This four-star DL has Florida in his top 5, planning Halloween commitment

Four-star defensive lineman Kayden McDonald is down to five schools and the University of Florida is one of them. The Gators will host McDonald on Saturday for their matchup with Missouri.

Four-star defensive lineman Kayden McDonald has narrowed down his college options to five programs — Florida, Clemson, Michigan, Ohio State and Oklahoma.

McDonald caught up with Hayes Fawcett of On3.com and spoke about each of his finalists after making the announcement, and he also set a commitment date of October 31. He’s already been to the Swamp three times this year, including an official visit in June, but McDonald is expected in the Swamp this weekend to see the Gators take on the Missouri Tigers.

“I love Florida,” McDonald said. “ The academics, staff, it’s the SEC, and there are big games every Saturday in the swamp. Coach Napier is building his team one player at a time. Coach Chaos coming from the NFL is a technician. We are real close. I’m comfortable with coach Chaos, coach Reid, coach Chaney, coach PT and pretty much all the staff. Me, my mom, and coach Napier are in a group chat and we talk to him all the time. He’s a players coach, and I like that. Definitely makes Florida a top school.”

Texas and Miami were two other schools McDonald mentioned as dark horse candidates that are still are recruiting him, but he said that he plans to focus on his top five moving forward.

The On3 consensus ranks McDonald at No. 314 overall and No. 43 among defensive linemen in the class of 2023. 247Sports’ individual rankings have him a bit high at No. 243 overall and No. 35 in his position group.

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