10 notable coaching stops this week for the Florida Gators
The Florida Gators coaching staff will be out on the road in full force this week with the NCAA’s evaluation period now in full swing,
Billy Napier’s program has an allotment of 168 visits per NCAA rules between April 15 and May 31.
These visits are used to evaluate (on and off the field) — not to chat with recruits.
In fact … “An evaluation period is that period of time when it is permissible for authorized athletics department staff members to be involved in off-campus activities designed to assess the academic qualifications and playing ability of prospective student-athletes. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts shall be made with the prospective student-athlete during an evaluation period.”
Here is a full list of the prospects we expect the Gators to see this week.
These 10 visits have my attention …
–DJ Lagway, QB, Willis (Texas): It’s never a bad thing to show love to your 5-star quarterback commit. Visiting him the first week the staff is on the road will remind him what he means to the program — and to the 2024 class.
–Chauncey Bowens, RB, Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) Benjamin School: Georgia, Tennessee and Miami are among those working to flip the 4-star Gators commit. As we said, contact with Bowens by the staff during this visit isn’t allowed, however you can perhaps get a reading from others (his coaches, for example) as to how they feel about his status with Florida.
The Gators will hit multiple states
–Ethan Calloway, OT, Mooresville (N.C.) Lake Norman: The Carolinas have several quality linemen in the 2024 class and this 4-star recruit is one of the best. He has a top eight of Florida, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, North Carolina, Penn State and Tennessee. Official visits for Calloway will begin in June and the Gators hope to secure one.
–Justin Denson, S, Providence (R.I.) La Salle Academy: After a recent visit, Denson named the Gators his leader. Now, Florida will visit his school Monday.
–Kendall Jackson, DE/Edge, Gainesville (Fla.) Buchholz: Even though Florida is heavily favored to land the Gainesville prospect, this is an important visit because it lets Jackson know he’s a Week-1 priority. Sometimes, a school makes the mistake of taking local players for granted. It happens at numerous colleges. And that can push them away. Mohamoud Diabate comes to mind.
–Ju’Juan Johnson, CB, Lafayette Christian Academy (La.): The 4-star defender de-committed from Colorado on Sunday and now all eyes are on Florida and LSU. The presence of secondary coach Corey Raymond is significant for the Gators.
–Kris Jones, LB, Stafford (Va.) Mountain View: The Gators have moved into the lead for Jones in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine and he’ll officially visit June 2. Georgia also is a factor for the 4-star recruit and will get an official, too. It wouldn’t be a shock if he landed in the Florida class.
Top targets on both sides of the ball will get visits
–Colin Simmons, Edge, Duncanville (Texas): The 5-star recruit attended Florida’s spring game two weeks ago. Now, there’s optimism at Gators HQ that Florida will get an official visit. LSU is the current On3 RPM favorite.
–Michael Turner, WR, River Ridge (La.) John Curtis: Florida offered the emerging 3-star recruit last Tuesday and immediately shot up to the top. “Florida is No. 1,” Turner told Gators Online. “This one was big. It’s crazy. Just yesterday I was thinking, ‘What if I really got an offer from Florida?’ It’s crazy. I never thought I’d get an offer from a school like this.” He plans to visit soon. LSU is the other team to watch. If the Tigers offer, look out.
Fletcher Westphal, OT, Leesburg (Va.) Tuscarora: The 4-star recruit has made two multi-day visits to Florida in the past five months and the Gators are vying for an official visit. Since he’s a coveted tackle, it’s an all-out feeding frenzy for his services; Clemson and Auburn also among those in the mix.
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