Tag: Rob Sale

Coveted OL prospect names UF among top 4, sets commitment date

The Gators will be hard to beat for three-star offensive tackle Bryce Lovett who will make his commitment on May 16.

Three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] has been to Florida a handful of times since head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has taken over the program. Because of the sheer amount of times he has visited the Swamp, the Gators should be tough to beat for Lovett who dropped a list of his four schools while setting a commitment date. Florida made his list along with Iowa State, Missouri and Louisville. He plans to make his commitment known on May 16, his 17th birthday.

He said he likes Florida because of all the coaches they have dedicated to the offensive line unit.

“It’s the relationship I have with the new coaching staff and what they are trying to do,” Lovett said when asked what he likes about the Gators, according to 247Sports. “And then they got like five o-line coaches. They are so dedicated to the offensive line, it’s crazy.”

The 247Sports composite rankings have the Rockledge, Florida, native as the 715th overall prospect and as the 61st best offensive tackle.

Lovett will be a solid addition to the class as long as the Gators, Napier and offensive line coaches [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag] sign some of four- and five-star offensive linemen this cycle. The unit needs an overhaul after the previous regime struggled to recruit the position.

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In-state OT planning official visit to UF following spring game visit

The Gators are at the top of offensive tackle Bryce Lovett’s list after several spring trips to the Swamp.

Three-star offensive tackle [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] has become a familiar face around the Florida Gators’ football facilities after making three trips to Gainesville in as many weeks earlier in the spring. The Rockledge, Florida, recruit returned to the Swamp on Thursday for Florida’s Orange and Blue game and left with the intention to spend one of his official visits on the Gators, according to 247Sports.

“I don’t know where or when (the official visits will take place), but probably in the first few weeks of June,” Lovett said. “Florida will get one of them, but I don’t know where else. Florida will probably be in the first or second week of June maybe.”

Lovett said the Gators were leading in his recruitment due to the consistent attention he’s received from the staff. The plan is for Lovett to make a decision on June 25, but that decision could get bumped up if the weekend visit goes well. He’s seen everything there is to see at Florida, so that trip is mainly to see the new training facility and get one last look at the program before deciding.

Iowa State is the only other team that’s hosted him on campus over the spring, but Arkansas and Missouri also loom. At this point, Lovett still feels like Florida’s recruit to lose.

He feels Florida can develop him to his fullest capabilities and appreciates what he’s seen from offensive line coaches [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag]. The staff sees him playing both tackle and guard for Florida, likely fitting wherever depth is needed early on with room to grow into a starting role.

With an early timeline and all signs pointing in the right direction, Gator Nation might want to keep an eye on Lovett for a surprise commitment.

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This 5-star OT left Florida’s Orange and Blue Game impressed

Florida’s recent track record with blue-chip offensive tackles and in-state recruits isn’t stellar, but Billy Napier is looking to change that.

Francis Mauigoa, a five-star offensive tackle from IMG Academy, was one of the many recruits who visited Gainesville Thursday for the Florida Gators Spring Game. Although he’d been to Florida before, meeting the new staff in person gave him the opportunity to see how well he’d fit in with the new group.

Mauigoa cut his list down to 13 programs in mid-March but he’s looking to bring that number down to five or seven schools in May as he approaches the start of his senior year. Alabama, Miami and USC are thought to be the top schools in the race, but that leaves at least two or three spots open for the upcoming cut. Florida seems to be in a good spot after the visit based on Maugioa’s comments to 247Sports’ Greg Biggins.

“I’ve been to Florida about three times now so I have a good comfort level there,” Mauigoa said. “The last time I visited, it was when the old staff was still there so this was cool to meet the new staff face to face. I like coach Napier, he’s a good man and puts his players in a position to be successful on and off the field.”

The 6-foot-5-inch, 330-pounder met with coaches before the exhibition started and spent time with offensive line coach [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag]. Surrounded by 40,000+ fans and “400 recruits,” Mauigoa enjoyed the atmosphere Billy Napier and Co. created in their first run at the Swamp.

There will be plenty of competition for Mauigoa. Michigan State and Tennessee are both trending in his recruitment after initially being left off his top 13. Mel Tucker and the Spartans hosted him after the Florida visit.

The 247Sport composite ranks Mauigoa as the No. 8 overall recruit in the class of 2023 and the No. 2 offensive tackle in the class. Florida’s struggled to land blue-chip offensive lineman in recent years, but this one’s at the top of their list.

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This four-star OT plans to visit Florida for its Orange and Blue Game

Four-star offensive tackle Lucas Simmons will make the short drive from IMG to Florida on Thursday for its spring game.

Florida head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and offensive line coaches [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and [autotag]Darnell Stapleton [/autotag]have continued to priortize the big men up front after former head coach [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] and offensive line coach [autotag]John Hevesy[/autotag] struggled to recruit the unit. Several top targets like four-stars [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and [autotag]Payton Kirkland[/autotag] plan to visit Florida for the Orange and Blue Game. Now the coaching staff can add one more. 247Sports reported that four-star offensive tackle [autotag]Lucas Simmons[/autotag] will also be in attendance.

He is one of many talented prospects set to come out of IMG Academy this cycle. 247Sports independent rankings have Simmons as the 136th overall prospect in the country and the 15th best player at his position.

This will be his second visit to the Swamp. He last visited the Gators in March. After his first visit, Simmons said he liked spending time with Napier, Sale and Stapleton as well as learning about how prestigious the University of Florid is.

Simmons currently has a list of his top 12 schools that includes Florida, Arkansas, Baylor, Florida State, Michigan, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, USC and USF. So far this year, he has taken visits to the Gators, Seminoles, Volunteers and Trojans.

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Report: 4-star OT high on Gators following midweek visit to the Swamp

Four-star OT Tyree Adams is up there on Florida’s recruiting wishlist, and a successful visit to the Swamp should help the Gators’ chances.

The Florida Gators hosted four-star offensive tackle [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] on Tuesday and the Lousiana recruit came away with a different view of UF after touring the facilities and meeting the staff, according to 247Sports.

“It really opened my eyes,” Adams said. “I really liked it. It makes me feel wanted. It made me feel like I could come in and start as a true freshman if I work hard and that I’d have an opportunity to do my thing.”

Florida offered Adams just a week ago on March 29 and it didn’t take long for the Gators to become one of the top teams on his list. LSU tends to do well with in-state recruits and is the early favorite to land Adams, but Billy Napier has plenty of Lousiana connections on his staff.

Running backs coach [autotag]Jabbar Juluke[/autotag], the one who offered Adams his scholarship, actually coached a few of Adams’ high school coaches. Even the staff that didn’t know him all that well made Adams feel wanted. Offensive line coaches [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag] had high praise for him.

Texas A&M will host Adams over the weekend and then his schedule quiets down a bit. He holds offers from 22 schools and will need to cut that list down by the summer so he can make official visits in June and July. Adams is hopeful to be committed by August.

The 247Sports composite ranks Adams as a three-star recruit and the No. 523 overall prospect in the class of 2023, but the On3 Consensus holds a more favorable view of him at No. 340 overall and No. 23 at his position.

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5-star offensive tackle plans official visits this summer

Florida could make a massive splash if it lands five-star offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa later this cycle.

Florida firmly established itself as a contender in five-star offensive tackle [autotag]Francis Mauigoa[/autotag]’s recruitment after he had a strong visit to the Swamp last month. He released a list of his top 13 schools, and the Gators made the cut. Sports Illustrated’s AllGators spoke with Mauigoa at the Elite Underclassmen Camp in Orlando to recap where coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and the Florida program stands.

Napier and Co. blew away Mauigoa last month on his visit. He raved about the trip even though it happened almost a month ago now.

“Their new staff is a lot better than the old staff,” he said. “I think the new staff is way better. I felt the love and the atmosphere was crazy. It’s the people that are around you that will make you successful. Surrounding yourself with successful people will make you successful. Surround yourself with failures, you’ll make yourself a failure. So, you know, they develop successful kids. They showed me around, it was all love.”

One difference he noted was how active Napier was in his recruitment compared to former coach [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag]. He said Napier is doing a good job recruiting him so far and that he’s always checking in with him.

Mauigoa said Florida is the only school that employs two on-the-field offensive line coaches in [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag], and really likes the idea. He believes this allows them to develop players better.

Mauigoa’s parents plan to fly in this summer, so he and his family can make official visits on June 23 and July 19. He’ll then save the rest of them for the fall. He also hopes to drop a list of his top five schools by late May.

Mauigoa said Florida has a good chance to make that list as well because of how great his first visit went.

The 247Sports composite ranks him as the eighth-best prospect overall and the second-best at his position. It would be a massive get if Napier and staff could reel him in.

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Billy Napier personally offers massive OT during his Florida visit

Three-star offensive tackle Connor Stroh had the honor of receiving a scholarship directly from Florida head coach Billy Napier.

It’s not often that a prospect gets to meet with a school’s head coach in his office and be offered a scholarship in the midst of a visit. That’s exactly what happened during three-star offensive tackle [autotag]Connor Stroh[/autotag]’s trip to Florida on Saturday, according to 247Sports.

“I met with (Florida head coach Billy) Napier,” Stroh said on Sunday. “He took the time to wait for my tour to be over and personally offered me a scholarship in his office. It was great for me. It made me feel special.”

Napier made a strong first impression on him. Stroh believes he is a great coach and appreciates how he made time to personally meet with him and his family.

Florida is one of the latest SEC schools to offer him. He currently holds offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss and Tennessee.

Hailing from Frisco, Texas, Stroh and his family spent the first part of the day at Florida State and then made the two-hour trip to the Swamp.

Besides being offered by Napier, one of Stroh’s favorite parts of his Gators visit was meeting offensive line coaches [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag].

He plans to visit Texas A&M, SMU and Arkansas later this month and wants to take official visits during the summer.

Florida may have jumped late into his recruitment, but its chances with him were elevated significantly because Stroh thoroughly enjoyed his visit.

The 247Sports composite rankings have Stroh as the 393rd overall prospect and the 28th best player at his position.

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This big-time 4-star offensive lineman sets visit in April

Four-star offensive lineman Sam Pendleton has set a two-day visit to Florida in April.

Four-star offensive lineman [autotag]Sam Pendleton[/autotag] has been a major target for coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and staff since Florida offered him in early March. The Gators coaching staff’s relentless pursuit of Pendleton is starting to pay off and he’s now scheduled to visit the Swamp on April 11 and 12 with his family.

The Pfafftown, North Carolina, native is ranked as the 359th overall prospect and the 23rd best player at his position. He told 247Sports that Clemson, Michigan, North Carolina State, Penn State and Virginia Tech are standing out the most in his recruitment so far but added that the Gators are getting there.

Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] has been the main point of contact for Florida in Pendleton’s recruitment so far. He looks forward to meeting Sale, Napier and offensive line coach [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag] in person the most during his visit in April.

Many offensive line prospects, including Pendleton, are intrigued by the idea of having two coaches dealing with the unit. When looking forward to a decision, he wants to go to a school with an emphasis on developing offensive linemen. He said Florida checks that box off because of its two coaches that it has dedicated to the offensive line.

Sale is really high on Pendleton and has told him that he can be a culture changer for his unit. However, he said they still haven’t discussed where the Gators see him fitting the best.

He originally wanted to make a decision in March but is in no rush because of the new offers that have rolled in.

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Florida offers another 4-star quarterback in 2023 recruiting class

Florida football offered four-star quarterback Eli Holstein out of Zachary, Louisiana, on Monday.

Florida football has passed out a handful of scholarship offers to quarterback prospects over the last two months. The latest one to receive one is four-star [autotag]Eli Holstein[/autotag] out of Zachary, Louisiana. Offensive coordinator [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] extended the good news to Holstein Monday.

Holstein is ranked as the 54th overall prospect and the eighth-best at his position, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He finished his junior season, completing 65% of his passes for 3,228 yards and throwing 30 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Holstein added 523 yards on the ground and 14 scores.

247Sports spoke to Holstein’s father, Scott Holstein. He said they are looking forward to getting to know Florida more and hope they can take a visit to the Swamp.

The Holsteins have some connections with the Gators coaching staff, too. Scott played with cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond at LSU. Off-the-field analyst Russ Calloway also recruited Eli for the Tigers.

He said Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Stanford, Oregon and Texas A&M are on him the hardest currently so far in his son’s recruitment. He’s also fresh off a visit to the Crimson Tide earlier this month.

It’ll be interesting to see what this means for the top of the Florida quarterback board. Coach Billy Napier had [autotag]Arch Manning[/autotag], [autotag]Christopher Vizzina[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcus Stokes[/autotag] toward the top of his list.

It probably means nothing and that the Gators are still doing their due diligence but it still sits in the back of my mind.

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Florida receives new crystal ball prediction for this coveted recruit

Florida received a crystal ball prediction for three-star offensive Bryce Lovett on Saturday.

247Sports Florida recruiting reporter Blake Alderman submitted a crystal ball prediction in the Gators’ favor for three-star offensive tackle [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] with a high confidence of seven on Saturday. The Rockledge, Florida, native is considered the 653rd overall prospect and the 57th best player at his position, according to the 247Sports composite.

Since the calendar flipped to 2022, Lovett has been a constant face on campus. He has visited three times, including visiting the Swamp the past two weekends.

The Gators have surged in his recruitment since head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and Co. after landing an offer during his visit back on Jan. 29. Co-offensive line coaches [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag] have led the charge for Florida in Lovett’s recruitment so far.

Alderman said he doesn’t believe Lovett will make a decision anytime soon, but dropped a prediction for him because of the number of visits he’s taken to the Gators.

A three-star offensive tackle may look uninspiring to Florida fans on paper but he is one of the top players within that 4.5-hour circle around Gainesville that Napier wants to lock down.

The Gators also need more talented offensive linemen after former offensive line coach [autotag]John Hevesy[/autotag] struggled to recruit the unit well.

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