Billy Napier and his coaching staff have made it a priority to recruit the state of Florida hard and to try and keep as many guys in the state as they can and many of Saturday’s visitors were instate prospects.
Offensive lineman Payton Kirkland (6-6, 345, Orlando, FL. Dr. Phillips) was one of those guys on campus on Saturday and he was glad to finally meet everyone in person.
“It went amazing,” Kirkland said of his visit to Florida on Saturday. “I got a great feel for the staff, it was amazing to see them in person and speak with them instead of just over the phone. It was a better feeling in person.”
The Gators offensive line coaching duo made sure that Kirkland knew he was wanted on Saturday as they were attached to the lineman most of the day.
“Coach [Rob] Sale and Coach [Darnell] Stapleton were by my side the entire visit and I mean my entire visit,” he said on the coaches he was around the most on Saturday. “I appreciate them for that.”
Sale and Stapleton have both explained to Kirkland that he’s needed in Gainesville and that they want a big class this year on the line.
“They want me to come in at tackle, but I can play guard if they need me too,” Kirkland said on the message from the staff. “They’ve told me that they planning to take a lot of guys in the 23 class on the offensive line and I feel like all of the guys will fit in well as long as everyone trusts their system.”
Kirkland has built a strong relationship with both Sale and Stapleton and he says the person they’re off the field is what makes them great.
“Before they’re football coaches, they’re great men and they really care about you as a person,” he said on Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton. “They want to tell you that they love you and you love them as well. I really appreciate that and to have two offensive line coaches’ hands-on, just makes things that much easier.”
The Orlando native says the Gators weren’t very high on his list before Saturday, but the coaching staff changed that quickly during the visit.
“I will be making some decisions pretty soon, I will be considering Florida,” he said. “It gave them a bump, if I’m being honest, they were one of the schools at the bottom, but they worked their way to the top. I’ll be coming out with a list here soon.”
Visit plans are up in the air for Kirkland going forward after he canceled an official visit but he does hope to get back to Gainesville soon.
“I just canceled my official visit to Georgia so nothing right now,” Kirkland said on if he has any other visits set up. “I’m not sure when I will be back to Florida but probably sometime in June.”
Been a while since hearing that type of comment, very glad to see our coaches relating well to young men