Tag: TreVonte’ Citizen

4-star Louisiana OT plans visit to Florida after picking up offer

Billy Napier has been recruiting four-star offensive tackle Tyree Adams since he was the head coach at Louisana.

Four-star offensive tackle [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] has known Florida head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and running backs coach [autotag]Jabbar Juluke[/autotag] since they were coaching the Ragin’ Cajuns in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Napier offered the St. Augustine recruit a scholarship to play at ULL and he still wants him on his team after moving to the SEC. Adams picked up an offer from the Gators on Tuesday and has quickly planned a visit to the Swamp on Tuesday, April 5, according to Gators Online.

“When they left, they still continued to keep an eye on me. They wanted to evaluate me a little bit more to see if the SEC was right for me, and then eventually I put in the work. I did what I had to do and they pulled the trigger.”

In addition to Florida, Adams plans to stop by LSU and Texas A&M in the coming weeks. He holds offers from Florida State, Ole Miss and Mississippi State as well, so there’s plenty of competition for the No. 15 offensive tackle in the country, according to On3’s individual recruiting rankings.

LSU has a history of keeping Lousiana kids in the state, but Napier has been able to use his regionals ties to keep pace with the Tigers fairly often. [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag] was the big name out of the state to sign with Florida last season and Florida was on the table for [autotag]Trevonte’ Citizen[/autotag].

Adams already has chemistry with the Florida coaches, and he says they’re sitting high on his list before he even gets to see the campus in person.

[mm-video type=video id=01fzgh65z9jbnjc1948g playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fzgh65z9jbnjc1948g/01fzgh65z9jbnjc1948g-fb31b59b1d6bb1e8ebfdb27b38b8bfae.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=80905,80896,80878,80838,80825]

[listicle id=79833]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Auburn among big losers on national signing day

Not great Bob

Now that the dust has settled a bit from national signing day, we can begin to review the class as a whole. For The Auburn Tigers, they brought no one new to the table this time around. Each member of their class had signed during the early signing period in December.

Where do we stand on ranking the class?

According to Erick Smith of USA TODAY Sports, it’s not great Bob.

Not everyone can reel in a litany of five-star recruits like Texas A&M, Alabama, and Georgia. Those schools all did well for themselves. With the constant turmoil that has struck the Tigers football program, it isn’t a huge shock but after losing 18 players through the transfer portal, one should have expected more movement. Head coach Bryan Harsin also missed out on one of their big targets as TreVonte’ Citizen opted to head to Miami.

Let’s take a look at how they rated the Auburn class.

What Smith Says…

Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

The inauspicious start of the Bryan Harsin era continues with this recruiting class that sits at the back end of the top 20 after finishing in a similar position last year. Better results are expected with fans unsatisfied unless the Tigers are SEC West contenders. The hope is that LB Robert Woodyard and DBs Austin Ausberry and JaDarian Raym, along with junior college DL Jeffrey M’ba, are players that bolster the defense. Harsin better hope so after a 6-7 start to his tenure and the departure of both coordinators.

It wasn’t just the Auburn Tigers that were losers on this national signing day but the first-year coaches as well. Billy Napier of the Florida Gators and Brian Kelly of the LSU Tigers were also among the teams listed as losers. They took over their programs in December and were tasked with trying to salvage their transition classes.

LSU fired Ed Orgeron with more than a month left, and while Brian Kelly did his best, the Tigers were squarely outside of their usual place in the top 10. Oregon and Miami (Fla.), both impacted by the move of Mario Cristobal, had smaller-than-usual groups. Florida also took a step back even with Billy Napier pulling off some late wins.

Gators target TreVonte’ Citizen fakes out everyone before making commitment

Citizen picked up and set down every hat on the table before revealing a hidden Miami cap.

Florida lost the first major recruiting battle of national signing day on Wednesday afternoon when Lake Charles College Prep (La.) running back TreVonte’ Citizen announced that he would be signing with the rival Miami Hurricanes.

But his announcement was a whirlwind for everyone watching, including the Hurricanes fans. Citizen initially picked up an Auburn hat before setting it back down. He then did the same thing with both a Florida and UM hat. Finally, he got to the LSU hat, which he put on his head before pausing for a second, removing it, and pulling out a different Hurricanes hat, marking his ultimate decision.

Citizen, the No. 107 player in the 2022 class, was a player that the Gators felt good about heading into the day. However, he never took an official visit to Gainesville, and he was coming off a trip to Coral Gables. Florida also already had a running back commit in the class in four-star Louisiana prospect Trevor Etienne, who signed Wednesday.

Florida’s class currently ranks 19th nationally, and it will hope for better news later in the day to climb into the top 15.

[listicle id=69643]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Florida makes the final cut before NSD for this 4-star running back

It’s down to four schools for Trevonte’ Citizen, and Florida has made the cut.

Four-star Lousiana running back Trevonte’ Citizen has cut his list of schools down to four with three days remaining before national signing day.

The elite running back is still considering Florida, Auburn, LSU and Miami and will decide among the four on Wednesday. The Gators hosted Citizen on a mid-week visit, and the Hurricanes got him in Coral Gables over the weekend. LSU has the home-field advantage in this one and once held a commitment from Citizen before the coaching changes took place.

Florida’s running back situation isn’t bad after landing a commitment from four-star Trevor Etienne and getting Lousiana’s Montrell Johnson to transfer over, but adding Citizen would make the room elite for years to come.

On3’s Sam Spiegelman said that there is a growing feeling that one of the out-of-state programs will land Citizen. That bodes well for the Gators, but the Hurricanes have been making a late push too. Mario Cristobal had a relationship with him while at Oregon and has picked up where he left off with the recruit.

Citizen is ranked No. 107 overall nationally on the 247Sports Composite and is the ninth-best running back in the 2022 class. The On3 consensus is a little higher on him at No. 93 nationally and No. 4 at his position.

[lawrence-related id=69155,69148,69145,69142,68987]

[listicle id=68964]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Report: 4-star RB praises Gators after visiting Florida

Florida may have helped itself out in the race for four-star running back Trevonte’ Citizen this week.

The Florida Gators hosted four-star running back Trevonte’ Citizen for a mid-week visit on Thursday, and the Lousiana recruit left town overjoyed with his experience, according to On3’s Jeremy Johnson.

Gators coach Billy Napier has been hot on Citizen’s trail since taking over the program, and the Lousiana back can’t help but be impressed by the impact he’s made at Florida in such a short amount of time.

“I’ve seen the effect he has on a team,” Citizen said to On3. “I’ve seen how the coaching staff communicates with the players. I can feel them having fun out there, even though they’re working hard.”

Citizen said that he appreciated the tenacity with which Napier came after him after landing the Florida job because it showed him how much of a priority he is for the Gators. Florida has already earned the commitment of another four-star Lousiana back, Trevor Etienne, but it hasn’t made Citizen feel any less wanted. Landing both would give the Gators a strong foundation to build around on offense in the future.

Miami will get the last word with Citizen this weekend on an official visit, and he’s far from having his mind made up with five days left in the decision process. Auburn running backs coach Carnell Williams has the Tigers in the hunt, and home state LSU is also in the mix.

After he returns from the Miami trip, Citizen will sit down and figure out his decision for good. He says his mind is somewhat made up, but there still appears to be some wiggle room for changes before national signing day.

[lawrence-related id=68977,68965,68928,68924,68917]

[listicle id=68964]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Highly-sought 4-star RB on two-day visit to Gainesville

The Gators are looking to make a splash with this 2022 4-star running back.

Florida football has been hot on the market for running backs in the current recruiting cycle, which comes as no surprise as new head coach Billy Napier has a penchant for a strong ground game. The Gators recently inked 2022 four-star running back Trevor Etienne — brother of Jacksonville Jaguars‘ Travis Etienne — as well as pulling former Louisiana Ragin Cajuns’ Montrell Johnson from the transfer portal to add to their current running back room of Nay’Quan Wright, Demarkcus Bowman and Lorenzo Lingard.

But Napier and his staff are not stopping there.

The top target for the recruiting team of late has been another four-star running back from the bayou — Lake Charles (Louisiana) College Prep running back TreVonte’ Citizen, who ranks No. 9 nationally at his position and No. 107 overall in the 2022 class, according to the 247Sports composite. The highly sought prep is expected to arrive Wednesday for an unofficial two-day stay in Gainesville, in which the Gators will use every chance to woo the top-end back.

Florida running backs coach Jabbar Juluke has spearheaded the effort, conducting an in-person visit with him in back-to-back weeks, while the staff has also been checking in on him every week during the recruiting contact period in January. Juluke’s close ties to Louisiana — who hails from nearby New Orleans while also having graduated from Southern University in Baton Rouge — as well as Napier’s obvious connection to the state, appear to give the Gators an inside edge on the competition.

Speaking to Joseph Hastings of On3Sports, Citizen noted that he had a “good feeling” about Florida.

“I’ve got Coach [Jabbar] Juluke and Coach Napier, who was at [the University of Louisiana at Lafayette]. So, I have some type of connection with them and I already knew about him.

“I already knew how they run the ball and what the o-line does with the running backs. That would be a good fit for me.”

However, he goes on to mention that he will “always love LSU” which might make things interesting if he ends up on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage against them.

Speaking of the Tigers, LSU and Auburn have recently hosted Citizen and the Miami Hurricanes will get his fifth and final official visit after the Gators. According to On3Sports, the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies are also in the running, but well behind the top three.

[lawrence-related id=68794,68768,68743,68749,68747]

[listicle id=63502]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

UF staff to visit this 4-star running back on Wednesday

Citizen is set to visit LSU this weekend and Miami the following weekend, but the Gators are still making a push.

Florida has already locked up the commitment of a four-star running back in the 2022 class in Trevor Etienne, and it also added Montrell Johnson this offseason, a transfer-portal pickup who finished has Louisiana’s second-leading rusher in 2021 with 838 yards.

Considering UF returns Nay’Quan Wright, Demarkcus Bowman and Lorenzo Lingard, it could probably call it a day. But coach Billy Napier is still pushing hard for Lake Charles (LA) College Prep running back TreVonte’ Citizen, a four-star prospect who ranks as the No. 113 player in the 2022 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.

The Gators visited Citizen last week, but he will meet with another staffer on Wednesday in running backs coach Jabbar Juluke, according to On3’s Corey Bender. Citizen was originally planning to take a trip to Gainesville this weekend, but he will visit LSU instead, though he still plans to take a trip to Florida.

However, that visit won’t be in an official capacity if it happens, as Citizen will go to see Miami the following weekend. He also visited Auburn this past weekend.

Running back is not nearly as big a need for this team as it was a couple of weeks ago, but Citizen is still an elite running back prospect, and it seems that Florida still wants to see him join the class.

[lawrence-related id=67606,67586,67560,67556,67508]

[listicle id=63502]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Highly-coveted 4-star RB prospect announces Florida visit

The Gators will get a big-time running back prospect on campus later this month.

One of the hottest running back prospects in the 2022 college football recruiting class, four-star TreVonte’ Citizen, has been on the Gators’ radar for quite some time. On Thursday, according to On3’s Corey Bender, the 5-foot-11-inch, 218-pound back announced that he will be making an official visit to the University of Florida on Jan. 22.

Citizen had just recently released his list of top eight schools on his list of preferred destinations, with the Orange and Blue among those mentioned. However, hailing from Lake Charles, Louisiana, it should come as no surprise that the LSU Tigers are considered the front-runner for his commitment, along with the Auburn Tigers, Grambling, Miami, Michigan State, Nebraska, and USC.

Last year, Citizen officially visited LSU, Auburn, Texas and Texas A&M as a high school junior, and gets a second visit to Baton Rouge due to the coaching change. According to 247Sports, Gators assistant head coach and running backs coach Jabbar Juluke — whose hometown is in nearby New Orleans while also having graduated from Southern University in Baton Rouge — has spearheaded the effort to get the bayou boy into the Swamp.

In scouting the high school senior, what stands out the most is his optimal body type for the running back position, possessing proportional dimensions on his nearly 6-foot frame. Despite missing time during his senior season due to a broken finger, Citizen managed to gain an amazing 11.4 yards per carry while notching a touchdown every sixth time he touched the ball on average.

[lawrence-related id=67237,67220,67182,67178,67025]

[listicle id=67183]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Auburn makes top eight for RB Trevonte’ Citizen 

This would be a great add for the Tigers.

Trevonte’ Citizen is the top uncommitted running back in the 2022 recruiting class and a major Auburn target. And the Tigers look to have a great shot to sign the four-star tailback.

Citizen released his top eight schools ahead of National Signing Day on Feb. 2. Auburn, Florida, LSU, Miami, Michigan State, Nebraska, USC and Grambling

Citizen, who officially visited Auburn last June, is the No. 8 running back and No. 124 overall recruit nationally in the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. He is also ranked as the No. 9 player in Louisiana.

The 6-foot, 217-pound Citizen is from Lake Charles, Louisiana and if Auburn can land him, he would become the Tigers third commit from Louisiana (Austin Ausberry and Enyce Sledge) and their second running back commit, joining fellow four-star Damari Alston.

Florida looking to get another 4-star running back on campus

Could Billy Napier land another four-star running back for Florida?

Billy Napier just added four-star running back Trevor Etienne to Florida’s 2022 recruiting class, and it looks like he’s targeting a second rusher to add to the incoming group. Four-star Trevonte’ Citizen named Florida as one of his top schools earlier in the month, and he could use his fifth and final official visit on the Gators.

Citizen told 247Sports that Florida would likely be in his future visit plans but that there’s still some planning to do. In addition to Napier, running backs coach Jabbar Juluke has been in contact with Citizen regularly. Florida’s staff has many ties to the state of Louisiana, and it’s helped Citizen establish “a lot of trust with them.”

The Gators adding Etienne recently doesn’t seem to be a deterrent for Citizen either. In fact, Etienne has reached out to recruit him to Florida, and Citizen said that there could be a new running back duo in the Swamp soon.

He plans to announce his decision on National Signing Day. Auburn, Miami and Michigan State appear to be out in front, but a trip to the Swamp could change that. Citizen also has plans to make a second official visit to LSU this month to meet the new coaching staff.

Citizen is the No. 113 overall prospect on the 247Composite and the eighth-best running back. Florida’s 2022 recruiting class currently sits at 11 players and is ranked last in the Southeastern Conference.

[lawrence-related id=66877,66869,66837,66762,66741]

[listicle id=66642]

[listicle id=66683]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.