The 2023 recruiting board is starting to take shape for the Florida Gators coaching staff under Billy Napier.
Last week, the staff offered linebacker CJ Allen (6-1, 217, Baresville, GA. Lamar County Comprehensive) after he talked to the head man himself.
“It was Coach [Billy] Napier,” Allen said on who offered him from Florida. “Coach [Kareem] Reid texted me and then Coach Napier texted me and got on the phone and it went from there.”
Allen has 16 offers now but he says getting one from the Gators was a big one to him because of the distance from home.
“My reaction, I kind of have the same reaction to every offer, it’s a blessing,” he said on what the offer means to him. “This one was a big one for me because Florida isn’t that far away.”
While on the phone with Allen, Napier explained to the Georgia linebacker just why the Gators wanted to offer him.
“He saw my film and he loved my film,” Allen said on what Napier told him. “They have a new staff there and that he was sorry it took so long to offer me, but it was perfect timing. He was just talking about himself and how he has heard great things about myself.”
Napier also had a message to Allen about what’s ahead for the Gators program now that the new coaching staff is in place.
“He told me the program is fixing to go up,” he said on the message from Napier about Florida. “New staff and they have a new facility that will be done in June, everything is fixing to go up for them.”
Several other SEC schools are also recruiting Allen hard but the linebacker is hoping to get down to Gainesville to see the staff in person soon.
“Georgia, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and USC are recruiting me the hardest,” Allen said on schools recruiting him the hardest. “I’m definitely going to get down to Florida for a visit, I’m looking at March 19th.”