Tag: Grayson Howard

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.

4-star LB Grayson Howard names top five schools

Four-star class of 2023 linebacker Grayson Howard names his top five schools including UGA.

Four-star class of 2023 linebacker Grayson Howard has named his top five schools. The clock is ticking for Howard to make a college decision in the coming months.

Howard made first-team all-state defense in Florida for his 2021 high school football season. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound linebacker plays for Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville, Florida. Howard is the No. 341 recruit in the class of 2023 and the No. 29 linebacker.

Inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann and Georgia were a little late to offer the class of 2023 linebacker, but the Bulldogs have many great selling points to linebackers, including their impressive 2022 NFL draft.

According to Howard’s Hudl, he finished the 2021 season with 157 tackles, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. Howard has the speed major college football programs covet at the linebacker position and is a good student. He does a solid job of recognizing plays quickly.

Who are in Grayson Howard’s top five schools?

Tigers make the cut for 4-star LB

The Tigers have made the cut for one of the top 2023 linebackers. Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson four-star linebacker Grayson Howard took to Twitter to announce his top five on Sunday. Let’s work. pic.twitter.com/6SBwrNdGOa – Grayson “PUP” …

The Tigers have made the cut for one of the top 2023 linebackers.  Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson four-star linebacker Grayson Howard took to Twitter to announce his top five on Sunday.

Florida football staff hits the road to evaluate recruiting targets

UF’s coaching staff is back on the road evaluating prospects as spring football kicks off in Florida.

Spring football has begun in the state of Florida and that means various Gators coaches are back on the road to see some of the top recruits on UF’s board in action.

[autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has done well to get several of the state’s top prospects on campus over the spring, and now he gets another chance to have his people evaluate those players. Napier has stressed the importance of his evaluation process from day one as the Gators’ head coach. Diagnosing the problem and finding the right tools to fix it is what he does best and it’s through a meticulous process.

Spring practices gave Napier and Co. a chance to see exactly what they had to work with, and it’s no secret that Florida lacks depth in various spots on the depth chart. Some of that will be addressed in the transfer portal but the long-term issues will need strong and focused recruiting to repair.

Here’s where some of the Florida football coaches are this Monday, according to 247Sports.

This 4-star linebacker to visit Florida and the Swamp this weekend

Florida wants to lock down Jacksonville and Duval County after the last staff struggled to do so.

Florida and new coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] are trying to lock down Jacksonville after the previous coaching staff ignored the area of the state at times during their stint leading the Gators. One four-star linebacker Napier and inside linebackers coach [autotag]Jay Bateman[/autotag] are prioritizing is [autotag]Grayson Howard[/autotag] out of Andrew Jackson High School in Duval County. His recruiting coordinator Bubba Horne told 247Sports that he and Howard plan to visit the Swamp this weekend.

This will be Howard’s second visit to see Florida. He last visited on March 5. He and Horne want to watch the Gators’ spring practice on Saturday.

Bateman has been the main point of contact for Howard so far during Florida’s pursuit. He wasted little time reaching out to Howard after Napier hired him away from North Carolina.

Howard hasn’t put together a formal leaderboard so far but has taken visits to Florida, Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina, Clemson and Tennesee this year.

247Sports ranks him 329th overall prospect nationally and as the 28th best linebacker in its composite rankings.

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Georgia Bulldogs football offers 4-star LB Grayson Howard

Four-star class of 2023 linebacker Grayson Howard has to make a college decision in the upcoming months.

Four-star class of 2023 linebacker Grayson Howard has to make a college decision in the coming months. Now, the Georgia Bulldogs have offered a scholarship to Howard.

Grayson Howard made first-team all-state defense in Florida for his 2021 high school football season. Howard plays high school football for Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville, Florida.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound linebacker has scholarship offers from numerous schools, including Kentucky, Utah, Missouri and Indiana. Among the schools Howard has visited are Georgia, Florida, Clemson, Tennessee and South Carolina.

Inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann and Georgia are a little late to offer the class of 2023 linebacker, but the Bulldogs have many great selling points to linebackers. Georgia is losing a lot of talent at linebacker to the 2022 NFL draft.

According to Howard’s Hudl, he finished the 2021 season with 157 tackles, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. Howard has the speed Georgia is looking for at the linebacker position and is a good student. He does a good job of recognizing plays at the high school level.

The four-star linebacker announced his scholarship offer from Georgia via Twitter:

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Florida sitting near the top of the list for this 4-star LB

Grayson Howard learned to love Florida under the older staff, but Billy Napier’s crew isn’t wasting any time getting to know the four-star linebacker.

Four-star linebacker Grayson Howard isn’t letting the coaching change at Florida scare him off from the school he fell in love with.

The Jacksonville prospect visited Gainesville and met with the Gators under the old staff and Billy Napier‘s crew has wasted little time getting to know the 6-foot-3-inch, 223-pounder. A good portion of the staff has reached out to him, and Howard said that his strongest relationships are with inside linebackers coach Jay Bateman and defensive analyst Jamar Chaney, according to 247Sports.

The new staff’s efforts have the Gators “firmly in consideration” and Howard appears unphased by the coaching turnover.

“Coaching staff changes happen,” Howard said. “And if I was there and it happened would I still be in love with the school? Florida is a place I could see myself being in a position where I would still be in love with the school.

“It’s a top option.”

Howard will be in town on March 5 to meet with the staff and is looking to get back to the Swamp in the summer. South Carolina and Clemson are also on the travel schedule and are considered the Gators’ top competition as of now for his services. That could change, though, as Howard has over 30 offers to pick from.

There’s still plenty of time left in Howard’s recruitment, but he does hope to keep to somewhat of a schedule. The plan is to have a list of finalists by the end of the school year and to decide well ahead of the December early signing period.

247Sports ranks Howard as the No. 15 linebacker in the country and No. 184 overall. He’s also ranked No. 36 in the state of Florida, and Napier has been prioritizing local talent.

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4-star linebacker adds name to Florida’s March visitors list

March 5 looks like the next big recruiting weekend at UF, and four-star linebacker Grayson Howard is the latest recruit to confirm a visit.

Florida head coach Billy Napier is preparing to host a group of recruits over the first weekend of March, and the latest name to confirm a visit is four-star linebacker Grayson Howard, according to 247Sports.

The in-state product out of Jacksonville received an offer from Dan Mullen‘s staff and visited for the game against Florida Atlantic. Napier and defensive analyst Jamar Chaney stopped by Howard’s school in January, and linebackers coach Jay Bateman followed up with him.

Getting Howard on campus is the next step in his recruitment, and it helps that Gainesville is only an hour and a half drive from his high school. He’s set to arrive on March 5.

“With Florida being a top SEC program and being so close to home, Florida is going to make it a tough decision for me to consider,” Howard said to 247Sports. “But right now my recruitment is still pretty open. Florida is definitely in a good spot in my recruitment.”

Howard is the 15th-best linebacker in Florida, according to 247Sports, and Napier seems to be targeting in-state players early. Clemson and South Carolina appear to be Florida’s top competition for the 6-foot-3-inch, 223-pounder following January visits, but Howard also has been by Georgia and Tennessee in recent weeks.

247Sports has Howard at No. 184 overall nationally among 2023 high school recruits and at No. 36 in the state.

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Elite Sunshine State LB adds Clemson offer

A big-time linebacker prospect in the class of 2023 announced an offer from Clemson on Saturday night. Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson four-star linebacker Grayson Howard, who is on campus for Clemson’s Elite Junior Day, reported the offer on …

A big-time linebacker prospect in the class of 2023 announced an offer from Clemson on Saturday night.

Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson four-star linebacker Grayson Howard, who is on campus for Clemson’s Elite Junior Day, reported the offer on social media.

Howard (6-3, 215) ranks as the No. 15 linebacker in the country for the 2023 recruiting class, per 247Sports. Howard lists nearly 30 offers, including from the University of South Carolina, which he unofficially visited this weekend.

According to MaxPreps, Howard recorded 157 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions during his junior campaign in 2021.

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Elite Junior Day preview: Top talent flocking to Tiger Town

Clemson is set to host a plethora of top talent on Saturday, when the Tigers will hold their elite junior day and welcome some of the nation’s top prospects in the 2023 class to campus. One of the headlining junior day visitors will be Birmingham …

Clemson is set to host a plethora of top talent on Saturday, when the Tigers will hold their elite junior day and welcome some of the nation’s top prospects in the 2023 class to campus.

One of the headlining junior day visitors will be Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian four-star signal caller Christopher Vizzina (pictured above), the No. 8 quarterback and No. 85 overall prospect in the 2023 class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Vizzina camped at Clemson last summer and returned to campus for the Wake Forest game on Nov. 20, when he picked up an offer from the Tigers. He will be the lone quarterback on campus for Clemson’s elite junior day.

“I’m super excited,” he told The Clemson Insider. “It’s their elite junior day, so everybody up there is one of the top players in the country, so that should be really awesome.”

Among the other headliners expected to be on hand for Clemson’s elite junior day are a pair of five-star defensive tackles in Thompson High School (Alabaster, Ala.)’s Peter Woods and Warner Robins (Ga.) High School’s Vic Burley.

Woods, ranked as the No. 4 defensive lineman in the 2023 class per the 247Sports Composite, released a top six in December that included Clemson along with Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Oregon. The Tigers extended an offer to Woods back on June 1 of last year – the first day they began offering prospects in the 2023 class. He visited Clemson during the Dabo Swinney Camp last June and returned to campus for the Boston College and Florida State games in October.

Burley, ranked as the No. 6 defensive lineman in the 2023 class according to the 247Sports Composite, likewise received an offer from Clemson on June 1. He was on campus last June as well and returned to Tiger Town for the UConn game in November.

Several other big-time defensive linemen are also slated to be in attendance for Saturday’s elite junior day, including Highland Home (Ala.) four-star Keldric Faulk, Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola four-star Derrick LeBlanc, Columbus (Ga.) Carver four-star Darron Reed, New Bern (N.C.) four-star Keith Sampson and Hickory (N.C.) four-star Rico Walker.

Faulk, Reed, Sampson and Walker all earned offers from Clemson earlier this month. Sampson dropped a top five on Jan. 15 featuring Clemson, Georgia, NC State, Ohio State and South Carolina, while LeBlanc, who received an offer from Clemson last September, named the Tigers one of his final seven schools in December along with Florida, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State and UCF.

A longstanding Clemson cornerback target in the 2023 class who will make his way back to campus Saturday is Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake four-star Avieon Terrell – of course, the younger brother of former Clemson and current Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell.

Clemson offered the younger Terrell back in April 2020, and he’s made countless trips to The Valley ever since. He is ranked as the No. 15 cornerback and No. 103 overall prospect nationally in the 2023 class, per Rivals.

Terrell will be joined at Clemson’s elite junior day by a couple of other standout defensive backs: Coppell (Texas) four-star cornerback Braxton Myers and Selma (Ala.) four-star safety DaKaari Nelson.

Myers received an offer from Clemson on Wednesday of last week, and head coach Dabo Swinney paid a visit to his school earlier this week. Nelson doesn’t currently hold an offer from the Tigers, though they’re showing substantial interest and co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Mickey Conn stopped by his school on Thursday.

“Lately they’ve been saying they like the way I play and they want to offer me, but Coach Swinney wants to see me in person before they do,” Nelson told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview Thursday.

Other prominent prospects planning to attend Clemson’s elite junior day include Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity Catholic four-star running back Justice Haynes, Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan four-star offensive lineman Sam Pendleton, Lakeland (Fla.) four-star wide receiver Tyler Williams and Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson four-star linebacker Grayson Howard.

As always, visitor lists like this one are fluid and subject to change. But here is the full list of prospects that The Clemson Insider has confirmed as expected visitors for Saturday’s elite junior day:

Warner Robins (Ga.) 2023 5-star DL Vic Burley

Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson 2023 5-star DL Peter Woods

Columbus (Ga.) Carver 2023 4-star DL Darron Reed

Highland Home (Ala.) 2023 4-star DL Keldric Faulk

New Bern (N.C.) 2023 4-star DL Keith Sampson

Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola 2023 4-star DL Derrick LeBlanc

Hickory (N.C.) 2023 4-star DL Rico Walker

Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian 2023 4-star QB Christopher Vizzina

Selma (Ala.) 2023 4-star S DaKaari Nelson

Pfafftown (N.C.) Reagan 2023 4-star OL Sam Pendleton

Lakeland (Fla.) 2023 4-star WR Tyler Williams

Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity Catholic 2023 4-star RB Justice Haynes

Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake 2023 4-star CB Avieon Terrell

Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson 2023 4-star LB Grayson Howard

Coppell (Texas) 2023 4-star S Braxton Myers

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