Tag: Gavin Hill

These 4 Florida football players changed position for 2024

These four guys are making a switch this season in hopes of boosting themselves and their team.

The upcoming college football season will be bringing many changes for the Florida Gators both on the field and off. Following their third-straight losing season, there are plenty of adjustments that need to be made.

Among those are four members of the team’s 2024 roster who will be taking on new roles in the new year. In fact, it is not uncommon for a member of the Florida football roster to shift spots ahead of an upcoming season.

Below is a look at four student-athletes who have made a switch on the field in hopes of boosting their stock among their gridiron peers, as well as improving the program as a whole.

Redshirt freshman EDGE to switch to offense, play tight end

Napier is flipping another defender to the offensive side of the ball this coming season, according to reports.

When it comes to college football, student-athletes will do anything to get more time on the playing field. Even if it requires them to switch positions… or even the side of the ball they play on.

It is not uncommon for a member of the Florida football roster to shift spots ahead of an upcoming season. This year, former edge defender [autotag]Gavin Hill[/autotag], a redshirt freshman from the nearby Buchholz High Bobcats, has made his decision to change horses midstream to the tight end position.

According to Swamp247, Hill has already started working out with the corps, which includes fellow scholarship players senior Keon Zipperer, sophomores Arlis Boardingham, Hayden Hansen and Tony Livingston, and true freshman Amir Jackson.

The change is not a drastic one for the Gainesville local, who was a two-way player for the Bobcats, though he spent the majority of his time at defensive end during his tenure; he did log 10 catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns in seven varsity games as a freshman.

The switch to tight end follows a trend of head coach Billy Napier’s when it comes to converting defensive players to the position. He has clearly had an eye on the young man’s talents since early on.

“(He) played some tight end in the past,” Napier said of Hill’s recruitment. “I thought his senior tape was special. He played with a shoulder, tough as nails. Obviously, Coach Whittemore runs a great program over there. They made a great run in the playoff. He’s a Gator through and through. There’s just a different level of passion that he’s going to bring.”

Assistant coach Russ Callaway, who was in charge of the tight end room in 2023, returns in the same role in a full-time capacity.

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Where Florida’s 2023 recruiting class finished in final On3 rankings

Half of Florida’s 2023 recruiting class wound up in the On3 top 300 after the final update was released on Tuesday.

The Florida Gators already signed the bulk of its 2023 recruiting class, and the haul is looking even better than expected after On3 provided its last update to its independent rankings, the On300.

Ten of Florida’s signees cracked the top 300 and five players made it into the top 100.

Again, this is On3’s independent rankings, which is used to reach the more commonly cited On3 consensus or 247Sports composite rankings. Those are aggregate scores that use different formulas depending on the site and are used more often because they help eliminate any one service’s individual bias.

Several of Florida’s signees participated in All-Star games and boosted their stock with good performances against some of the top players in the class. The two most notable were cornerback [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag], who each moved up over 50 spots to break into the top 50.

Here’s a look at where each Florida signee from the class of 2023 finished in the On300 rankings.

Florida’s 2023 recruiting class is loaded with early enrolees

With early signing day in the books, we now have a better idea of which members of Florida’s recruiting class of 2023 will early enroll.

Florida head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] went over a lot in his post-early signing day press conference, but one of the major points discussed was just how many of the 20 signees will enroll early. According to Napier, the bulk of the class should arrive in the spring.

Of Florida’s 20 signees, Napier expects 18 to be in Gainesville for spring practices. Rather than listing each name that plans to early enroll, it’s easier to list those who won’t: wide receiver [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Gavin Hill[/autotag].

Adding 18 players to the roster a few months early could be huge for Billy Napier and Co. The Gators are replacing a ton of talent after many draft departures, dismissals and transfers. Getting the new Napier-recruited talent on campus early means more time to teach them the playbook, system, etc. More practice time means a better shot at finding early snaps, too.

“The other thing that’s going to help is you’re going to have 20 players that start in January,” said Napier during his early signing day presser, “and I think that translates to more reps and more teaching and more opportunity to get orientated to the university and just life in general in college. But I do think that there will be a number of this group (that compete for early playing time). They’re going to have to earn it.”

It can’t be overstated how important it was for Florida to bring in a group of recruits that were willing to enroll early, and Napier did an exceptional job making sure everything went according to plan.

In case you’re looking for a full list of early enrollees, here’s a list of the players that should be coming to Gainesville in the spring:

  • 5-star quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag]
  • 4-star running back [autotag]Treyaun Webb[/autotag]
  • 4-star receiver [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag]
  • 4-star receiver [autotag]Andy Jean[/autotag]
  • 4-star offensive lineman [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag]
  • 3-star offensive lineman [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag]
  • 3-star offensive tackle [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag]
  • 4-star defensive lineman [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag]
  • 4-star defensive lineman [autotag]Kamran James[/autotag]
  • 4-star defensive lineman [autotag]TJ Searcy[/autotag]
  • 4-star defensive linemen [autotag]Will Norman[/autotag]
  • 4-star linebacker [autotag]Jaden Robinson[/autotag]
  • 4-star cornerback [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag]
  • 4-star cornerback [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag]
  • 4-star safety [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag]
  • 4-star safety [autotag]Jordan Castell[/autotag]
  • 4-star safety [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag]
  • 4-star athlete [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag]

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Here’s what Billy Napier said after early national signing day

Here’s what Billy Napier had to say about each player that signed with Florida during the early signing period.

Florida got 20 commits to sign during the 2023 early signing period, and [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] had a lot to say about the class following all the action.

Napier spoke to the press Wednesday afternoon/evening after an hour-long delay that allowed quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag]’s name to be added to the list of signees. Florida’s head coach spoke in-depth about each player in the class and Gators Wire has compiled a list of everything that he said.

Coach Napier also tackled general questions about recruiting in-state, the role NIL plays, adding more players through the transfer portal and which member of the class of 2023 will early enroll.

The TL;DR is that Napier’s team feels very confident about each player that was added to the program on Wednesday, and there was a strong emphasis on what kind of home each player came from. Napier firmly believes that being raised by a quality family helps create quality student-athletes.

Here’s a full transcript of everything Napier said on Wednesday.

Tracking Florida’s 2023 early signing period activity

Florida is set to sign most of its 2023 recruiting class on the first day of the early signing period and Gators Wire is keeping track of it all.

The calendar might still read 2022, but the reality is that many of the top recruits in the class of 2023 are signing early and Dec. 21 marks the start of the early signing period. Florida is expected to bring in a strong class in Billy Napier’s first full cycle as head coach, but nothing is ever set in stone until the pen hits the paper.

The February signing date could bring in more names, but the core of the class is signing early and Gators Wire is keeping track of every move the team makes. There usually are some surprises, and Florida is in the hunt for several uncommitted targets set to make their decisions through Friday when the period comes to a close.

Each of Florida’s commitments below is listed in order of expected ceremony start time. As players sign their national letters of intent, the list will update to reflect Florida’s most recent additions.

Florida defensive lineman commit sets official visit date

The Gators will get this blue-chip defensive lineman on campus next week for his official visit.

College football recruiting is back in high gear now that the no-contact period has ended, kicking off a tidal wave of official visits and offers. [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and Co. have wasted no time getting back to the grind having hosted several players on visits while also reaching out to some of the top prep prospects in their own hometowns.

On Tuesday, four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Gavin Hill[/autotag] out of Gainesville (Florida) Buchholz set his official visit date on campus for Dec. 9, according to Swamp247. The local student-athlete earned an offer from the Gators back in June and wasted little time giving his verbal commitment after just a few weeks of deliberation.

Having the advantage of living locally, Hill was able to attend every home game in the Swamp during the 2022 season. He is expected to sign his letter of intent this month but is not projected to be an early enrollee.

Hill is ranked No. 301 overall and No. 43 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 consensus has him at Nos. 290 and 38, respectively. Prior to his commitment, the high school senior had one crystal ball prediction from 247Sports while On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine gave the Gators a 94% chance of landing him.

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Florida commits in action during Week 2 of high school football

Take a look at how Florida’s top recruits fared this past week on the high school gridiron.

Week one of college football was plenty exciting, but there was still high school football action as well, and Florida’s commits put up some highlights.

Two players were on a bye, four-star receiver [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] and four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Will Norman[/autotag]. The latter has had an interesting high school journey that took another turn over the weekend.

A good chunk of the class was in attendance for Florida’s upset win over the Utah Utes on Saturday as well. Seeing the Swamp over capacity and experiencing Billy Napier’s first game day as the head coach of the Gators sat well with them.

Here’s a look at what Florida’s recruiting class of 2023 did over the weekend.

2024 DL recruit set return visit after being wowed by new facility

This 2024 defensive lineman target got an early gander at Florida’s new facility and came away impressed.

The newly unveiled James W. Heavener Football Training Center has already begun to make a big impression on both the staff and the players of Florida football’s program, even extending to prospective prep prospects.

Among those in the latter group who recently came away impressed with the new edifice was 2024 three-star defensive lineman [autotag]Kendall Jackson[/autotag] out of nearby Buchholz High in Gainesville, who attended Florida’s Friday Night Lights event at the end of July, which included a tour of the facility prior to its official opening.

“Before the camp started, I took a little visit around the new facility before it was finished to see where the Gators are going to be living pretty much,” he told Gators Online. “The new facility is amazing; I’m not going to lie. Just walking through there and seeing the different rooms and things they got for the players was impressive.”

The impression the new digs made on the 6-foot-4-inch, 250-pound rising junior was clearly positive. He now plans on joining the myriad of recruits in attendance for Florida’s season opener against the Utah Utes, which is his only scheduled visit set for the fall so far.

Jackson also has a connection to the program through his late uncle Aubrey Hill, who was a major player during the [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag] era, as well as his mother who is a UF alumna.

If the in-state target signs with the Gators, he would join Buchholz teammates wide receiver [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Gavin Hill[/autotag] — who committed in the 2023 class — in wearing the beloved Orange and Blue.

Jackson is ranked No. 407 overall and No. 37 at his position in his class nationally according to the 247Sports composite, while the On3 consensus has him at Nos. 376 and 34, respectively. The Gators hold the lone crystal ball prediction from 247Sports while On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has Florida an overwhelming favorite for the young athlete’s talents with a 99.3% chance of signing him.

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Two Florida coaches in top 15 of 247Sports’ recruiter rankings

Florida’s coaching staff has been on a roll lately, and much of it is thanks to two men in particular. 247Sports has them in their top 15.

When [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] assembled his staff at the University of Florida, he said that he wanted to prioritize recruiting. Twenty commitments into the class of 2023 and one class of 2024 four-star verbally pledge to the Orange and Blue, it’s safe to say that Napier was successful, and the numbers back it up.

Co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag] is ranked No. 7 on the 247Sports 2023 football recruiter rankings, and [autotag]Keary Colbert[/autotag] is ranked No. 11, which is good for the second-highest placement of any wide receivers coach on the list.

Spencer has been the primary recruiter on five of Florida’s commitments and has played a secondary role in the recruitment of two others. He’s directly responsible for the additions of No. 70 [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag], No. 145 [autotag]Will Norman[/autotag], No. 205 [autotag]Isaiah Nixon[/autotag], No. 218 [autotag]Kamran James[/autotag] and four-star [autotag]Gavin Hill[/autotag]. Despite the battery of four-stars committed to Florida thanks to Spencer, he ranks fourth among defensive line recruiters in the country. Clemson‘s Nick Eason, Notre Dame‘s Al Washington and Alabama‘s Freddie Roach are all ranked above Spencer in ascending order.

Still, it’s clear that coach Chaos’ stint in the NFL paid off, and he’s once again at the top of the recruiting game. Florida has the potential to bring in the strongest defensive line classes in the upcoming cycle, assuming all commitments put pen to paper during one of the signing periods.

Colbert has been the primary on five recruits as well, all of whom will play receiver for UF. No. 78 [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag] leads the group and should be paired with No. 142 [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] to do some damage. Four-stars [autotag]Andy Jean[/autotag] and [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag] round out the blue-chip names in the class and three-star [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag] adds some depth to the class. And there’s potential to add more receivers to the group.

The only other receivers coach ranked higher by 247Sports is Ohio State‘s Brian Hartline, who has brought in four recruits that average a 96.48 grade. The next receivers coach on the list is Texas’ Brennan Marion at No. 20 and three commits under his belt.

Florida’s other co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] is ranked No. 31 and the only other Gator inside the top 100. Cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] should be next to break that threshold if he can add one of his high-profile targets. Currently ranked No. 101, adding either four-star [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] or five-star [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag] should do the trick for Raymond.

Outside linebackers coach [autotag]Mike Peterson[/autotag] is ranked No. 111, offensive coordinator and offense line coach [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] is ranked No. 188, inside linebacker coach [autotag]Jay Bateman[/autotag] is No. 190, tight ends coach [autotag]William Peagler[/autotag] is No. 240 and running backs coach [autotag]Jabbar Juluke[/autotag] rounds out the group at No. 338 on the list. Assistant offensive line coach [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag] received secondary credits for four commitments and ranks No. 259 as well.

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