Florida brings in impressive amount of recruits for first day of spring practice

Florida kicked off spring practice on Tuesday and a host of impressive recruits were in attendance.

Everyone is excited to see what Florida is like under new head coach Billy Napier. Fans and media members can only see snippets of what is going on in practices until the Orange and Blue game on April 16, but recruits can see whole practices when they visit the Swamp. On the first day of spring practice, Florida hosted over 15 prospects as it kicked things off on Tuesday.

Some of the elite names to stop by includes four-star linebacker Troy Bowles, four-star wide receiver Bryson Rodgers, four-star cornerback Dijon Johnson, four-star pass-catcher Eugene Wilson III, four-star offensive tackle Lucas Simmons and four-star linebacker and Michigan commit Raylen Wilson.

Eugene and Rodgers sit pretty close to the top of Florida’s wide receiver board. This will be Eugene’s second visit to the Gators this month, naming the Orange and Blue his leader after his first visit. For Rodgers, this is his first visit under the new staff.

For Johnson and Simmons, it’s their first visit to see Florida under Napier too. Johnson’s name has soared up the Gators defensive blackboard after a strong performance at the Under Armour event in Miami last month. Also, Napier, Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton have impressed Simmons so far and finally got him on campus.

Look for more prospects to visit throughout this week and then a flurry of them over the weekend.

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This big-time 4-star OT plans to visit Florida next week

4-star offensive tackle Lucas Simmons sets multi-day visit for next weekend.

Florida has worked since mid-January to try and get four-star offensive tackle Lucas Simmons to the Swamp. After all that hard work put in by coach Billy Napier and staff, the No. 17-rated prospect at his position told Swamp247 that he has scheduled a multi-day visit to the Gators next week on March 15.

Offensive coordinator and offensive line coaches Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton have led the charge in Florida’s pursuit of Simmons so far. He said he likes how both coaches are down to earth and want to have conversations about other things besides football. For example, he’s from Sweden and his parents haven’t made the move across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. Simmons said Sale and Stapleton always make sure to ask about his family back home. However, he is still in the process of getting to know the new coaching staff.

His visit that he set up for next week won’t be his first trip to see the Orange and Blue. Simmons has visited Florida on game days under the old coaching staff. He said the atmosphere in the Swamp is crazy.

After his visit to the Gators, he plans to head out west to see USC on March 26.

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Tennessee offers 2023 offensive line prospect Lucas Simmons

The Vols offer 2023 offensive line prospect Lucas Simmons.

Second-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and his staff continue to recruit future Vols.

Tennessee has offered 2023 offensive line prospect Lucas Simmons.

“I am blessed to say that I have received an offer from the University of Tennessee,” Simmons said.

The 6-foot-7, 300-pound Simmons is from Clearwater Academy International in Clearwater, Florida.

Simmons has Southeastern Conference offers from the Vols, Kentucky, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Texas A&M.

Tennessee’s 2023 football commitment tracker

Vols’ 2023 recruiting tracker: Running back offers

Vols’ 2023 recruiting tracker: Quarterback offers

Follow us at @VolsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of University of Tennessee athletics.

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