re: "Recruiting Season" 2023 Class

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If you were inside the Swamp on Thursday, you more than likely enjoyed your experience as the Gators took the field for the first Orange and Blue Game under Billy Napier.

For Lucas Simmons, a four-star offensive tackle in the 2023 class, you could argue that the highlight of his visit came during pregame.

Although they had their hands full with the game itself, nearly every member of the football staff tweeted out “HejaGators.” That is Swedish for shouting a cheer, as the 6-foot-8.5, 295-pound Simmons hails from Sweden but attends school in the United States.

“It was cool. It meant a lot,” Simmons told Gators Online’s Donavon Keiser. “For them, it’s small, but it means a lot to me. It’s really cool to see how some schools really want to stand out with stuff they do and separate themselves. That’s something I really appreciated. Even though it’s a small thing for them, it meant a lot to me.”

The Gators are pushing all the right buttons with Simmons
A number of UF coaches are involved in Simmons’ recruitment; however, it’s offensive line coaches Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton who are involved in the day-to-day conversations.

“It’s good,” Simmons said of his relationship with them. “I’m getting to know them more and more. They came in kind of late, but I still feel good about them as people and coaches.”

When you are a highly-regarded recruit like Simmons, a countless amount of recruiting pitches are thrown in your direction. The Gators obviously covet his long-term potential offensive tackle, but Simmons also appreciates their interest in getting to know him off the field.

“They seem genuine,” Simmons said of the Gators. “Most of these schools I’m really considering are genuine, but with Florida, it’s just the small things they do. Like today, we talked a lot of football, but there was also a lot of sitting down in the office and getting to know each other more as people. I appreciate that.”

The Under Armour All-American is in no hurry
Simmons, who attends Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International, does not plan to make his decision until later in the year. He has yet to schedule any of his official visits either, but the Gators only enhanced their chances following another meeting with the top-100 prospect.

“I felt good about them last time, but I really, really loved the visit I had today, for sure,” Simmons said.

In addition to Florida, Simmons is heavily considering Arkansas, Baylor, Florida State, Michigan, Mississippi State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, USF and USC. Those schools were recently in his top 12.

According to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, USC is the school trending with a 46.2 percent chance at reeling in the massive offensive lineman.

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After spending the majority of last week in Florida, the Gators are now set to inquire about some key targets in the neighboring states.

A flurry of key stops will be taking place on Monday, as co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney will be dropping by several schools in Alabama, including Thompson High.

Representing talent-rich Thompson are five-star defensive back Tony Mitchell and five-star defensive lineman Peter Woods. The Gators were initially planning to stop by on Wednesday, but it was ultimately moved up to tomorrow.

With Mitchell, over a handful of schools are under consideration; however, I believe it’s a three-team race between Florida, Alabama and Texas A&M. He recently scheduled an official visit to Texas and labeled Tennessee as a contender as well.

Florida has hosted Mitchell multiple times in 2022 and is also close to finalizing an official visit date. He grew up in Lakeland, so the Sunshine State has been referred to as “home.”

“I’d say the staff they have with coach Raymond, coach Toney, and with me being from Florida, just getting the vibe here and seeing the love I get. The fan base is crazy. Also, the development I know I would get and having the chance to play early and contribute,” Mitchell recently told GO when asked about his interest in UF.

“It’s just all love. It’s just a different vibe and energy from this staff. They’re really going to show you they truly care and they want you to be there.”

Woods, another top-25 prospect, has visited the Gators once before, but that was when the old staff was in place.

Alabama, Clemson, Florida, and Oklahoma are the final four schools; however, the Crimson Tide are the heavy favorites; in fact, it would be very surprising if Woods did not end up in Tuscaloosa.

The Gators will receive another visit from Hunter Osborne
Hewitt-Trussville is another stop on Monday for UF’s co-defensive coordinator. That is home to Hunter Osborne, an On300 defensive lineman who visited the Gators in late March.

Not only did the 6-foot-3, 250-pound defender set foot in Gainesville, but he was also blown away by UF’s presentation.

“It definitely makes their standing higher than what they were before, getting to see everybody and getting to see everything they have to offer,” Osborne said.

“This was my first time getting down to Gainesville, so they earned another visit back down; that is 100 percent sure, so I know I’ll be looking forward to scheduling another visit for the summer.

“They earned their right to be a top school I would say. It’s the vision they have, the relationship I have with the coaches and the development standpoint. They earned a top spot.”

Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Oklahoma, Oregon and USC are the schools in Osborne’s top 10.

According to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, Alabama is the school trending in Osborne’s recruitment. Auburn comes in behind the Crimson Tide at No. 2.

Will Florida reemerge as a contender for Kelby Collins?
Checking in as the No. 7 defensive lineman and No. 50 prospect overall, Kelby Collins is wanted by the nation’s best, including the Florida Gators.

The All-American represents Gardendale High and will have Toney at his school on Monday.

According to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, Alabama is the heavy favorite by having a 91.9 percent chance at reeling in Collins.

The Gators hosted Collins multiple times in 2021. There was a good amount of momentum at the time, but considering he has yet to meet Napier’s staff, it’s safe to say there is now a significant amount of ground to make up.

Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas and Texas A&M were the schools included in Collins’ top eight back in October.

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Gators co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney spent all of Monday visiting with schools throughout Alabama.

As Gators Online reported on Sunday, that is the plan for Tuesday as well.

Toney is planning to attend practice at Phenix City (Ala.) Central, which is home to multiple priority targets, including cornerback A.J. Harris.

The top-100 prospect was rumored to have silently committed to the Gators in mid March; however, here we are roughly two months later and nothing has been announced publicly. Florida remains in a great spot, but the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama are under consideration as well.

Harris, who is tabbed as an All-American, has visited the Gators multiple times in 2022. His most recent trip to campus took place on March 19.

According to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, UF is heavily trending in his recruitment. The SEC program has a 97 percent chance at coming out on top.

Harris’ teammate and fellow top-100 prospect, Tomarrion Parker, is also a priority for the orange and blue.

After not including Florida in his top five earlier this year, Parker was viewed as an afterthought in terms of him possibly returning to Gainesville.

However, much changed on March 28 when Billy Napier’s staff re-offered the top-100 EDGE. Not only is a scholarship offer now on the table, but Parker attended the Orange and Blue Game and now has the Gators in his top three.

“They’re definitely one of my top schools. They definitely jumped all the way up. Between Ohio State and Florida, those are my top two schools right now,” he said last month. “They’re showing me they want me, breaking down film every day, sending me clips on how I can get better and talking to my parents.

“Alabama is also doing a great job as well keeping communication with my family, co-workers and things like that. Those three schools are standing out the most.”

Parker will be returning to Gainesville for an official visit as well.

Keldric Faulk is another defensive priority for the Gators
As GO previously reported, 6-foot-6, 243-pound Keldric Faulk is returning to Gainesville on June 17 for his official visit. He made his way down to the Swamp back in March as well.

The previous staff also offered Faulk, but with the 2023 class now in the spotlight, communication is much more consistent with Napier calling the shots.

“It was pretty good. It’s been a while,” Faulk previously told Gators Online’s Donavon Keiser after he visited.

“I just came up here at first to see how it was, but I’ve been talking to them for a good minute. They made a good impression on me.”

While on campus, Faulk spent the majority of his time with Billy Napier and co-defensive coordinators Patrick Toney and Sean Spencer.

“Coach Spencer, he’s kind of an energetic dude,” Faulk said. “Coach Toney, he’s chill and laid back and coach Napier is the same. What really caught my attention was coach Spencer. He seems like a pretty cool and pretty chill dude.”

In addition to Florida, Faulk is high on the likes of Clemson, Florida State, Oklahoma, Auburn and Alabama.

According to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, Dabo Swinney’s program is trending with a 28.7 percent chance at coming out on top. The Gators are not far behind at 25.2 percent.

Faulk, a four-star prospect, is the No. 11 EDGE and No. 84 prospect overall. That is according to the On3 Consensus.

Keary Colbert set to visit On300 prospect on Tuesday
This morning, highly-regarded EDGE AJ Hoffler told Gators Online that Keary Colbert is visiting him on Tuesday.

“The wide receivers coach just texted me. He’s coming tomorrow,” Hoffler said.

As of now, Clemson and Ohio State are the heavy favorites for the Atlanta native. The Buckeyes have been considered the program to beat for a number of months; however, a recent offer from the Tigers has made his recruitment quite interesting.

“I’d say right now, the gap is really small between Clemson and Ohio State right now,” Hoffler recently told On3.

The four-star prospect currently has one official visit scheduled, and it’s with Clemson for June 3.

As for the Gators, Hoffler recently told me he talks to them “every now and then.” He was impressed by UF’s presentation on March 19, but the SEC school has a lot of ground to make up here.

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From the beginning of his interaction with Florida’s coaching staff, El Dorado (Kan.) Butler Community College offensive lineman Cooper Lovelace was impressed by the team’s attention to detail.

At first, Florida head coach Billy Napier asked Lovelace to put together an evaluation tape that consisted of agility drills, mobility tests and more. A week later, Florida wide receivers coach Keary Colbert attended one of Butler Community College’s spring practices, presumably to watch Lovelace in action and advance the Gators’ feel for a player who is quickly becoming a highly-sought-after 2022 prospect.

From there, the Gators increased their social interaction with Lovelace. Offensive coordinator Rob Sale spoke with him over the phone shortly after Colbert’s visit while Napier and co-offensive line coach Darnell Stapleton continued their dialogue, too.

After one more workout, the Gators extended the 6-foot-5, 320-pound lineman a scholarship offer. Lovelace was overjoyed by the development and impressed with the process required to reach it.

“I can tell you, whoever they offer right now, they’re not just offering anyone,” Lovelace said. “Quote from one of [Florida’s coaches] was, ‘It doesn’t matter if you have 45 offers, if you don’t fit what we’re looking for, there’s no point just to throw a name in the hat.’ They were being very thorough, which I appreciate completely greatly on my side of it. I don’t want it to be where I get there and all of a sudden they don’t know my name or who I am or any of that.

“I appreciate teams that are like that,” he continued. “Some people don’t. Some people just want an offer and want to go viral and blow up and I really don’t care about blowing up. I guess I had a video blow up once before and I had my phone super hot but it’s a lot to handle. I play football. I don’t do social media.”

Lovelace’s recruitment has exploded recently. The Gators extended him a scholarship offer on May 2, which he announced just hours after reporting an offer from Oklahoma State. A day earlier, Lovelace announced an offer from USC, which joined a list that also reportedly includes Arkansas State, Central Michigan, Iowa State, Kansas, Kent State, Louisiana, Massachusets, Rice and Tulsa.

And after three years at Butler Community College, Lovelace said the attention from so many Power 5 programs has been surreal. His conversations with certain coaches have left him speechless as he tries to reconcile a roller-coaster start to his football career.

“When I was on FaceTime with (USC head coach) Lincoln Riley the other night, he was at his house, I literally screamed,” he said. “I lost it. I’ve been keeping it so cordial as much as I can but it was one of those moments where I was like, ‘Dude, what is going on right now?’ He offered me on the phone call 90 seconds in and we talked for 20 more minutes and I couldn’t tell you one word that came out of his mouth after he said that and I was having a full-on conversation and then it was the same thing with coach Napier calling me (on Monday). I didn’t even know what to say. The Florida Gators. It’s surprising but it’s not.”

Lovelace’s football journey has been anything but conventional. He only started playing the sport as a senior at Shawnee (Kan.) Mission East High School and didn’t garner the collegiate attention he thought he was capable of due to his late start in the game. It’s what led him to Butler, where he redshirted in 2019.

A year later, Butler’s football team never even saw the field due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the 2021 season essentially becoming Lovelace’s first.

With three years of eligibility remaining, he is trying to find a team that can help him achieve his potential. Development his foremost consideration as starts to take official visits, starting with a trip to USC on Friday and Florida more than likely a week later.

“We’re working on next weekend, the 13th, 14th and 15th going [to Gainesville] on my [official visit] there,” Lovelace said. “People got summer workouts so it’s not like I’ve got unlimited time.

“Once the ball started rolling, it’s never going to stop. Now I got to do my job to quality control and filter through who’s going for hype, who’s just trying to get another guy to fill the room or who’s trying to develop someone and take someone in who can help them out. We can both win from the exchange.”

Lovelace said his official visits will offer an opportunity to get an in-depth look at the programs pursuing him and he has no plans to hold back when it comes to asking questions and obtaining the information he’s seeking from his potential destinations.

While some prospects like to use their official visit time to take photos or other activities that have little to do with football, Lovelace said those things aren’t for him.

“When I get there it’s one of those things where the chains are off the wall so there’s nothing to stop me,” he said. “I have to go through the curtains, right? I got to go talk to the strength coach for 90 minutes if I want to. I don’t care about going to ax-throwing or whatever, which some people do on recruiting visits. I don’t care about that at all in the slightest. I can go in to watch film and go over their spring ball tape, teaching tape, how they run the meetings. Being able to peel it back and really get into the nitty-gritty, that’s where you really find out who the coaches are.”

Exploring how he might fit at a perspective destination is going to be among Lovelace’s primary focuses as he takes his final three official visits. He then hopes to announce his commitment at some point between May 18-23 and enroll shortly after.

“It’s kind of hard to make a life-changing decision when you’re 25 hours away and you’ve never actually seen their face,” Lovelace said. “I’m a pretty good judge of character and getting in front of people is the best thing I can do and I can already tell you I like [Florida’s] staff. That’s why I want to go down there.”

Lovelace said he bet on himself by taking the junior college route and now he is seeing the decision pay dividends. In fact, he said he feels as though his journey is what sets him apart from other offensive line prospects available right now.

“I know I put in years of work and there’s not a guy in the portal that can actually mess with me,” he said. “Offensive linemen, a lot of these guys’ work ethic is kind of busted being kind of fed with a spoon. You don’t get fed with a spoon at junior college. The work-ethic side and the want is all there and I knew this would come along. It’s just a matter of when.”

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Will do a more thorough eval over the next 2 days. I basically done this off of Hudl alone. Watched his hudl and a couple teammates just to get a quick idea what we were looking at. Overall, tremendous size but I really question this take as far the athleticism part comes into play. He isnt sloppy, but he is slower than id like. Really needs to get lighter on his feet. Hes not necessarily unathletic, but he doesn't move overly well enough at that size. Doesn't move very well. Gets beat regularly at the LOS (even on plays on his own HL video he's getting beat, which makes no sense). Really appears to struggle with quicker guys. Can't get across a guys face and square up. When he's at Tackle and he's got a guy lined up on his inside eye, he struggles to take that lateral step and then the vertical quick enough to get square. The guy gets inside and he basically just tries to wash him down the LOS. Loads of plays in pass pro where he gets beat around the edge and damn near horse collars the Edge defender so he doesn't make a sack.

Not very impressed with the run blocking either. Footwork is decent but technique alone wont make up his deficiencies in other areas especially his hands. Needs to work on his punch and maintaining a solid base. Gets way overextended at times. Plays really, really high. Slings people to the ground too much for my liking instead of squaring up and getting movement. He does have elite size. That's a major plus and I do feel these things I mentioned can be coached. I just think he needs to work on his foot speed and how to use his length to his advantage. He could contribute in the future if he puts in the work.

That's all i really want to say right now without being able to be more thorough but not superbly impressed by any means from the things I saw in the 30 minutes I done this research for. I'll attach his hudl film from last season and let you guys see what I see. Half the plays on it I'd never in a million years put into my HL film. Watch his sophomore season. You'll see what I mean. Further eval coming soon. Regardless, he's a Gator and hope the best for him!

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One of the Sunshine State’s top overall football players is headed to Florida as Gainesville (Fla.) F.W. Buchholz Top247 athlete Creed Whittemore announced a verbal commitment to the Gators on Saturday.

On the surface, this commitment might appear to be a bit of a lay up for Florida given Whittemore’s ties to the Gators, but the soon-to-be senior claims that he wasn’t exactly always sure that Florida was going to be the place for him.

“I took about a year to explore my options. A lot of people in my family were telling me that they don’t care if I got to Florida, which is big because obviously I have had a lot of family that went to Florida. But they told me to look around, and I think I have done just that,” Whittemore told 247Sports over the phone. “You know, I’m a 17-year-old kid. So, I think every facility is cool and that every school has its positives. But everytime I came back to Gainesville and went into the Swamp and felt that atmosphere – it’s just different. I saw all these other places, but in the end, Florida tops all of them.”

Whittemore is the younger brother of current Florida wide receiver Trent Whittemore. His mother, Missy, was an All-SEC volleyball player for the Gators. While those two might bleed orange and blue, his father and longtime coach, Mark, was actually a decorated wide receiver at UCF, and that’s one of the main reasons why the Knights – and others – were giving the youngest Whittemore something to think about down the stretch.

So, aside from the comfort level at Florida, what pushed Creed to the Gators, and now?

It sounds like Billy Napier.

Whittemore actually landed an offer from Florida last summer after a strong performance during wide receiver/defensive back 1-on-1s at UF’s annual Friday Night Lights camp. He quickly connected with a few different coaches on Dan Mullen’s staff, but wasn’t sure where things stood with the Gators once Napier took over.


“I’m actually glad Coach Napier took his time when it came to evaluating me instead of just offering me because my brother plays there,” Whittemore said. “I respect that about him. He could have easily just come in and said that I still have an offer, but he took his time to watch my film and break me down. I like that about him because I had to earn it. He wants me for who I am and the kind of player I am. And you know, I think we have a great relationship right now, and I think it’s only going to get better once I get there.”

Whittemore has played primarily quarterback at a high level the past two years in the Sunshine State’s second-highest classification. While at least one FBS program wanted him to throw passes on Saturdays, most coaches and scouts view Whittemore as a slot receiver at the next level given how he changes directions and creates separation with his 10.85 speed. Napier does, as well.

“Coach Napier is looking for someone to play that H or Y position, which is where they want a smaller, quicker guy that’s got speed and hands. Almost like how the [New England] Patriots were using Julian Edleman to throw those quick routes to and get him the ball in space. I think he sees me as one of those guys, and honestly that’s kind of where I have always envisioned myself. Doing that and also returning punts,” Whittemore said.


Whittemore also held offers from Michigan, Texas A&M, Miami and Penn State while schools like Clemson and Stanford had expressed some interest in recent months. New suitors could certainly try and get involved in the recruitment before the Early Signing Period rolls around, but it doesn’t sound like it will be easy to pry Whittemore away from the Gators.

“I think [UF assistant Keary Colbert] is a great coach,” Whittemore said. “You don’t necessarily want to go to a place because of a position coach, but I think he’s just a plus right now if you are a receiver at Florida. He cares about his guys and he’s going to keep it real with you.”

Whittemore is listed at 5-foot-11.5, 175 pounds and ranked by 247Sports as the nation’s No. 20 athlete in the class of 2023.

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The difference between Napier and Mullen is obvious...it is so clear that one is determined to sign talent.

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