It’s going to be another busy weekend for the Florida Gators coaching staff as nine prospects are scheduled to take official visits to Gainesville this weekend.
Billy Napier and his staff have spent the week hosting camps and unofficial visits and now they will turn their attention to the official visitors.
GatorCountry brings you a preview of this weekend’s official visitors list that is loaded with top targets for this staff.
One visit starting early
Defensive lineman Peter Woods arrived in Gainesville on Thursday for his official visit as he and his family prefer to have their visits run from Thursday-Saturday because Woods’ father is a pastor, and he likes to attend the visits with his son. Woods will be on campus for the first time under Napier, but the Alabama native has been building a relationship with defensive line coach Sean Spencer. While it’s going to be tough to get Woods out of Alabama, the Gators are hoping to make up ground this weekend.
Top targets on offense to visit
Running back Justice Haynes made headlines when he canceled his USC visit to take one to Florida this weekend. Haynes and his family were on campus this spring and were blown away by Napier and his staff. Haynes has built a good relationship with running backs coach Jabbar Juluke and that has put Florida near the top of his recruitment. Georgia is still the favorite for Haynes heading into the visit this weekend.
Offensive lineman Payton Kirkland was a frequent visitor on campus this winter and spring and he will return for an in-depth look at things this weekend. Kirkland is scheduled to announce his decision in July and the Gators are hoping to continue the momentum with the Orlando native. Miami is a serious contender for Kirkland, but the lineman has connected well with Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton.
Offensive line commit Knijeah Harris will be on campus for the first time since he committed to the Gators in May. Harris is solid with his commitment to Florida and is recruiting others to join him and he will be on campus to help recruit as one of his IMG teammates is scheduled to be in town this weekend.
Defensive targets visiting Florida
Michigan linebacker commit Raylen Wilson has been a top target for linebackers coach Jay Bateman and defensive coordinator Patrick Toney for months now and this will be the third time for Wilson to visit Gainesville. Wilson is scheduled to visit Michigan next weekend, and this looks to be a two-team race between Florida and Michigan for the Tallahassee native. Wilson and his family are looking to continue building a relationship with Florida this weekend to learn more about how he will be utilized on defense.
Linebacker Malik Bryant is one of the top targets for most teams in the country and he will announce his decision in July with Kirkland. Alabama and Miami are battling Florida for Bryant who’s very close with safety Kamari Wilson. Official visits are key with Bryant and the Gators are hoping to regain some momentum they had with the linebacker.
IMG defensive lineman Will Norman has known defensive line coach Sean Spencer for years and that has helped the Gators become a top team for the lineman. Penn State is another team talked about with Norman a lot as he’s originally from Connecticut. Spencer’s relationship with Norman is something that should help the Gators and Norman will have a chance to spend more time with the rest of the staff this weekend.
Defensive lineman Derrick LeBlanc has visited campus so many times that he has even lost count and he might be the most frequent visitor to campus this spring for the Gators. Florida sits in good shape for the Florida native, but Oklahoma is trying to make this one interesting. LeBlanc plans to announce his decision in October and the Gators just need to continue what they’re doing with him.
Defensive lineman TJ Searcy visited Clemson last weekend and plans to visit South Carolina in two weeks. The Georgia native is favoring South Carolina right now but the Gators are hoping to close the gap with the lineman this weekend as this will be his first in-depth look at the Gators.