strong connection with him before he teamed up with Florida. However, it’s not just coach Raymond reaching out to him. He said it’s a group of staff members that contact him.

When he sits down to make a decision, Aguero won’t just look at wins and losses on the field. He wants to go somewhere that is going to develop him the best.

Finally, he added that he most looks forward to putting names to faces and seeing what the coaches are like in person when he visits the Swamp.

[lawrence-related id=78830,78827,78740,78738,78680]

[listicle id=77787]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

This 4-star defensive lineman ecstatic for first Florida visit

Four-star defensive lineman Zavion Hardy looks forward to putting names to faces when he visits Florida this weekend.

Florida may have jumped in late on 4-star defensive lineman Zavion Hardy’s recruitment when it offered him last month, but the Macon, Georgia, native still holds the Gators in high regard. He included the Orange and Blue among his top eight schools that he released on Feb. 22. Now he plans to visit the Swamp the first weekend after the dead period is lifted.

The Gators have played a significant factor in his recruitment so far because of the relationships he built with off-the-field analysts Jamar Chaney and Kareem Reid as well as defensive line coach Sean Spencer and head coach Billy Napier. He looks forward to visiting Florida, so he can put names to faces.

So far, he told Swamp247 that the Gators and South Carolina are the schools recruiting him the hardest. Hardy said he liked how Florida started to build a relationship with him before they extended an offer to him.

“I just never really have talked to schools the same way to Florida,” he said. “Usually when I get an offer from a school, I don’t really have time to talk before, it’s more of them offering me straight up, and then the bonds eventually came.”

Other schools to make his top eight besides Florida include Jackson State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Florida State, Miami, Georgia and UCF. He also plans to visit the Rebels later this month.

Even though he’s narrowing his options down, he doesn’t plan to make a commitment anytime soon.

[lawrence-related id=78827,78740,78738,78813,78680]

[listicle id=77787]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Florida football offers this defensive lineman out of Orlando

Florida offered fast-rising 3-star defensive lineman Kamran James out of Orlando on Feb. 28.

Three-star defensive lineman Kamran James has considered the Florida Gators the top football team in the state for most of his life. Then on Feb. 28, coach Billy Napier extended a scholarship offer to suit for the Orange and Blue with his parents and high school coach standing nearby.

James told Swamp247 that it felt like a dream. He was excited to receive the offer from Florida because he now has the opportunity to play college football close to home. The green light from coach Napier and his staff to play for the Gators meant a lot to him because it was important to him that he stayed somewhere close to Orlando, so his parents can watch him play.

“It’s a huge opportunity and another step up,” he said. “It just opens up more doors, and I’m really excited. I’m from Florida, and they’re just a top dog in Florida, so it’s an honor to be offered by the top dog, my local school.”

Before Feb. 28, most of James’ conversations have been with defensive line coach Sean Spencer. When he spoke to Napier, the former Lousiana-Lafayette coach said he liked his size, mobility and potential.

The Gators are the second SEC school to offer James along with Ole Miss and his 14th offer overall. So far, he has visited UCF, USF and Cincinnati and has plans to visit the Swamp on Friday. Finally, he said that he isn’t going to make a decision anytime soon and that he’s focused on improving in order to reach his full potential.

[lawrence-related id=78740,78738,78680,78668,78673]

[listicle id=77787]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

This in-state 4-star athlete set to visit Florida this weekend

Gators look to rope in this talented athlete this weekend.

Florida is currently set to host four 5-stars and 11 4-star recruits this weekend, the first one after the NCAA dead period concluded as of Tuesday. Now Gators fans can make that 12 4-stars as athlete Robert Stafford confirmed his plans to visit Saturday to Swamp247.

This will be his first visit to see Florida since coach Billy Napier and his staff have taken over. Stafford was offered by coach Dan Mullen and his regime last fall, but since the coaching change the dialogue hasn’t trailed off. Stafford said despite his listing as an athlete by most recruiting services that the Gators are recruiting him to play defensive back.

He added off-field staffer Jamar Chaney and area recruiter and tight ends coach William Peagler have been his main contacts. Stafford is looking forward to meeting them in person and seeing the rest of the campus.

“Their tradition and the proximity to home is obviously eye-opening,” he said of the Gators. “I grew up watching them on TV every Saturday being from Melbourne and they have done a good job of recruiting players in our area in the past.”

Napier and Co. are expecting 5-stars Keon Keeley, Francis Mauigoa, Samuel M’Pemba and highly touted 4-stars like Grayson Howard, Zavion Hardy and Payton Kirkland as well as Stafford this weekend.

[lawrence-related id=78738,78680,78668,78673,78612]

[listicle id=78540]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Two 4-star recruits plus a 2024 prospect to visit Florida on Tuesday

Napier and Co. are getting a head start on the new open season for recruiting.

After nearly a month-long dead period in February, recruits are able to head out again to see different colleges like Florida and others across the country. Most will opt to wait for this weekend to visit the Swamp, but not 4-stars Eugene Wilson III and Gavin Hill and 2024 defensive lineman Kendall Jackson. They made the trek to Gainesville on Tuesday to visit coach Billy Napier and Co.

Wilson is the only prospect who currently holds a scholarship offer from the Gators. Napier and wide receiver coach Keary Colbert extended an offer to the Tampa-based recruit and called Florida his “dream school” after a strong showing at Under Armour Miami camp last month.

So far, Colbert and area recruiter and defensive line coach Sean Spencer have led the charge for Wilson.

“I think they are great guys, and it’s easy to converse with them from the times I have talked to them,” he told Swamp247. “We laugh and stuff, and it never seems like there is any tension in the conversation at all. You can tell when they talk ball, they know what they are talking about. It’s been really good. I can just tell they are easy to build a relationship with.”

He added that coach Colbert is the one he has spoken to the most. Wilson said he’s laid back and reminds him of his receiving coach at his high school.

Hill and Jackson are the other two prospects coming to see the Swamp and are a bit more local than Wilson. They play football up the road at Buchholz in north Gainesville.

[lawrence-related id=78680,78668,78673,78612,78579]

[listicle id=78540]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Florida’s staff in touch with 4-star WR that recently decommitted from UGA

Florida looking to land this top-100 recruit after his decommittment from Georgia.

Four-star wide receiver Daquayvious Sorey made headlines earlier in the week when he decommitted from the University of Georgia, and one of the coaches he’s been in contact with since reopening his recruitment is none other than Florida’s Billy Napier, according to 247Sports.

Napier isn’t the only Florida recruiting staff member that’s been in touch. Wide receivers coach Keary Colbert, assistant wide receivers coach David Doeker, Katie Turner and Lamar Sorey (Daquayvious’ cousin) have all been in touch as well. The goal is to get the in-state recruit on campus as soon as possible, and things are going much better than they did under the previous staff.

“They’re most definitely better at recruiting than the last staff,” Sorey said. “They’re cool people honestly. They make you feel wanted you know, and that’s what a lot of players want when they’re being recruited by a school.”

While he doesn’t have a date set just yet, Sorey thinks he’ll be visiting the Swamp somewhere around March 19. He was last in Gainesville as an underclassman, but a lot has changed since Napier arrived. One of those changes is the hiring of his cousin, Lamar, which helps create a family connection with the university. That could help Florida in the long run as they attempt to land the top 100 recruit.

Penn State, Marshall and UCF are the other major programs he’s looking at early on, but Sorey’s also making room for HBCU schools like Jackson State. Flipping any recruit that was once committed to Georgia would be nice to see from Billy Napier, but making it a top-100 recruit at a position of need would make it even sweeter for Gator Nation. Sorey’s recruitment is sure to be one that Florida fans follow closely over the coming months.

247Sports ranks Sorey as the No. 10 wide receiver and the No. 83 overall recruit in the class of 2023.

[lawrence-related id=78668,78673,78612,78579,78549]

[listicle id=77787]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Florida football hoping to get this 4-star OT on campus after reoffering scholarship

4-star offensive tackle Shamurad Umarov received an offer from Florida under Dan Mullen and now Billy Napier’s staff is picking things back up

Florida has struggled to recruit elite offensive linemen in recent years, but new head coach Billy Napier is looking to turn things around in the trenches for the Gators.

One of the names on his board is four-star offensive tackle Shamurad Umarov out of Denmark High in Alpharetta, Georgia. Umarov received an offer from the previous staff in June, but he’s just getting to know the new staff at Florida.

Offensive line coach Rob Sale has been his main point of contact and recently reoffered the 6-foot-6-inch, 299-pounder, according to 247Sports. The hope is that Umarov will be able to visit Gainesville in the coming months to meet with all of the new faces at Florida.

“We haven’t set up a date to get down (to Florida), but I have brought it up with my family,” Umarov said. “I have set up a visit with a few colleges, but we are trying to find the weeks that fit my mom and dad’s schedule.”

Georgia is set to host Umarov on March 19 and Michigan State will get him for a weekend visit April 1-3. Florida, Auburn, Clemson, Kentucky, LSU and North Carolina are the other schools he is focused on arranging trips with. On his last trip to the Swamp, Umarov enjoyed the campus and facilities he saw. Napier’s since made several improvements to the program and the new training facility is on its way.

A successful visit and meeting with Napier’s crew should put Florida on Umarov’s shortlist of schools to consider heading into the summer. He hopes to commit before the start of his senior season, so there’s somewhat of a timeline to follow here. That said, he wouldn’t be the first recruit to delay a decision if the competition is fierce enough.

247Sports ranks Umarov as the No. 15 offensive tackle and the No. 187 overall recruit in the class of 2023.

[lawrence-related id=78673,78612,78579,78549,78511]

[listicle id=77787]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Blue-chip Georgia commit sets date for UF visit

Four-star offensive tackle Bo Hughley will be one of many big-time prospects on campus this coming weekend.

It was already set to be a busy for the Gators this coming weekend, the first that recruits are allowed to take visits after the end of the February dead period.

Florida will have three five-stars on campus and a litany of four-stars. Among them will be a player committed to a bitter rival that UF is desperate to flip.

Four-star offensive tackle Bo Hughley, who pledged to the Georgia Bulldogs way back in September, plans to visit Gainesville this weekend according to 247Sports’ Rusty Mansell. The Fairburn (Georgia) Langston Hughes product is the No. 58 player and No. 6 offensive tackle in the 2023 class, per the 247Sports Composite.

He received an offer from the Gators on Wednesday, and the 6-foot-7-inch, 290-pound prospect is at least interested. However, he has held firm on his commitment to Georgia even with the departure of UGA offensive line coach Matt Luke.

Here’s his prospect breakdown from 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins.

A trench bully of sorts that can win with his hands and a rather strong punch. Does a nice job of finding leverage and playing through the whistle for a youngster. Longer arms (reports a seven-foot wingspan) allow him to swallow up would-be tacklers and open up holes for the run game. Loves to overpower defenders and drive them into the ground. Has experience working on both the left and right sides of the line.

If Florida hopes to flip Hughley, it won’t do so without competition. He has discussed also taking visits to LSU, Auburn and Jackson State in the past. But if the Gators can make a strong sell when he’s on campus this weekend, they could be poised for a major flip from Kirby Smart.

[lawrence-related id=78612,78579,78549,78527,78511]

[listicle id=77787]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

This 4-star WR has set a date for his spring visit to Florida

Four-star wide receiver Tyler Williams wanted to visit the Swamp in March, but it looks like he’ll be in town in early April instead.

Four-star wide receiver Tyler Williams was planning to visit the University of Florida in March, but that trip has now been moved to April 2, according to 247Sports.

Williams also plays for Lakeland High’s basketball team, so he’s had to plan his unofficial visits around a potential run to the state championships. His visit being delayed a bit doesn’t mean that Florida is slipping in Williams’ recruitment though. In fact, he appears to be quite fond of the Gators’ new head coach Billy Napier.

“I talk just about every day with coach Napier,” Williams said. “Me and his communication has picked up a lot. I’ve had basketball, so I will have to make it up there in April. Coach Napier is great. He’s a good coach. He’s let me know he’s going to recruit me hard.”

Williams has also been talking with wide receivers coach Keary Colbert. He’ll get a chance to put faces to names once he gets on campus. His last trip to Gainesville was for the Florida State game under Dan Mullen‘s staff. That gave him a good idea of what the Swamp looks like on game day, but now there’s a new scheme and culture to consider.

Clemson, Florida State and Miami have all hosted Williams in the new year, and he had plans to stop by Georgia and Stanford this spring as well. He has over 30 Power Five offers on the table, so it may take some time to narrow things down.

The 247Sports composite ranks Williams as the No. 32 receiver and the No. 244 overall recruit in the class of 2023.

[lawrence-related id=78579,78549,78527,78511,78463]

[listicle id=77787]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.