Trend Meter: Florida’s 2nd official visit weekend another success?

The Florida Gators’ second official visit weekend of the summer is in the books as Billy Napier and the staff brought 13 recruits to town. Where do things stand with these targets? Here’s a quick look:

*5-star OL Solomon Thomas, Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines — FLORIDA STATE COMMIT: Thomas said all the right things to the Gators during his visit and to reporters afterward. Although he’s still committed to the ‘Noles, he claims Florida and LSU aren’t far behind. Behind the scenes, the Gators think they’ve got a real chance here. But they’ll probably have to play the long game. Trending: Holding steady
*5-star WR Caleb Cunningham, Ackerman (Miss.) Chocktaw County: Florida was at best sitting in fourth or fifth entering Cunningham’s official. Now, he says they’re neck and neck with Auburn for the No. 1 spot. Was that just the visit high talking or do the Gators have a legit shot? It may be too soon to tell, but the folks in Gainesville truly believe Florida made a big move this weekend. DJ Lagway’s presence had a lot to do with that. Trending: up
*5-star S Trey McNutt, Shaker Heights (Ohio) High: Admittedly, we haven’t thought of Florida as being a top contender here. But perhaps that might change. McNutt gave the visit a “10” and other recruits tell us he enjoyed himself. And, there’s some chatter NIL could be a significant factor. When you add it up, perhaps the Gators can become a factor. Trending: In the right direction … but there’s a lot to shake out.
*4-star WR Cortez Mills, Homestead (Fla.) High: There hasn’t been much Florida buzz coming out of this visit, even though he told On3 it went well. Trending: away
*4-star TE Andrew Olesh, Center Valley (Penn.) Southern Lehigh: We’ve yet to catch up with Olesh … but Florida is a strong contender with three other tight ends. Meanwhile, this has felt like a Penn State-Michigan battle and we’re not sure a visit to Gainesville would change that. Unless we hear differently, the feeling is he’ll end up somewhere else. Trending: away
*4-star IOL Micah DeBose, Mobile (Ala.) Vigor: Things seem to have gone well in Gainesville as DeBose spent lots of time with current players, which gave him great insight into the program. The NFL experience of Florida’s offensive line staff is another plus. With a July 4 commitment coming, he has the Gators in his top three. But did they catch Alabama or LSU? We don’t know yet. Trending: away
*4-star LB Jakaleb Faulk, Highland Home (Ala.) High — AUBURN COMMIT: Faulk loved his visit. He’s liked Florida since he was young. He is rated as an edge but the Gators envision him at inside linebacker and he’s comfortable with that. Sunday, he said Auburn, Florida and Alabama was his top three. But his brother plays for the Tigers and that program already has him as a commit. It may take a lot to flip him. Trending: away
*4-star CB Ben Hanks Jr., Miami Booker T. Washington: Florida needed to hit a home run with the legacy recruit and the feeling inside the program is that the Gators did just that. Sources told us Florida thinks it moved the needle in this recruitment. He has remaining official visits with FSU and Miami, but the Gators are moving in the right direction. Trending: up
*4-star DL Jalen Wiggins, Tallahassee (Fla.) Rickards — FLORIDA COMMIT: By all accounts, Wiggins had a great visit. While in town, he not only spent time with the staff, he helped the Gators recruit. He seems to be heavily invested in this class and the program in general. Trending: Holding steady
*3-star TE Hollis Davidson, Peachtree City (Ga.) Mcintosh: Everyone we’ve talked to — including Davidson himself — said things couldn’t have gone much better this weekend with the former Auburn commit. His relationship with co-offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Russ Callaway has made the Florida Gators a top contender. The Gators plan to sign two tight ends and probably lead for two others. So they may have a first-in-the-boat situation. Trending: up
*3-star LB Myles Johnson, Brewton (Ala.) T.R. Miller — ALABAMA COMMIT: With Johnson having limited communication (his words) with the Tide since the new staff arrived in Tuscaloosa, the Gators appear to have put themselves in position to land him. Ole Miss is another program to watch. Florida is very high on him as a prospect. Trending: up
*3-star IOL John Mills, San Francisco (Cali.) St. Ignatius College Preparatory: This is one of the visits that arguably went best for Florida over the weekend. Entering this trip, all the chatter was about Texas with Mills. And while the Longhorns probably remain the favorite entering his official visit to Austin this coming weekend, Florida made up significant ground and it now feels like a true Horns-Florida Gators race. Trending: up — but need to survive his OV to Texas
*UR Punter Alex Asparuhov, Fresno (Calif.) San Joaquin Memorial: Asparuhov picked up an offer from the Gators while in town to go with the one he already had from Oklahoma. Then, Alabama offered Sunday night. We have yet to talk to him about his visit to Gainesville so we don’t have a feel yet for how it went. Trending: TBD

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