Tag: Tommy Kinsler

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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2023 Recruiting Profile: Can Florida make late push for 5-star OT Samson Okunlola?

After missing out on most of the high-profile in-state offensive tackles, can Florida land this elite OT from the northeast?

When Billy Napier and his staff touched base with five-star offensive tackle [autotag]Samson Okunlola[/autotag] in February, the Gators were prioritizing in-state targets at the position such as [autotag]Payton Kirkland[/autotag] (Oklahoma), [autotag]Francis Mauigoa[/autotag] (Miami) and [autotag]Tommy Kinsler[/autotag] (flipped from Florida to Miami). All three of them landed elsewhere, and now Florida’s best shot at landing a blue-chip tackle might the top-20 recruit from out-of-state.

Okunlola is a big 6-foot-5-inch, 305-pounder out of Thayer Academy in Brockton, Massachusetts. He’s the kind of prep player that’s never truly been on a field of athletes that can match up to his size, and his ability has him ranked in the top 15 by most services. That’s top 15 in the class of 2023, not just at his position.

Of course, a talent like that comes with fierce competition, and the favorite to land him is the same school that’s been dominating the recruiting trail for the past couple of weeks —  Miami. The Hurricanes are a 95.3% favorite according to the On3 recruiting prediction machine, and the experts at 247Sports have also cast crystal balls in UM’s favor.

Alabama, Miami and Michigan State are the three schools that have hosted him on official visits so far, and he’s named six other schools to a top nine that he can pick from for his final two visits. Florida is one of those six schools and needs to get the official visit to make a late push.

There’s certainly a need at the position for Florida, and it would be easy to promise early playing time to a player of his caliber. Of the top 15 offensive tackles in the class, Okunlola is the highest rated at 14th overall on the 247Sports composite. [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] and [autotag]Monroe Freeling[/autotag] are around the No. 60 mark and also options for the Gators.

Florida football lands commitment from 4-star DL on Independence Day

It’s an Independence Day surprise! The Florida Gators have picked up another commitment from the class of 2023.

After teasing a decision by the end of the summer over the weekend, four-star edge rusher [autotag]TJ Searcy[/autotag] has committed to the University of Florida over Clemson, South Carolina and Tennessee.

The Upson-Lee (Thomaston, Georgia) recruit made things official on Independence Day with a post on social media that read “Happy 4th” with an emoji of a Gator and a blue heart above his commitment photo.

Searcy is the second four-star edge rusher to join the class along with former UCF commit [autotag]Isaiah Nixon[/autotag]. Although he’s listed as a defensive lineman by most recruiting services, Searcy is headed to Florida as a JACK edge rusher and is expected to play a similar role to the one [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. will have this year. His strength is rushing the passer but he also possesses the versatility to drop back into coverage if necessary.

Outside linebacker coach Mike Peterson played a key role in getting him to Gainesville, and now the job is to develop a relatively raw prospect into an NFL-ready player. At 6-foot-5-inches tall and 250-pounds, Searcy certainly has the frame to succeed in the SEC.

Florida is back up to No. 38 overall on 247Sports’ team recruiting rankings. Losing [autotag]Tommy Kinsler[/autotag] on Saturday caused the Gators to dip back into the 40s, but Searcy brings the commitment list back up to nine players and raises the average grade of the class from 0.8964 to 0.9006 as the newest top recruit.

The 247Sports composite ranks Searcy at No. 153 overall in the class of 2023 and No. 20 among defensive linemen. The On3 consensus has him in the same spot in its national rankings, but it’s worth noting that On3’s individual rankings have him at No. 49 overall.

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Who ruled Florida in football recruiting for June? The answer might surprise you.

You’ll be surprised which school won the recruiting war in the Sunshine State last month.

The college football recruiting trail was blazing hot in June matching the rising mercury, and while there were some ups and downs over the past 30 days, overall the Gators hung tough as the dog days of summer continue to roll in.

One of new head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s biggest goals in turning around a struggling Florida football program is to dominate the recruiting scene within his school’s home state. Despite the recent decommitment from one three-star Sunshine State prospect, seven of the Gators’ current eight commits hail from the Sunshine State. However, the Orange and Blue were not the overall winners on their home turf last month.

According to Jon Santucci and Chris Boyle over at the Gainesville Sun, it was the Ohio State Buckeyes who lured the most top prospects from the Gators’ own backyard in their recent ranking of the 10 schools that fared the best on the recruiting trail in the nation’s southern-most state. Here is how they justified their No. 1 pick.

If it feels like Florida boundaries should be redrawn to add Columbus, there’s a good reason. Ohio State has dominated the state this cycle with six commitments. The Buckeyes put an exclamation point on an already loaded class with the top two receivers in the state (and maybe the nation) in Tate and Inniss. Anything the Buckeyes do in Florida between now and December will just be showing off.

While a northern school coming in and carpetbagging talent from the south is enough to get any Gator fan’s blood boiling, Florida did rank second on the list (keeping in mind that this was published before the recent decommitment news).

Billy Napier and his staff had a great close to the month, picking up commitments from defensive lineman [autotag]Gavin Hill[/autotag], cornerback [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag], edge rusher [autotag]Isaiah Nixon[/autotag] and offensive lineman [autotag]Tommy Kinsler[/autotag] in an eight-day period. The Gators now have eight players committed from Florida and, from what we’re hearing, are doing a great job building relationships around the state.

Florida is followed by the Miami Hurricanes at No. 3, with the South Carolina Gamecocks, Clemson Tigers, Pitt Panthers, Michigan State Spartans, Cincinnati Bearcats, Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Maryland Terrapins trailing behind, respectively. The Alabama Crimson Tide, Oklahoma Sooners, Tennesee Volunteers, Texas A&M Aggies and UCF Knights all earned honorable mentions on the list.

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Report: Florida football’s recruiting budget sees substantial increase under Napier

Billy Napier said that Florida was going to provide the resources for him to be successful on the recruiting trail, and this budget report backs that up.

Florida football isn’t spending Alabama or Georgia money just yet, but the Gators received a nice boost in the recruiting budget this year, according to a report from Edgar Thompson the Orlando Sentinel.

The University Athletic Association increased football spending by $4.72 million to $90.2 million, according to the Gators’ operating budget obtained by the Sentinel. Roughly $700,000 was added to the recruiting budget, a 55% increase, to hit the $2 million mark.

Billy Napier‘s staff is all in on recruiting from top-to-bottom and athletic director Scott Stricklin indicated a willingness to spend more on the program under the new regime. These numbers not only back up those expectations but also place Florida fifth in the country in terms of recruiting budgets, according to 247Sports’ most recent update on the topic.

Still, other schools may have adjusted their numbers in the last year and reached that $2 million mark as well. Florida does have some hidden recruiting money in the UAA’s two private jets and nearly a flight department budget of $839,000.

With more money to spend than ever before, the expectation is for Billy Napier to help Florida rebound quickly in recruiting space. So far, Florida has eight recruits after a recent decommitment from offensive lineman [autotag]Tommy Kinsler[/autotag]. That puts UF at No. 42 on 247Sports’ team recruiting rankings and several misses have some Gators fans questioning the first-year coach before his first real game.

Four-star cornerback [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag]’s commitment on Monday did bring the fanbase back down to earth, but there’s bound to be unrest as long as UF remains outside of the top 20, especially with the news of increased spending coming in. Hopefully, those dollars pay off and the UAA invests even more into the program over the coming years.

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This big 3-star offensive tackle steps away from Gators commitment

The Gators lost one of their commitments in the 2023 cycle but it’s not the end of the world.

In an announcement posted on his Twitter account on Friday evening, three-star offensive tackle [autotag]Tommy Kinsler[/autotag] made known his decision to decommit from the Florida Gators. Kinsler committed to the Gators on June 19, but that pledge lasted only twelve days. This development is a frankly unexpected one, he’s been considered all but a lock to play for the Orange and Blue since this recruiting cycle started.

An Ocala native, Kinsler is well within Gator country. However, it looks like another Florida-based team is trying to stick their grubby paws into the area that should be Billy Napier’s home base of recruiting. Kinsler’s decommitment is coming hot on the heels of his official visit with Mario Cristobal’s Miami team. Then, immediately after dropping the news that he was stepping back from Florida, four 247Sports experts added crystal ball predictions in favor of the ‘Canes.

“Dear Gator Nation,” wrote Kinsler, “after days of deep thought and prayer, I have decided to decommit from the University of Florida. This was a very hard decision for me and my family. I would like to thank the entire Florida Gators coaching staff for the time, effort, and energy they put into recruiting me. Please respect this decision.”

There are two ways to look at this. The first is to shrug and point out that Kinsler is replaceable. He’s big, but so are a lot of other linemen in the country. His three-star rating reflects a possible SEC contributor, but a name-brand school like Florida can put a hard press on just about any three-star recruit and have a good chance at getting them.

On the other hand, it’s alarming that offensive line coaches [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag], who had such immense success with the Ragin’ Cajuns couldn’t get complete buy-in on their system from a hometown recruit they’ve been on since day one.

Here’s hoping a commitment from [autotag]Monroe Freeling[/autotag], [autotag]Francis Mauigoa[/autotag], or [autotag]Payton Kirkland[/autotag] is right around the corner.

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Florida football recruiting rises in rankings after recent blue-chip commitment

The Gators got a boost in 247Sports’ recruiting rankings with their recent commitment from Sharif Denson.

Florida football got some good news on the recruiting front recently when 247Sports gave the Gators a 10-spot bump in their rankings for the 2023 class after four-star cornerback [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag] committed to the program on Monday. While still sitting outside the top 25, UF moved up from No. 38 to No. 28 nationally in the prestigious publication’s rankings.

The boost comes on the heels of some disappointment for the Orange and Blue as highly-sought quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] picked the Miami Hurricanes while four-star offensive lineman [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag] chose the Florida State Seminoles as their collegiate destinations.

The 5-foot-11.5-inch, 170-pound defensive back is a legacy at Florida through his parents, both of whom competed on the track team during their time at the university, which likely made a difference in his decision.

Denson is Florida’s ninth commitment in the class of 2023, the eighth of whom coming from within a 350-mile radius of campus — on par with Billy Napier’s desire to dominate the hotbeds of talent that reside nearby. Out of Gainesville, there is four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Gavin Hill[/autotag] and three-star wide receiver [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag], while four-star edge rusher [autotag]Isaiah Nixon[/autotag] (St. Petersburg), four-star offensive lineman [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] (Bradenton), three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] (Rockledge), three-star wide receiver [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag] (Eustis) and three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Tommy Kinsler[/autotag] (Ocala) round out the rest of the eight.

Four-star athlete [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag] is the ninth recruit, hailing from Sharpsburg, Georgia, and represents the only other projected defensive back in the class so far, though Florida is still going after top-ranked cornerback [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag].

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Florida football gets commitment from this coveted OL

Add another name to the list of 2023 football commits.

Florida football added another commitment to its 2023 recruiting class on Sunday when an in-state target from just down the road pledged to join the Orange and Blue. Three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Tommy Kinsler[/autotag] out of Ocala Trinity Catholic, fresh off an official visit to the Swamp made up his mind with little hesitation.

“I got to talk to the coaches, see how they work, see how their personality is and got to spend time with the players and got to know how they are,” he told Swamp247. “I had a great time. My family had a great time, too.”

“It got to open my mind and see if I could come here and get developed more,” he told AllGators. “It did open my mind because I committed today.” Kinsler also offered Swamp247, “Coach Sale and coach Stapleton seem like the guys to do it, to get me prepared for the next level.”

The 6-foot-6-inch, 330-pound behemoth is no stranger to Gainesville thanks in large part to his proximity in nearby Ocala and he had already made a couple of unofficial visits ahead of his recent stop. He recently made a trip to see the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and still has an official visit set with the Miami Hurricanes on June 24.

Kinsler is Florida’s sixth commitment in the 2023 recruiting cycle, joining four-star athlete [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag], four-star offensive lineman [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag], three-star athlete [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag], three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Bryce Lovett[/autotag] and three-star wide receiver [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag].

The in-state lineman is currently ranked No. 964 overall and No. 85 nationally at his position according to the 247Sports composite, while the On3 consensus has him at Nos. 896 and 61, respectively. Kinsler had held a solitary crystal ball projection from 247Sports and an 89.9% chance of landing him on On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine.

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Coveted in-state offensive lineman set for Swamp return visit

The Gators are getting this in-state offensive lineman on campus next month.

One of the primary focuses of Florida football’s recruiting efforts now that [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] has assumed the helm of the program is on prep prospects within the state’s boundaries. The Sunshine State has been a veritable conveyor belt of talent over the past couple of decades but the Gators have missed out on many of the best that local schools have to offer.

Part of Napier’s design is to draw a 4.5-hour radius around the city of Gainesville within which he and his staff plan on expending a majority of their efforts moving forward. Among those targeted in the 2023 class is three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Tommy Kinsler[/autotag] out of nearby Ocala (Florida) Trinity Catholic.

The 6-foot-6-inch, 333-pound behemoth recently scheduled two official visits within the state, with one being UF where he will drop in from June 17-19 to see what Gainesville has to offer, according to GatorsOnline. The following weekend he will head down south to visit the Miami Hurricanes from June 24-26 for the second leg of his college tour. Before both of them, however, the junior offensive tackle will pay a visit to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on June 10.

Kinsler is currently ranked No. 812 overall and No. 66 at his position nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite, while the On3 Consensus has him at Nos. 875 and 60, respectively. The Gators are way out in front for his recruitment, currently sitting with a 91.9% chance of signing him per On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, while Miami and Rutgers follow at second and third, respectively.

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Three-star Tommy Kinsler talks his five official visits

Rutgers football is set to host Florida three-star Tommy KInsler.

Tommy Kinsler is beginning to see his recruitment narrow down, with five official visits planned for this summer.

Kinsler is a 6-foot-6, 330-pound offensive lineman at Trinity Catholic (Ocala, FL). He has a very strong national recruitment that includes Power Five offers from Florida, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, Missouri, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Tennessee and West Virginia. Kinsler is a three-star recruit according to Rivals.

He hopes to decide on a college sometime this summer. Kinsler has five official visits lined up.

“It’s going to be Florida, Florida State, Miami, Tennessee,” Kinsler told RutgersWire over the weekend.

“And Rutgers. They’re all going to be in the summer.”

The hope from Kinsler is to take these five visits and then make his decision shortly thereafter.

[autotag]Tommy Kinsler[/autotag] broke down the programs getting his visits. In an earlier story, Kinsler broke down his recruitment as specific to Rutgers including his relationship with offensive line coach Augie Hoffman. He also talked in-depth about Florida and Tennessee and how they currently factor into his recruitment.

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