re: "Recruiting Season" 2023 Class

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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.

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