Grill in the Ville – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Top-ranked 2025 safety will be at Grill in the Ville on Saturday

This top-ranked 2025 safety prospect is leaning toward Florida and will be in town this weekend.

Florida football’s first edition of its midsummer Grill in the Ville event is just a day away as the program prepares to host a plethora of prep prospects from a range of recruiting classes into the Swamp in an effort to build a closer relationship with Billy Napier and the Gators’ staff.

While the 2024 recruiting cycle has the most representatives scheduled to attend the festivities in Gainesville on Saturday, July 29, the 2025 class also has a handful of recruits who will be in town for the cookout and other scheduled activities. Among them is five-star safety [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag] out of Zephyrhills (Florida) who is one of the top 10 student-athletes overall in his respective class.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 170-pound blue-chip defender has made two trips to Gainesville this year, with one coming back in March and the second at the beginning of June. The high school junior has been pursued by the Orange and Blue dating back to the Dan Mullen era, with Napier and Co. picking up where he had left off.

Pickett is ranked No. 8 overall and No. 1 at his position nationally according to both the 247Sports composite and On3 industry ranking. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has Florida in front with a 22.9% chance of landing him, followed by the Florida State Seminoles (12.2%), Georgia Bulldogs (10.4%) and Michigan Wolverines (8.7%).

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Grill in the Ville this weekend to include Peach State OL commit

One of Florida’s offensive line commitments will be in town this Saturday for the big BBQ.

Florida football’s first edition of its midsummer Grill in the Ville event, which welcomes prep prospects from a range of recruiting classes into the Swamp to build a closer relationship with Billy Napier and the Gators’ staff, is set to take place on Saturday, July 29, in Gainesville.

Among the myriad of prep recruits making their way to Hogtown this weekend is three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Marcus Mascoll[/autotag] out of Snellville (Georgia) South Gwinnett in the 2024 recruiting class. The 6-foot-4.5-inch, 290-pound trench warrior committed to Florida back on June 19 following an official visit, choosing the Gators over the LSU Tigers and NC State Wolfpack.

“It’s the people, it’s the people down here. Gainesville, it’s a great location, so I had to come down to see the Gators,” Mascoll told Swamp247 after his OV. “It was mainly just being around the players more, because that’s how I get the feel for, ‘these could be my future teammates’, so that’s mainly what I tried to soak in, all the stuff they threw at me, but it was good.”

His commitment was the third for the offensive line as Napier and Co. look to bolster the corps as one simply cannot have too much o-line depth. And it appears the love goes both ways between him and the program.

“Florida is a great university and Gainesville is a great city,” Mascoll told On3’s Hayes Fawcett after committing. “Coach (Billy) Napier, Coach (Rob) Sale and Coach (Darnell) Stapleton are all great dudes and they make me feel like a priority.”

Mascoll is ranked No. 680 overall and No. 52 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 623 and 41, respectively.

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Fast-rising in-state safety commit to attend Grill in the Ville this weekend

He flew under the radar for a while, but this in-state recruit could be a big get for the Gators this weekend.

While the focus has been primarily on the four- and five-star visitors lined up for the midsummer gala, there are numerous attendees who have flown under the radar thus far but are still among the better prospects in the nation. One of those student-athletes is three-star safety [autotag]Teddy Foster[/autotag] out of Sarasota (Florida) Cardinal Mooney, whose stock has been surging as of late.

Napier and Co. took note of this upward trend and recently pulled the 6-foot-2-inch, 175-pound defensive back into the fold, earning his verbal commitment on July 14 — making him the 20th member of the 2024 recruiting class. The high school senior chose the Orange and Blue over the Miami Hurricanes and North Carolina Tar Heels.

“One thing that stuck out to me was (Coach Billy Napier) said, coming from Louisiana, he didn’t get five-star recruits and stuff like that,” Foster offered to 247Sports. “He may not have gotten those guys there, but he was always able to develop under-recruited guys. I believe right now that I am still raw. I am not done yet. I have only been playing high school football for like a year and a half now.”

Foster is ranked No. 757 overall and No. 68 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 688 and 69, respectively.

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3-star 2024 safety commit to stop by for Grill in the Ville

Add another name to the list of visitors this weekend for Napier and Co.’s summer cookout.

Among the many members of the 2024 recruiting class who will be eating high on the hog this weekend is three-star safety [autotag]Josiah Davis[/autotag] out of Nashville (Georgia) Berrien. The 6-foot-1-inch, 185-pound defensive back committed to the Gators on March 27, choosing the Orange and Blue over the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, NC State Wolfpack and Tennessee Volunteers.

“Florida is just a great school overall, football and academic-wise,” Davis told On3’s Hayes Fawcett. “The bond I have with the coaches, especially coach CJ, coach Bateman, and Coach Armstrong. They treat me very special every time I visit up there.”

The high school senior made an official visit to the Swamp at the beginning of June and appears to be locked in with the program so far.

Davis is ranked No. 529 overall and No. 52 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 480 and 45, respectively.

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Coveted DL commit will be cooking in the Swamp for Grill in the Ville

This Peach State prospect will help get things cooking in Gainesville this weekend.

While a lion’s share of the visitors from the 2024 recruiting class are blue-chippers, there is still a handful of three-star commits who will also be making their way to campus to join in the feast. One of those student-athletes is three-star defensive lineman [autotag]Michai Boireau[/autotag] out of Fairburn (Georgia) Creekside.

The 6-foot-5-inch, 390-pound trench warrior committed to the Orange and Blue back on June 19, choosing the Gators over the Auburn Tigers, Florida State Seminoles, Michigan Wolverines, Tennessee Volunteers and Texas A&M Aggies, among others.

Boireau’s official visit to Gainesville was on June 9, from which he left wowed by the school’s athletics and academics. A day after his visit to UGA he made things official with Florida.

The Peach State standout fully shut down his recruiting on July 5, giving his full and undivided attention to Napier and Co. “1000% locked in” was written on his Twitter post.

Boireau is ranked No. 864 overall and No. 90 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 904 and 90, respectively.

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Blue-chip EDGE commit plans to be at Grill in the Ville on Saturday

This Tar Heel State talent will be among the many from outside Florida’s border who will be in Gainesville on Saturday.

Included on the visitor’s list is four-star edge commit [autotag]Amaris Williams[/autotag] out of Clinton (North Carolina) in the 2024 recruiting cycle. The 6-foot-3-inch, 270-pound defender committed to the Gators back on June 17, beating out the Auburn Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, NC State Wolfpack, Tennessee Volunteers and Penn State Nittany Lions and others.

“What really stood out about Florida was the coaches and the time they put into me,” Williams told On3’s Hayes Fawcett. “They had a game plan set for me and treated me as a priority. Being a top player on their board added to it. Another thing that stood out was the people and the environment.”

Williams is ranked No. 172 overall and No. 22 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 160 and 20, respectively.

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Grill in the Ville event will include massive 4-star Florida OT commit

This huge offensive lineman, who committed earlier in July, will be at this weekend’s big BBQ event.

Among those slated to be in attendance for this summer’s bar-b-que extravaganza is four-star offensive tackle commit [autotag]Fletcher Westphal[/autotag] out of Leesburg (Virginia) in the 2024 recruiting cycle. The massive 6-foot-8-inch, 335-pound lineman committed to Napier’s program on July 10, choosing the Orange and Blue over the Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, Clemson Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs.

“For a long time, Arkansas was the leader and I hadn’t taken too many visits to Florida, but as I got down there more, I started feeling differently about them,” Westphal told Chad Simmons of On3. “I took my official visit to Florida, and I really enjoyed being around the players, I enjoyed being around the coaches and I loved the strength and conditioning staff. Everyone there was great to be around.”

Westphal is ranked No. 296 overall and No. 24 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 249 and 19, respectively.

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This 5-star LB commit will be at Grill in the Ville on Saturday

This big-time blue-chipper will be among the many in town this weekend for Grill in the Ville.

One member of the 2024 recruiting class who will be in attendance that day is 247Sports five-star linebacker [autotag]Jamonta Waller[/autotag] out of Picayune Memorial (Mississippi). The 6-foot-2-inch, 225-pound defender committed to the Orange and Blue back on June 19, choosing the Gators over the Auburn Tigers and Penn State Nittany Lions.

“The people,” Waller On3’s Hayes Fawcett. “It just felt like home both times I went to Gainesville. They made me feel like a priority. I realized I wanted to be a Florida Gator at 4 a.m. last night, that’s when I knew it was home. So I woke up this morning and called coach Billy.”

Waller is rated at four stars and ranked No. 69 overall and No. 6 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking also rates him at four stars and has him at Nos. 64 and 7, respectively.

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Blue-chip Bayou State CB target plans to be at Grill in the Ville event

From swamp to Swamp, the Gators will get a visit from this still undecided 4-star CB this Saturday.

Florida football is getting set to host the first edition of the Grill in the Ville event, which welcomes prep prospects from a range of recruiting classes into the Swamp to get a gander at what Billy Napier and the Gators have to offer.

While a majority of the visitors from the 2024 cycle have already verbally committed to the University of Florida, there is still a pair who are taking their time making what will likely be the most important decision of their lives. One of those young student-athletes is four-star cornerback [autotag]Wardell Mack[/autotag] out of Marrero (Louisiana) John Ehret.

The 5-foot-11-inch, 170-pound defensive back released his list of the top four schools remaining in play for his services a couple of weeks ago, which in addition to Florida also included the LSU Tigers, Texas Longhorns and Florida State Seminoles.

Billy Napier’s staff offered him a scholarship in early March and an April visit opened his eyes to what the Swamp had to offer. Subsequently, the rising high school senior made an official visit in the middle of June — right at the time that the program made a huge surge on the recruiting front. It appears he was very impressed with what he has seen so far given his plans to return for this Saturday’s festivities.

Mack is ranked No. 115 overall and No. 13 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 71 and 7, respectively.

He currently holds three crystal ball predictions from 247Sports for the Texas Longhorns while On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine gives LSU a massive lead in the race for his talents with a 78.5% chance of signing him; Texas is a distant second at 18.9%.

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Local blue-chip EDGE commit will be at Grill in the Ville on Saturday

Local EDGE standout will be among the many feasting in the Swamp this Saturday.

Four-star edge defender [autotag]Kendall Jackson[/autotag] out of nearby Gainesville (Florida) Buchholz will be among the many current commits in attendance for the midsummer event on Saturday, July 29. The 6-foot-4-inch, 250-pound prospect committed to the Orange and Blue on July 12, becoming the 19th member of the recruiting class at the time.

The high school senior chose the Gators over the Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats and Miami Hurricanes.

“They were really consistent,” Jackson said to Swamp247 before announcing his commitment. “That is one thing I will say they did pretty well. Another thing was the relationship I built with them. I have a great relationship to where I can talk with them about anything outside of football. They are like family to me.”

Jackson is ranked No. 478 overall and No. 48 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 393 and 33, respectively.

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