Tag: Joseph Mbatchou

Florida wins battle for 4-star DL Joseph Mbatchou on early signing day

After flipping from Florida to Texas back to Florida, this 4-star gridiron newcomer signed the dotted line with the Gators on Wednesday.

Following a back-and-forth battle these past few months, the Florida Gators emerged victoriously on early signing day with the addition of four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Joseph Mbatchou[/autotag] out of Loganville (Georgia) Grayson.

Mbatchou originally committed to the Orange and Blue back at the start of August, but then decommitted in late October after the win over the Kentucky Wildcats. That opened the door for programs like the Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs, Texas Longhorns and South Carolina Gamecocks to swoop in.

However, after selecting Texas from the aforementioned group, Mbatchou flipped back to Florida on Dec. 1, after the team finished the regular season with a 7-5 record. Now, he is officially a Gator.

Mbatchou’s background, experience

The gridiron giant is still a bit new to the game having just a year of experience under his belt, but his raw potential is unquestioned as his 6-foot-4.5-inch, 280-pound frame projects a great deal of physical upside.

After recording 25 tackles — including three sacks — during his senior season along with 11 quarterback hurries and 13 total tackles for loss over 12 games, the sky is the limit for Mbatchou’s talents.

Recruiting Rankings

Mbatchou is ranked No. 296 overall and No. 31 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 259 and 21, respectively.

For reference, he was ranked No. 1,239 overall and No. 131 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite back in August — which goes to show how much he has progressed over the past several months.

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Florida flips 4-star DL from Texas after back-and-forth recruitment

Four-star defensive lineman Joseph Mbatchou backed off his commitment to Florida in October, but he’s back in the fold after a brief pledge to Texas.

Grayson (Loganville, Georgia) defensive lineman [autotag]Joseph Mbatchou[/autotag] has flipped back to the Florida Gators.

Mbatchou initially committed to the Gators in July, but he backed off that pledge in October. A month later, he picked the Texas Longhorns as his new team, but now Mbatchou is returning to his original pick of Florida.

The four-star defensive lineman was in Gainesville two weeks ago for Florida’s upset win over LSU. Since then, the Gators have upset Ole Miss and taken care of business against a sloppy Florida State team. All three of those games featured dominant performances from Florida’s defensive front, including an eight-sack evening on Saturday.

“It went really good. The defense, they were killing LSU,” Mbatchou said to Gators Online after his official visit. “I got to talk to the coaches and got to see what I saw the first time when I committed. I kind of saw the same thing, so it was a really good visit. It looked even during the first, second and third, and then once the fourth quarter rolled around, LSU couldn’t handle them anymore. They couldn’t stop them.”

Mbatchou also told Gators Online that questions surrounding Billy Napier’s future as the head coach in Gainesville led to his commitment. Florida’s strong finish and athletic director Scott Stricklin’s public backing of Napier has changed things.

Recruiting Summary

A consensus four-star recruit, 247Sports is the highest on Mbatchou, ranking him No. 229 overall in the class of 2025. The 247Sports composite has him a bit lower at No. 291 nationally and No. 31 among defensive linemen, while the On3 industry ranking puts him at Nos. 258 and 22, respectively.

Mbatchou is new to football. He’s a Cameroon native who also plays basketball and started putting the pads on this season. At 6-foot-4.5-inches and 280 pounds, there’s a ton of optimism and upside following a 25-tackle, three-sack senior year. He ended the season with 11 quarterback hurries and 13 tackles for loss over 12 games.

Bringing Mbatchou back into the fold moves Florida up to No. 13 in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings and 14th in the On3 industry ranking team rankings.

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Four-star DL Joseph Mbatchou has ‘good visit’ to the Plains

Mbatchou has now taken a pair of visits to the Plains this football season

Four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Joseph Mbatchou[/autotag] was in attendance for Auburn’s most recent loss to Vanderbilt last Saturday.

Although the game did not go the way the Tigers wanted, the Loganville, Georgia native said he had a “good visit” per On3’s Jeffrey Lee. A consensus top-30 defensive line prospect in the country, Mbatchou was also on the Plains for Auburn’s loss to California earlier in the season.

While the two losses could be seen as frustrating, the four-star prospect was intrigued with what he saw from the defensive line, specifically standout sophomore [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag]. Speaking further with On3, Mbatchou explained his excitement.

“I think [Faulk]’s a dog and he surrounds himself with dogs,” Mbatchou said. “Everyone on the d-line was eating…it shows you what the standard is if the d-line… I care about that more than the loss.”

That takeaway, along with the Georgia native’s budding relationship with defensive line coach Vontrell King-Williams, has Auburn among the teams in Mbatchou’s top three. The Tigers, along with Michigan and Texas, are the three top-ranked destinations on the four-star recruit’s list right now. Two recruiting experts from On3 submitted predictions last week in favor of Auburn landing him for their 2025 recruiting haul.

Like so many recruits before him, Mbatchou said one of the reasons Auburn is among his top schools is because of the atmosphere surrounding the Auburn family.

“The best part about Auburn is the people… It’s a family-oriented place with a lot of love for their brothers,” Mbatchou said. “They are building it back up the right way by getting young players.”

We may not get an answer soon either, as the high school senior is set to take official visits to USC and Florida this fall before choosing a school around signing day next spring. If Hugh Freeze and his staff can sway him to the Plains, Mbatchou’s commitment would add to an already top-five-ranked 2025 recruiting class.

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Auburn becomes frontrunner to land four-star DL Joseph Mbatchou

Mbatchou will visit the Plains this weekend for Auburn’s game with Vanderbilt. Can Hugh Freeze and staff close the deal?

Auburn football is hosting one of the top defensive linemen from the 2025 class this weekend, which could ultimately close the deal.

[autotag]Joseph Mbatchou[/autotag], a four-star defensive lineman from Loganville, Georgia, is set to visit the Plains for Auburn’s game with Vanderbilt on Saturday, marking the third time he has taken in an Auburn game this season.

This visit could be crucial says On3’s VP of recruiting Steve Wiltfong, who, along with On3 recruiting expert Chad Simmons, has logged a prediction for Auburn to add Mbatchou to its highly-rated 2025 signing class ahead of his visit.

Wiltfong says that Auburn’s director of recruiting [autotag]Kenyatta Watson[/autotag] and defensive line coach [autotag]Vontrell King-Williams[/autotag] have played a large role in Mbatchou’s recruitment, which has allowed Auburn to stay ahead of Texas and USC in the race for his signature.

Following the submitted predictions from Wiltfong and Simmons, Auburn now has a 92.7% chance to sign Mbatchou according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine. Mbatchou is the No. 31 defensive lineman from the 2025 recruiting class according to On3’s industry ranking and is the No. 38 overall recruit from Georgia for the 2025 cycle.

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Four-star DL backs off commitment to Florida midseason

Class of 2025 defensive lineman Joseph Mbatchou is backing off his pledge to play at Florida and re-opening his commitment.

It’s not the kind of thing you expect to happen after a good win, but four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Joseph Mbatchou[/autotag] decommitted from Florida on Monday.

Mbatchou pledged his services to the Gators in late July, but he’s since garnered tons of attention from other SEC programs. Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU and Tennessee have all offered him in recent months.

“After deep thought and prayer, I have decided to re-open my recruitment,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I’d like to thank the entire staff at the University of Florida, and can’t wait to get back down there. I’m excited to finish this journey from a new perspective. Commitment in December.”

The decommitment comes immediately following an official visit to Texas, but he has five more trips planned over the next 40 days, including an official to Florida. Mbatchou included the Gators on his commitment graphic, so the Orange and Blue might have a small chance to bring him back into the fold.

He will visit Michigan next weekend, then make stops at Auburn (Nov. 2), Florida (Nov. 16), Tennessee (Nov. 23) and USC (Nov. 30), according to On3’s Keith Niebuhr.

Florida 2025 recruiting class dips in rankings

Losing Mbatchou is a major blow to Billy Napier and Florida’s 2025 recruiting class, which now has just 11 players under verbal commitment.

247Sports ranks the Gators 51st overall on its class of 2025 team rankings, while On3 is slightly more bullish with Florida at No. 33 in the country. Only Vanderbilt is ranked lower among SEC teams.

Should Napier finish with a class ranked this low, it would be the Gators’ worst finish since 2015 when Jim McElwain signed a 21st-ranked class. That could be the final straw for a coach on the hot seat. However, there are still two more months before the early signing period, and college football has trended toward a transfer model in recent years, especially within the SEC.

Recruiting Summary

According to 247Sports, On3, and ESPN, Mbatchou is a four-star recruit. Rivals lists him as a three-star talent, but he earns that fourth star in both composite rankings.

The 247Sports composite ranks him No. 425 overall and No. 41 among defensive linemen in the class of 2025, while the On3 industry rankings bump him up to Nos. 379 and 33, respectively.

Neither recruiting service gives any program but Florida odds to sign him, but that should change following the decommitment. Texas is a rising team on his list following the official visit. Things could change rapidly over the next two months with so many visits on his schedule.

Mbatchou also included Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, Tennessee and USC on his commitment graphic.

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Florida football’s 4-star DL commit lines up 6 official visits

Four-star DL commit Joseph Mbatchou is set for six key official visits but remains committed to the Gators despite interest from major programs.

Florida football’s four-star defensive line commit, Joseph Mbatchou, is gearing up for six official visits in the coming weeks.

The Loganville, Georgia, native committed to Florida in August, but since then, several major programs have made their offers.

Mbatchou was in Gainesville during the Gators season-opening game against the Miami Hurricanes. He has also attended games at Auburn, Texas, Alabama and Georgia.

Even after these visits, Mbatchou assured On3 sports writer Joseph Hastings, “Right now, I’m still good with Florida.”

Regarded as one of the nation’s top defensive line prospects, Mbatchou has attracted considerable attention due to his impressive size and skill, standing at 6-foot-4.5-inches and weighing 280 pounds.

While his commitment to Florida remains firm, he is also keeping an open mind as he considers other programs. With the early signing period approaching in December, Mbatchou’s upcoming visits will be pivotal in his final decision. The Gators will need to present a strong case to ensure he stays committed to their recruiting class.

Mbatchou’s upcoming schedule

Oct. 19: Texas Longhorns

Oct. 26: Michigan Wolverines

Nov. 2: Auburn Tigers

Nov. 16: Florida Gators

Nov. 23: Tennessee Volunteers

Nov. 30: Southern California Trojans

Recruiting Summary

Mbatchou, out of Grayson High School, is listed as a four-star recruit by On3, 247Sports and ESPN. He is ranked the No. 31, No. 27 and No. 25 defensive lineman recruit in the class of 2025 by On3, 247Sports and ESPN, respectively.

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Florida Gators Four-Star commit sets date for Longhorns visit

According to Rivals, four-star defensive lineman commit Joseph Mbatchou has set his official visit to Texas for Oct. 18

While the Texas Longhorns have been preparing to take on the Oklahoma Sooners, they have also been busy on the recruiting trail. According to Rivals, four-star defensive lineman commit Joseph Mbatchou has set his official visit to Texas for Oct. 18. His trip to Austin will come during the same weekend the Longhorns take on Georgia.

As Texas looks to flip Mbatchou, they are not the only program showing interest. He has received offers from South Carolina, Auburn, USC, Georgia, Auburn, LSU, and Tennessee. He made an unofficial visit to Texas last month and set official visits with Auburn and Florida in November.

The Longhorns’ interest in Mbatchou comes as no surprise. 247Sports ranks him the No. 46th defensive lineman in the 2025 class and the No. 50 overall player in Georgia.

When asked about Texas, Mbatchou told Rivals National Recruiting Analyst Sam Spiegelman, ” “Right now, Texas is probably recruiting me the hardest.” 

If Mbatchou were to join the Longhorns, he would be part of a talented 2025 class. The Longhorns already have commitments from five-star prospects such as receiver Kaliq Lockett, safety/linebacker Jonah Williams, and receiver Jaime Ffrench. On Thursday, they flipped four-star receiver Daylan McCutcheon, who had committed to Florida State.

As the recruiting season for the 2025 class winds down, Mbarchou will be a player to watch. He has a bright future and could excel in Austin. In less than a week, the Longhorns will make their case and show the Grayson High School product why they are his best option.

Auburn showing interest in Florida DL commit Joseph Mbatchou

in the midst of a busy football season, Auburn is in a packed race to flip defensive lineman Joseph Mbatchou from the Florida Gators

Auburn football is in the midst of its regular season, but nothing stops the recruiting game as prospects constantly make big official visits on game weeks, which have huge impacts on their decisions.

The Tigers are currently in the middle of a hectic race to flip another high school star in defensive lineman[autotag]Joseph Mbatchou[/autotag], who has been committed to the Florida Gators since July 31.

In the early going of the 2024 college football season, Mbatchou is traveling across the southeastern portion of the country to visit numerous programs in the SEC, which is significant due to the struggles that the Gators have fallen victim to.

While Auburn has extended an offer to the three-star product out of Grayson High School (Ga.), it is joined by the likes of Alabama, Georgia, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and USC in this race.

Mbatchou visited the Plains in the Tigers’ week two matchup with California, and despite the loss, sees a lot of optimism in what the program can do for him as a player.

“I like the d-line coach ([autotag]Vontrell King-Williams[/autotag]) because he’s young and fresh,” Mbatchou said. “He builds relationships with his players. He was talking to me about how he got his job and was telling me that if I do everything I’m asked to do and put my all into football, I should be a first-round pick. The d-line played good at the game I was at, even though they lost. I can see myself fitting into their defensive scheme.”

The six-foot-four, 280-pound big man is currently the No. 457 overall player and No. 41 defensive lineman in the country according to the On3 industry ranking. He is also the No. 54 player in the state of Georgia for the class of 2025.

Auburn’s 2025 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 5 in the nation and No. 4 in the SEC, making its mark with key commits such as EDGE [autotag]Jared Smith[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Nate Marshall[/autotag]. A commit from Mbatchou would only add to the talent that head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] is attempting to build up for the Tigers’ future.

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Florida commit Joseph Mbatchou to visit Texas during UTSA game

Florida Gators commit Joseph Mbatchou will be in Austin for a visit and will get a close-up look at what the Longhorns have to offer

When the Texas Longhorns take on UTSA on Saturday night, a potential future star will be in the stands. Florida Gators commit Joseph Mbatchou will be in Austin for a visit and get a close-up look at what the Longhorns have to offer. While Mbatchou is a Gator at the moment, he could still flip his commitment and appears to be seriously considering the Longhorns.

Over the last few months, Mbatchou has seen his stock steadily rise. He has received offers from Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, USC, Tennessee, and LSU. The talented defensive tackle set his official visit to Florida for November, but the Gators’ on-field struggles could change those plans.

https://twitter.com/GHamiltonOTF/status/1834957265238909059

When the Longhorns made a scholarship offer to Mbatchou in August, he was not ranked among one of the top 1,200 players nationally or among the top 130 defensive linemen. He is now ranked No. 764 overall and No. 84 among defensive linemen by 247Sports. That is why many programs, such as the Longhorns, have not given up trying to land Mbatchou.

Although a lot can change in the next few weeks, Saturday represents a prime opportunity for Texas to show Mbatchou why he should become a Longhorn. They are off to an impressive start and should dominate against UTSA to improve to 3-0.

Over the next few months, Mbatchou will be a player to watch. The Longhorns will do everything in their power to flip the Gator commit and add to their defense.

LSU offers 2025 defensive lineman from Loganville, Georgia

Joseph Mbatchou is committed to the Florida Gators and has crystal ball projections for Florida.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and his recruiting staff traveled to Loganville, Georiga, to extend a scholarship offer to a three-star defensive lineman.

[autotag]Joseph Mbatchou[/autotag] is a 6-foot-5, 275-pound, defensive lineman from Loganville where he plays for Grayson High School. The Grayson Rams are 2-1 on the season after beating Dorman in week three.

Mbatchou is committed to the Florida Gators and has crystal ball projections for Florida. The Tigers will have to fight off Billy Napier to land this three-star defensive lineman.

Ratings

Stars National Position State
247 3 – 43 47
Rivals 3 – – –
ESPN – – – –
On3 3 – 112 134
247 Composite 3 761 84 88

Vitals

Hometown Loganville, Georgia
Position DL
Height 6’5
Weight 275
Class 2025

Recruitment

  • Offered on August 29, 2024
  • No visits yet

Offers

  • LSU
  • Florida
  • Georgia Southern
  • Georgia State
  • Toledo

Recruitment Projections

  • No favorites to land him per On3.
  • There are no crystal ball projections at this time.

Twitter

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