re: "Recruiting Season" 2023 Class

Posted on 4/30/22 at 4:15 pm to Partha

Posted by Partha

Member since Jan 2022

6146 posts

Posted on 4/30/22 at 4:15 pm to Partha

Top247 RB Treyaun Webb shares latest ahead of a busy June
VIP By ANDREW IVINS 23 hours ago

quote:
Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian Academy Top247 running back Treyaun Webb is no stranger to the recruiting process. After all, he has already backed off early verbal commitments to both Georgia and Oklahoma.

While Webb, who the 247Sports Composite pegs as the nation's No. 5 ball carrier, doesn't have an exact date for when he will make his next commitment, it sounds like a decision will likely come after he takes official visits to Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and Penn State in June.

“I have been doing this for a long time. I’m kind of ready to get to college and get this over with,” Webb told 247Sports earlier this week when asked if a commitment could come after those trips. “I got one official visit left. So, a couple schools have been trying to grab at it. Oregon has come in the picture. North Carolina. Iowa. Schools like that. I’m still deciding if I want to use my final official."

Even if Webb makes out to one of those new suitors, it sounds like the Gators are going to be pretty hard to beat after a recent trip up to Gainesville.

“Honestly, Florida is doing a great job right now," Webb said. "Why not Florida? That’s kind of how I summed it up after my last visit. They basically sat me down. It was me, Coach [Jay] Bateman, Coach [Corey] Raymond. The whole staff, really. We were all just sitting in Coach [Billy] Napier’s office chilling. Having a good time. Talking. They were just saying that I can find everything I want right in my backyard. Florida used to be a factor like ‘Bama and Clemson because they kept the Florida talent in the state. They let that go for a couple of years, but now that Napier is here, his message is that he’s trying to recruit the major cities – Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami. He thinks that kids are going to want to play harder for their hometown. So, anything I can find at ‘Bama, Georgia, Ohio State, I can find there. NIL. Early playing time. They are going to show me love because I’m a hometown kid and my cousin [former UF cornerback Dee Webb] went there. So, that’s a plus.”

While it's clear that Webb likes the Gators, he's also intrigued by the folks at South Carolina.

"Honestly, when they came to me in like January and started talking to me, I didn’t think much of South Carolina. I didn’t think much of them. I knew Marcus Lattimore went there, but that’s it. Then I took a visit up there, and I liked everything about it. Coach [Shane] Beamer is a great guy. He has been in a winning system before. So, he knows what it takes to win. Coach [Montario] Hardesty, he played at the highest level. I like the offense. It’s pro-style. They get the ball down the field and throw the ball to the running back."

If the Gamecocks are sitting second in the recruitment, then the Volunteers are probably running third.

"The thing that brought Tennessee into play is the fact that they got an offense," Webb explained. "They got [five-star quarterback Nicco Iamaleva] already. They are trying to get five-star wide receiver [Carnell Tate]. So, I want to see what they are talking about and NIL is big up there. They were saying I could have the same possibilities because if I commit there, I would be the highest-ranked running back to pick Tennessee in a decade. That would be crazy."

Ja'Juan Seider is the one keeping Penn State alive.

"Coach Seider, he has been there since eighth grade," Webb said. "He watched me grow up and grow as a player. Coach [James] Franklin, he’s a player-friendly guy. He wants what’s best for his players. And I would kind of say that’s how it is for all four of my schools. All the coaches want what’s best for their players. And all four of them bring something different to the table."

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Webb is a multi-year contributor at the varsity level that was excellent as a junior in the state playoffs for a Trinity Christian Academy team that won a Florida 3A state title. He ran for just under 900 yards and 10 scores in the final four games of the season. The 247Sports' Crystal Ball currently reads 73.3 percent in favor of the Gators for Webb.

This post was edited on 4/30/22 at 4:21 pm

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Posted by Partha

Member since Jan 2022

6146 posts

Posted on 4/30/22 at 5:34 pm to Partha

4 * OL Payton Kirland, Orlando, FL

Four-star OL Payton Kirkland is not the only one in his family being prioritized by Florida

quote:
Priority offensive lineman Payton Kirkland was in Gainesville yet again on Thursday. This time, it was for the first Orange and Blue Game of the Billy Napier era.

Over 300 prospects were in town for the festivities, but only a select amount received the red-carpet treatment from the staff, with one being Kirkland.

“It’s always good coming back home. This is a place where I really feel comfortable at with the staff, environment, people and the wisdom they drop upon me,” Kirkland told Gators Online’s Donavon Keiser and others.

As much of a priority Kirkland is, the Gators are showing even more attention to his loved ones.

“I’m the second person they’re recruiting. My mom gets more mail than I do, more messages a day than I do (laughter), so it’s kind of crazy, it’s kind of wild.

“It’s huge for us because your parents always have to come first. You can’t make a decision without your parents, so it’s amazing.”

Over the last three years, the 6-foot-7, 350-pound Kirkland has racked up 50-plus scholarship offers. Even after cutting down his list, the recruitment process has barely slowed down.

With a strong reputation like that, there is no doubt Kirkland wants to see game action as soon as possible. If not, he is ready to change the program in different ways.

“In all honestly, I feel like I could come in and be a person that impacts the program immediately whenever I set foot on campus,” Kirkland said. “It may not be starting day one, but it may be leading day one as soon as I get there.”

The message to Kirkland remains the same
“I’m a huge priority for them and they really do want me to lock this thing in with them. I have some tough decisions I have to make later on down the road,” Kirkland said.

“They want me to be a leader in the class. When I say leader, I don’t mean the first person to commit, but like, a person with actual leadership qualities because that’s the person I am.”

Kirkland clearly respects Billy Napier’s vision once it’s time to strap up the pads; however, he says there is a whole lot more that UF’s head man brings to the table that makes UF a serious contender for him.

“I feel like the players and the program, they see him as more than just a football coach because in all honesty, he is more than just a football coach,” Kirkland said. “He is a great man; he’s a father figure to a lot of these guys, and he’s definitely a mentor to guys like me who are being recruited.

“He will take this program to places they never thought they would be over these couple of years. It’s going to be pretty exciting.”

Five schools remain under strong consideration
Leading the way in Kirkland’s recruitment are Florida, Miami, Alabama, Oklahoma and Michigan State.

Each of those schools has already played host multiple times or will welcome him to campus multiple times before a decision is made on July 23. Other than the Crimson Tide, each finalist has already secured an official visit date as well.

So, it might be an understatement to say Kirkland’s spring and summer schedule is jam-packed.

“What’s huge for me is really just getting a general idea of where I would like to go to school. These official visits will give me an actual family feel. actually be around the staff and have the conversations that need to be had in order to make decisions,” Kirkland said.

According to On3’s Recruiting Machine, the Gators are trending heavily in Kirkland’s recruitment.