Top-30 prospect Benedict Umeh raves about Florida Gators visit: ‘They 100 percent check all the boxes’

Last weekend, the Gators hosted the No. 1-ranked junior in the state of Connecticut. That prospect is All-American defensive lineman, Benedict Umeh, who visited with teammate and recent offeree, Jack Hines.

The Gators were one of the first major programs to offer Umeh at the start of the year; however, last Saturday marked the first-ever meeting with Billy Napier’s staff. And although the Toronto native is more accustomed to some other schools right now, Florida knocked it out of the park while he was in town.

According to the On300 rankings, Umeh is the No. 5 defensive lineman and No. 29 prospect in his class.

“First things first, the weather was amazing. After that, they definitely have the best facilities I’ve seen out of all the schools I’ve visited. The only school that even comes close is Penn State, so it doesn’t get much better than that,” Umeh told Gators Online.

Umeh says the real highlight of the visit was having face time with defensive line coach Sean Spencer. They sat back and talked football for roughly 90 minutes, with the four-star prospect saying he learned a whole lot during that session. Spencer is the staff member he spent the most time with as well.

“He likes that I’m explosive,” said Umeh. “I don’t have a lot of experience with football so far, so I don’t have a lot of bad habits. He sees me as a versatile player as well, like, I can stand up and play the five, put my hand in the dirt as a five or three, or play as a wide seven.”

Prior to wrapping up his time on campus, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound defender sat down in Billy Napier’s office as well.

“It was nice,” Umeh said. “He’s definitely exactly who he is. He doesn’t pretend to be a different version of that.”

Florida is now heavily on the official visit radar

Right now, three programs have secured an official visit date from Umeh: Stanford, Penn State and Duke. As you can tell, academics are extremely important to him.

As for the Gators, they are heavily in the mix for one of final official visits. Umeh says Florida is definitely one of his top schools but also one he is still building a relationship with.

There will be a lot of sorting out to do over the next several months, but there is no doubt the Gators have transformed into a realistic contender.

“They check all the boxes,” Umeh said. “Before taking my visit, I had thought originally they were very strong in football and had a winning culture, but I wasn’t sure about their academics.

“After my visit, they 100 percent check all the boxes. They are an academic school and have fantastic football and a championship culture.”

According to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, Penn State is trending with odds of 36.8 percent.

On3 Biography of Benedict Umeh

Avon Old Farms coach Jon Wholley isn’t afraid to heap praise on his star Benedict Umeh.

“He’s a genetic freak from the standpoint of size,” Wholley told Irish Sports Daily. “He’s 6-5, and he’s 260 pounds and doesn’t have any fat on his body. He looks like he’s the Under Armour mannequin. That starts off for one. On top of a great physique and physical makeup, he’s also got a lot of speed, explosion, strength and some natural instincts from a football standpoint.”

What’s even more impressive is that 2022 was Wholley’s first full season of playing football. He played four games for West Toronto Prep in 2021 and focused on track. Wholley is also a successful wrestler and earns high marks for being a well-rounded student-athlete.

“He’s got great grades; he’s a great student; he’s in all honors classes, and he is a leader in our community,” Wholley said.

Stay tuned to Gators Online.

The post Top-30 prospect Benedict Umeh raves about Florida Gators visit: ‘They 100 percent check all the boxes’ appeared first on On3.