Tag: Malik Bryant

Former Florida offensive lineman commit flips to Miami

Well, this one was predictable. Tommy Kinsler, the offensive lineman who backed off his commitment to Florida after visiting Miami, has announced his plans to attend UM.

When three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Tommy Kinsler[/autotag] backed off his commitment to the University of Florida in early July, many expected him to quickly flip to the University of Miami.

It took 26 days, but Kinsler finally made the announcement and joined the Hurricanes’ ever-improving 2023 recruiting class on Thursday.

The Kinsler flip is frankly a bad look for the program under [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]. He was long considered a lock to end up at UF and committed after his official visit in June. It took just one trip to Coral Gables five days later for Kinsler to realize he made a mistake, and he’s not the first recruit this cycle to choose UM over UF, which is supposed to be an SEC powerhouse. The Gators recently lost five-star offensive tackle [autotag]Francis Mauigoa[/autotag], four-star linebacker [autotag]Malik Bryant[/autotag] and four-star quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] to the Hurricanes as well.

The early returns for Napier’s staff against Mario Cristobal’s are anything but good, but the Gators bounced back a bit with two signings over the last two days (four-star cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson and four-star wide receiver Aidan Mizell). Still, losing Kinsler leaves the Gators with very little incoming talent on the offensive line.

Four-star interior offensive lineman [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and three-star tackle [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] are still there, but Napier was hoping to add more at the position group based on the players he targeted.

The 247Sports composite lists Kinsler No. 920 overall in the class of 2023 and No. 66 among interior offensive linemen. Despite those rankings, Napier’s group clearly saw an upside to Kinsler that others didn’t. Hopefully, that doesn’t come back to bite the Gators.

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247Sports predicts rise in recruiting rankings for Florida football

247Sports is predicting a rise in the recruiting rankings for the Florida Gators if a trio of Orlando-area commits announce this weekend.

247Sports is very optimistic Florida football’s upcoming recruiting weekend will be a massive success.

The Gators are the No. 23 team in its rankings. With 12 recruits committed to the Gators, Steve Wiltfong is predicting the Orange and Blue to rise into the top 15 by this time next week.

The Gators have missed on blue-chip prospects lately, most recently with four-star linebacker [autotag]Malik Bryant[/autotag] opting to head to Miami instead of staying closer to his Orlando home. This weekend’s events are expected to play a part in remedying the in-state talent going elsewhere.

Friday is the Gators’ annual Friday Night Lights recruiting event in which players get one-on-one work with Florida coaches and staff inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Saturday is Florida’s highly anticipated cookout for recruits.

Wiltfong is particularly high on a trio of potential future Florida Gators from the Orlando area. 247Sports composite four-star prospects [autotag]Aiden Mizell[/autotag] (wide receiver, Orlando), [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] (cornerback, Kissimmee) and Jordan Castell (safety, Winter Garden) are all projected by the 247Sports’ crystal balls to end up playing their college ball in Gainesville.

Landing all three in-state, blue-chip recruits less than a two hours drive from campus would be a massive victory for [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his staff. It would make the recruiting weekend an unmitigated success and would be the momentum boost needed on the trail that would ease the recent concerns of the fan base.

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Where Florida football lands in ESPN’s latest 2023 recruiting rankings

Here’s how ESPN sees things going for Florida football’s recruiting efforts.

The Florida Gators hold steady in ESPN’s latest 2023 recruiting rankings. Coming in at No. 18, the Gators dropped one spot from the last ESPN rankings. They are the sixth-highest SEC team behind Georgia (No. 4), Arkansas (No. 7), LSU (No. 8), Alabama (No. 9) and Tennessee (No. 10).

It’s important to note it’s still very early in the 2023 cycle. The 2022 season has not yet kicked off, and the early signing period over five months away.

The Gators’ class includes eight ESPN 300 commits, highlighted by a pair of in-state four-stars: Jacksonville native [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag] (cornerback) and Tampa native [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] (athlete). The limited number of recruits plays a big part in the Gators’ ranking, especially with other SEC programs boasting double-digit ESPN 300 recruits (Georgia, 13; Alabama, 10).

The ranking comes on the heels of the Gators missing on four-star linebacker [autotag]Malik Bryant[/autotag] out of Orlando. Bryant, who signed with Miami, is the latest blue-chip recruit to have Florida as a finalist but ultimately choose to go elsewhere. If [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and his staff want to rise in the recruiting rankings, they’ll need to start landing players like Bryant on a more consistent basis.

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4-star LB Malik Bryant picks Miami over Florida among others

Malik Bryant needed some time to think about it, but the four-star linebacker has chosen Miami as his future home.

There was hope linebacker [autotag]Malik Bryant[/autotag], a top-100 player in the class of 2023, would pick Florida after moving his commitment date back from July 23, but the end result was another win for Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes.

Bryant committed to the University of Miami on Wednesday.

That decision leaves the Gators without a linebacker in the class, and there aren’t many blue-chip options left at this point in the cycle. Florida has missed on several of its top targets at the position. Raul Aguirre also picked Miami, Jordan Hall is headed to Michigan State and South Carolina landed Grayson Howard over the summer.

The next names to look at that have known offers are Kaveion Keys out of Virginia and Jayvant Brown, who plays closer to home at St. Thomas Aquinas in South Florida. Of course, Florida can still look at Bryant if they want to try and flip him. It was considered a 50-50 race by some when he pushed the decision back, so there could be smoke to that fire.

The Gators hosted Bryant on campus four times over the course of his recruitment. Miami (five trips) was the only other team to get him more than once. There was hope Florida could get him back in town for Friday Night Lights over the weekend, but that appears unlikely after the day’s events.

Bryant is certainly worth it if Billy Napier decided to continue to devote resources to him. The 247Sports composite has Bryant No. 61 overall and No. 4 among linebackers in the class of 2023.

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Florida football misses out on big in-state 4-star offensive tackle

Florida hosted four-star offensive tackle Payton Kirkland on several visits, but he ended up committing to a school he never even got a chance to tour.

Gator Nation had its eyes on three members of the class of 2023 on Saturday but none of them ended up committing to the orange and blue when all was said and done. Four-star safety [autotag]Joenel Aguero[/autotag] picked Georgia over Florida in the morning and four-star linebacker [autotag]Malik Bryant[/autotag] pushed back his commitment, leaving four-star offensive tackle [autotag]Payton Kirkland[/autotag] to decide between his top five of Florida, Alabama, Miami, Michigan State and Oklahoma.

Kirkland shocked everyone and chose Texas, a program that not only failed to make his top five in March but also failed to get him on campus during the recruiting process. Florida hosted Kirkland for an official visit and plenty of unofficials, but that didn’t matter much once Steve Sarkisian’s staff swooped in at the last minute.

Andrew Ivins of 247Sports spoke with Kirkland as he made the announcement on the site’s YouTube page. He said that the decision wasn’t an easy one to reach but it was ultimately what he felt was best for him. [autotag]Arch Manning[/autotag], the nation’s consensus top recruit, committing earlier in the month couldn’t have hurt the Longhorns’ chances with Kirkland, either.

Florida was considered a major player in Kirkland’s recruitment given the frequency in which he turned up on campus. He would have been the Gators’ highest-rated offensive line commit and things went their way. UF still has four-star interior offensive lineman [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and three-star offensive tackle [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] to fall back on.

Kirkland is ranked No. 274 overall on the 247Sports composite and is No. 25 among offensive tackles in the class of 2023. If Billy Napier plans on adding another tackle to the class, he’s running out of blue-chip options. Samson Okunlola, Monroe Freeling and Tyree Adams are the only recruits ranked higher than Kirkland that Florida has both offered and had reported contact with.

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Top-100 linebacker target moving back decision date

Billy Napier and Co. will have to wait a little bit longer to see if four-star linebacker Malik Bryant is sold on the orange and blue.

The Florida football recruiting staff came into Saturday with eyes on three different commitment parties but that number dropped before any of the recruits could announce their decision. Andrew Ivins of 247Sports connected with an assistant coach from Jones High, which is where four-star linebacker [autotag]Malik Bryant[/autotag] will play his senior year, and he was informed that the party had been canceled.

No particular reason for the delay was given but it boils down to Bryant needing more time to come to a sound decision. He’s the fourth-ranked linebacker on the 247Sports composite and ranked No. 57 overall. Florida and Miami are considered the frontrunners in the race, but Alabama and Maryland are also making a push.

The Gators, Hurricanes and Terps all hosted him on official visits in the month of June and Alabama brought him unofficially. With the dead period coming to an end, recruits will be able to get back on campus and meet with the coaches in person once again. If Bryant is reevaluating his options, his next few stops will of be great interest.

There’s no new timetable for his decision, so this race could extend well into the high school and college football season. He’s considered one of the top targets on Florida’s board, especially since Napier and Co. have yet to land a linebacker. Expect to hear Bryant’s name a good bit over the fall, or until a commitment is on record.

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Alabama Morning Drive: Potential next commitments for the Tide

5 potential prospects who could commit next to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Good Wednesday morning, Tide fans! Welcome back to another edition of Alabama Morning Drive. I hope everyone is off to a good start this week as we have made it to hump day.

Like a lot of programs, [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and Alabama have seen a flurry of commitments over the past few weeks. So, who could be next to commit to the Crimson Tide?

Now, it is important to remember that these are high school kids and their status with a certain school could change in the blink of an eye. However, below is a list of players who could potentially pull the trigger next and become a member of Alabama’s 2023 recruiting class.

Sit back and enjoy!

What is The Athletic’s biggest question for Florida’s Billy Napier?

The Athletic tracks the top 10 storylines as the 2023 cycle ramps up, including Florida’s situation.

The biggest component of new head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s plan to rebuild Florida football is his fresh approach to recruiting, undertaken with diligence that makes former head coach [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag]’s regime pale in comparison. While there is still a long path back uphill to reach the summit once seen back in the glory days of [autotag]Urban Meyer[/autotag], the early returns appear to signal that the ship is turning around under the new leadership.

However, despite this progress, Napier and Co. are under intense pressure and scrutiny when it comes to assembling their debut recruiting class — much of which is quite unfair but par for the course in the ultra-competitive Southeastern Conference. The Athletic’s Ari Wasserman recently surveyed the top 10 storylines for the 2023 cycle heading into summer and had one major question for the Gators’ rebounding program.

Is Billy Napier going to sign a big-boy class?

If you tracked what Napier did at Florida upon his arrival, you saw a man who understands what it takes in the SEC. He revamped the recruiting department and immediately signed four-star safety [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG, beating Georgia for his signature. Landing Wilson made a statement that Florida is going to win big-time recruiting battles.

Well, we’re six months into the 2023 cycle and Florida has only five commitments. Of those five commitments, only one is rated inside the top 300.

Florida needs a big finish, and it has plenty of open spots. The Gators are still involved with a ton of top-50 players: cornerback [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag] of Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson, cornerback [autotag]AJ Harris[/autotag] of Phenix City (Ala.) Central, cornerback [autotag]Tony Mitchell[/autotag] of Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson, linebacker [autotag]Malik Bryant[/autotag] of Orlando (Fla.) Jones, running back [autotag]Cedric Baxter Jr[/autotag]. of Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater and safety [autotag]Joenel Aguero[/autotag] of Danvers (Mass.) St. John’s Prep.

Can Napier be the anti-Dan Mullen and close the deal on a top class?

Wasserman’s concerns are not at all unfair, particularly the fact that Florida has just five commits six months into Napier’s tenure. But it seems he is overlooking the difficulty involved in overhauling the program’s culture, not to mention the fact that it has been nearly a decade since the Gators’ last top-10 class.

The fact of the matter is that Napier needs to do everything he can to maximize the talent he brings in this time around but it is not even close to a make-or-break kind of deal. As CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson mentioned recently, Florida’s new crew is more likely to produce results later than sooner, so while the heat is on it is not imperative that he hit a grand slam from a long-term perspective.

Still, the Gator Nation is hungry for success after one of the most disappointing seasons (and really, the most disappointing decade) in recent memory. Scoring a few wins on the recruiting trail will earn the program a great deal of emotional capital with the fanbase, which is certainly something to consider.

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Florida football cracks top 5 for this 4-star linebacker

UCF might’ve been the first Florida school to offer 4-star LB Malik Bryant, but Billy Napier and the Gators are now firmly in the mix.

Four-star Jones (Orlando, Florida) linebacker [autotag]Malik Bryant[/autotag] plans to make his college decision on July 23 and that means it’s time to cut down the list of 40 offers to a top five. The Florida Gators made that list on Monday along with Alabama, Miami, UCF and USC.

Bryant has an official visit scheduled with Florida on June 10. He’s already been to Gainesville twice this spring and has developed a strong relationship with the new staff. In an essay written by Bryant and published in the Montgomery Advisor, the 6-foot-2-inch, 235-pounder opened up about what made each of his top programs stand out. For Florida, the staff is everything.

“I like that when the new staff came in how they got a grip in recruiting,” Bryant said in his essay. “They know their guys and they’re recruiting the families. I like their scheme and how they want to use me all over the field, how they can set me up to make plays. Everybody I’ve talked to on their team, even with them losing their old staff and getting a new staff, they still feel at home and that says a lot.”

UCF was Bryant’s first offer and it came when he was a freshman and that seems to have stuck with him. Miami and USC are in roughly the same boat as Florida after changing coaches over the offseason, and Alabama is always in the mix for the nation’s elite.

Bryant played at Jones for his freshman year and transferred to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He’s announced his return to Jones for his senior year, but Napier’s interest in IMG players could reunite him with some former teammates if all goes in favor of the Gators.

Bryant is the No. 35 overall recruit in the class of 2023, according to the 247Sports composite, and is also ranked No. 2 among linebackers.

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Four-star LB Malik Bryant releases top five, dishes on Alabama

Malik Bryant discusses the Alabama Crimson Tide and the rest of his top five.

Head coach Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide staff could be one step closer to adding another member to the 2023 recruiting class.

Four-star linebacker Malik Bryant recently cut down his number of schools to five. He is ranked as the No. 2 linebacker in the country and the No. 8 player from Florida according to 247Sports composite rankings. Overall, Bryant is the No. 35 player in the nation.

Given the number of linebackers and players in general that the Tide sends to the NFL, it makes sense for Alabama to target him. Bryant will announce his commitment on Jul. 23, 2022.

In an exclusive to USA TODAY Network, Bryant released his top five schools with the Alabama Crimson Tide being among them. The Florida native also has the Florida Gators, Miami Hurricanes, UCF Knights, and the USC Trojans.

What Bryant says about the opportunity

I want to thank everyone whose been around me and in my corner. My mom has been huge for me. When my dad passed in 2013, she played both roles. She went without to make sure I didn’t. I really appreciate that. I want to thank the coaches from Jones, IMG, little league and everyone else up to this point. Thank you for being in my corner, helping me keep my head on straight and stay the course.

I’m happy to be at this point and I’ve truly enjoyed the recruiting process. Cutting down from 40 offers to five is a humbling process. Just to see the different schools and opportunities has been humbling. When I choose one school, I will be at peace.

What Bryant says about the Crimson Tide

It’s Alabama. They win games. It’s a great program, of course. But they really take care of their players. They have programs off the field to hold their players accountable. They really care about them more than how they can produce on the field. I really like that.

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