Tag: Bryce Lovett

Florida football misses out on 4-star offensive tackle to FSU

Florida was hoping to keep four-star offensive lineman Lucas Simmons away from the Seminoles, but it looks like he’s headed to FSU next year.

Florida just landed a trio of impact commitments but Florida State got the nod over UF from four-star offensive tackle [autotag]Lucas Simmons[/autotag] on Monday afternoon.

The Gators had been pushing hard for the native of Sweden who is playing his high school ball at Clearwater Academy International, but FSU won out. The entire staff tweeted out “HejaGators” before April’s Orange and Blue Game and hosted him on his penultimate official visit on June 20, but the Seminoles formed a stronger bond with Simmons.

“Florida state is home,” Simmons said to On3. “I love FSU and the people in the program. Every time I leave Florida State I’m looking to book my next trip and every time I’m there I feel like home. Atkins and Norvell are people I trust to the fullest and I don’t see myself playing and getting developed under anyone else except them. I believe in the program, I believe in the coaches and players, and I believe that FSU will be what it once was.”

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Simmons is ranked No. 117 overall on the On3 consensus and No. 11 among offensive tackles in the class of 2023. Florida still has [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] to fall back on, but Billy Napier will need to look elsewhere to round out the class.

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Florida football recruiting rises in rankings after recent blue-chip commitment

The Gators got a boost in 247Sports’ recruiting rankings with their recent commitment from Sharif Denson.

Florida football got some good news on the recruiting front recently when 247Sports gave the Gators a 10-spot bump in their rankings for the 2023 class after four-star cornerback [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag] committed to the program on Monday. While still sitting outside the top 25, UF moved up from No. 38 to No. 28 nationally in the prestigious publication’s rankings.

The boost comes on the heels of some disappointment for the Orange and Blue as highly-sought quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] picked the Miami Hurricanes while four-star offensive lineman [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag] chose the Florida State Seminoles as their collegiate destinations.

The 5-foot-11.5-inch, 170-pound defensive back is a legacy at Florida through his parents, both of whom competed on the track team during their time at the university, which likely made a difference in his decision.

Denson is Florida’s ninth commitment in the class of 2023, the eighth of whom coming from within a 350-mile radius of campus — on par with Billy Napier’s desire to dominate the hotbeds of talent that reside nearby. Out of Gainesville, there is four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Gavin Hill[/autotag] and three-star wide receiver [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag], while four-star edge rusher [autotag]Isaiah Nixon[/autotag] (St. Petersburg), four-star offensive lineman [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] (Bradenton), three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] (Rockledge), three-star wide receiver [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag] (Eustis) and three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Tommy Kinsler[/autotag] (Ocala) round out the rest of the eight.

Four-star athlete [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag] is the ninth recruit, hailing from Sharpsburg, Georgia, and represents the only other projected defensive back in the class so far, though Florida is still going after top-ranked cornerback [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag].

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Florida football gets commitment from this coveted OL

Add another name to the list of 2023 football commits.

Florida football added another commitment to its 2023 recruiting class on Sunday when an in-state target from just down the road pledged to join the Orange and Blue. Three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Tommy Kinsler[/autotag] out of Ocala Trinity Catholic, fresh off an official visit to the Swamp made up his mind with little hesitation.

“I got to talk to the coaches, see how they work, see how their personality is and got to spend time with the players and got to know how they are,” he told Swamp247. “I had a great time. My family had a great time, too.”

“It got to open my mind and see if I could come here and get developed more,” he told AllGators. “It did open my mind because I committed today.” Kinsler also offered Swamp247, “Coach Sale and coach Stapleton seem like the guys to do it, to get me prepared for the next level.”

The 6-foot-6-inch, 330-pound behemoth is no stranger to Gainesville thanks in large part to his proximity in nearby Ocala and he had already made a couple of unofficial visits ahead of his recent stop. He recently made a trip to see the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and still has an official visit set with the Miami Hurricanes on June 24.

Kinsler is Florida’s sixth commitment in the 2023 recruiting cycle, joining four-star athlete [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag], four-star offensive lineman [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag], three-star athlete [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag], three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] and three-star wide receiver [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag].

The in-state lineman is currently ranked No. 964 overall and No. 85 nationally at his position according to the 247Sports composite, while the On3 consensus has him at Nos. 896 and 61, respectively. Kinsler had held a solitary crystal ball projection from 247Sports and an 89.9% chance of landing him on On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine.

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A look at recruits Florida football is hosting first weekend of June

Here are the eight prep prospects making their way to the Swamp this weekend.

Florida football will host a group of eight 2023 recruits this weekend starting on Friday, June 3, as [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his staff prepares to impress some of the best that the high school ranks have to offer. The Gators have seven blue-chip prospects heading to Gainesville — all four-star rated by both the 247Sports Composite and the On3 Consensus — plus a three-star commit who is also making the trip.

Additionally, in line with the new policy of focusing on recruits from within the state’s borders, six of the visitors hail from the Sunshine State while the other two are not much further away in Georgia and Alabama. There will be plenty more visits in the coming weekends this month and the Gators are looking to get off to a strong start with this first batch of preps.

Below is a look at all eight prospects heading to the Swamp from June 3 to 5 along with their respective rankings, a brief blurb on their recruitment, as well as a look at our previous coverage here at Gators Wire.

Gators crack top 25 in recruiting class rankings, per ESPN

The Gators have finally cracked ESPN’s top-25 recruiting rankings.

In a recent re-rank of the recruiting classes across college football, ESPN gave the 23rd spot to [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s Florida Gators. Previously unranked, UF was able to claim a spot thanks to the recent additions of three notable prospects to the class.

The recruits currently committed to attending Florida are athlete [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag], offensive guard [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag], wide receiver [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag], wide receiver [autotag]Tyree Patterson,[/autotag] and offensive tackle [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag].

Harris is the top player in the group currently committed to the Gators in ESPN’s rankings. They list him as a four-star, ranked as the 155th player in the class. “Harris is a nice addition to the trenches, as he has been a multiyear starter at IMG Academy and should come in ready to compete for playing time,” wrote the ESPN recruiting experts.

Many Gators fans may have expected better results on the recruiting trail a full six months into the Napier era, especially considering he hired so many well-known recruiting powerhouses into his staff. That being the case, seeing Florida just now creep into the top 25 schools on the ESPN list could be disheartening.

However, I’d admonish caution before getting too close to the ledge. A few of the players Florida wanted have spurned them, but most of their top targets are yet to commit anywhere. The Gators’ name is constantly being included in the conversation for notable prospects and literally every week they are included in four-star players’ top lists.

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Florida football moves up in recruiting rankings after commitment

Billy Napier continues to dig the Gators out of the recruiting hole left by Dan Mullen.

Florida football recruiting got a big boost on Monday when it landed a commitment from 3-star offensive lineman [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag], who hails from Rockledge, Florida. The in-state OL was the Gators’ fifth commitment for the 2023 class, choosing the Orange and Blue over Iowa State, Missouri, and Louisville.

While a 3-star prospect might not seem like a game-changer, Florida’s new head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his staff have been hard at work reversing the damage left behind by the previous regime under [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag], which did not stress the importance of recruiting nearly as much as necessary for success in the Southeastern Conference. The latest coup gave the Gators a nice bump in 247Sports team rankings, moving up from No. 36 to No. 30 with plenty of room for growth.

While barely cracking the top-30s does not sound all that impressive, the jump does put Florida ahead of Alabama, Clemson, Vanderbilt, Nebraska, Iowa State, Oregon and Miami, albeit it with plenty of time for things to change. The important takeaway is that we are already seeing the fruits of Napier’s labors and that should be an encouraging sign to Gators fans.

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Gators land commitment from this in-state 3-star offensive lineman

The Gators got their fifth commit of the 2023 cycle.

Monday afternoon, offensive tackle [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] announced on his Twitter account that he has committed to play for the Florida Gators. A three-star recruit in the 2023 class, Lovett chose the Gators over Iowa State, Louisville and Missouri. He’s rated as the 728th best prospect in the class on the 247Sports composite.

Lovett has been on the Gators’ radar for a long time and he came to Florida’s campus five times this year before locking down his commitment. In his Twitter announcement, Lovett thanked his mother, brother, coaches, and teammates, singling out two of his best friends before stating that he’d play in Gainesville.

“He’s a really cool dude. He keeps it real,” Lovett said of coach [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] in an interview with On3 Sports. “He always makes sure I’m good and gives me tips on what to do during practice. Even though I’m not even there yet, he’s always trying to better me.”

As we’re coming to find out, the Gators’ offensive staff love big lineman. Standing at 6-feet-6-inches, the newest Gator fits that bill. Here’s a look at one of Lovett’s camp reps.

Lovett is the fifth commitment in head coach Billy Napier’s bump class, joining athlete Aaron Gates, interior offensive lineman Knijeah Harris, and wide receivers Creed Whittemore and Tyree Patterson.

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Coveted OL prospect names UF among top 4, sets commitment date

The Gators will be hard to beat for three-star offensive tackle Bryce Lovett who will make his commitment on May 16.

Three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] has been to Florida a handful of times since head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has taken over the program. Because of the sheer amount of times he has visited the Swamp, the Gators should be tough to beat for Lovett who dropped a list of his four schools while setting a commitment date. Florida made his list along with Iowa State, Missouri and Louisville. He plans to make his commitment known on May 16, his 17th birthday.

He said he likes Florida because of all the coaches they have dedicated to the offensive line unit.

“It’s the relationship I have with the new coaching staff and what they are trying to do,” Lovett said when asked what he likes about the Gators, according to 247Sports. “And then they got like five o-line coaches. They are so dedicated to the offensive line, it’s crazy.”

The 247Sports composite rankings have the Rockledge, Florida, native as the 715th overall prospect and as the 61st best offensive tackle.

Lovett will be a solid addition to the class as long as the Gators, Napier and offensive line coaches [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag] sign some of four- and five-star offensive linemen this cycle. The unit needs an overhaul after the previous regime struggled to recruit the position.

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June date set for this in-state OT to officially visit Florida

It didn’t take very long for in-state OT Bryce Lovett to plan his return to Florida. This time it’ll be an official visit, too.

The last time we checked in on Rockledge, Florida, offensive tackle [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag], the three-star recruit was planning on visiting the Swamp for one of his five official visits. He wasn’t sure of the date at that point, but that’s quickly changed as Lovett is now scheduled to be in Gainesville from June 3-5, according to 247Sports.

This will be Lovett’s sixth trip to campus since the year began. He picked up the offer from Billy Napier’s staff in January and has steadily built a strong relationship with the Gators in the months since. He said that Florida was at the top of his recruitment following his most recent visit for the spring game.

His return in June could be to get one final look at things before pulling the trigger on committing. A June 25 decision date has been brought up, but there’s a chance he gets things over with sooner if a visit really blows him away.

Lovett is ranked No. 709 nationally on the 247Sports composite and No. 61 among offensive tackles. Napier and Co. like him on the outside of the line but think he has the versatility to fill gaps in the interior as well.

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In-state OT planning official visit to UF following spring game visit

The Gators are at the top of offensive tackle Bryce Lovett’s list after several spring trips to the Swamp.

Three-star offensive tackle [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] has become a familiar face around the Florida Gators’ football facilities after making three trips to Gainesville in as many weeks earlier in the spring. The Rockledge, Florida, recruit returned to the Swamp on Thursday for Florida’s Orange and Blue game and left with the intention to spend one of his official visits on the Gators, according to 247Sports.

“I don’t know where or when (the official visits will take place), but probably in the first few weeks of June,” Lovett said. “Florida will get one of them, but I don’t know where else. Florida will probably be in the first or second week of June maybe.”

Lovett said the Gators were leading in his recruitment due to the consistent attention he’s received from the staff. The plan is for Lovett to make a decision on June 25, but that decision could get bumped up if the weekend visit goes well. He’s seen everything there is to see at Florida, so that trip is mainly to see the new training facility and get one last look at the program before deciding.

Iowa State is the only other team that’s hosted him on campus over the spring, but Arkansas and Missouri also loom. At this point, Lovett still feels like Florida’s recruit to lose.

He feels Florida can develop him to his fullest capabilities and appreciates what he’s seen from offensive line coaches [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag]. The staff sees him playing both tackle and guard for Florida, likely fitting wherever depth is needed early on with room to grow into a starting role.

With an early timeline and all signs pointing in the right direction, Gator Nation might want to keep an eye on Lovett for a surprise commitment.

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