Blocton enjoys his first visit to see the Florida Gators

On Saturday, the Florida Gators hosted their second junior day of the year when Billy Napier welcomed over a dozen prospects to campus.

2024 defensive lineman Malik Blocton (6-3, 268, Pike Road, AL. High) was on campus and got to talk with head coach Billy Napier and defensive line coach Sean Spencer.

“It was amazing,” Blocton said of his visit to Florida on Saturday. “I got to talk Coach Napier, I got to have a meeting with Coach Spencer and all the other defensive linemen on the visit. Then we toured the athletic facilities then the academic facilities and took pictures.”

Blocton has been talking to the Gators a lot but Saturday was the first time for him to step foot on campus and enjoyed the welcoming feel he received.

“This was first time to Florida,” he said. “I loved the facilities, they’re real up to date and the environment is really comfortable. I was already comfortable with the coaching staff because Coach Spencer and Coach James text me almost every day to make sure I’m good and they’re recruiting me hard and making me feel like a priority.”

Spencer and Blocton watched film together and the Gators’ assistant coach showed the 2024 prospect some techniques to help him improve his game.

“We watched film with Coach Spencer, he was showing us the scheme and how he teaches his guys to pass rush and stuff like that,” Blocton said. “I learned a lot of stuff about how to rush the passer and I know Coach Spencer knows a lot and it made sense to me.”

After meeting with Spencer, Blocton had the chance to meet with Napier who explained just how the Gators see him fitting into the defense.

“Coach Napier talked to me about how he could use me at the 4i and the 3-technique,” he said. “He said he had already watched my film and told me liked it and that there was some stuff I needed to work on. He made sure to let me know that I still had an offer from them.”

Napier made a big first impression on Blocton during the visit and the Gators’ weight program also stood out to the Alabama native.

“I feel like we bonded amazing,” Blocton said of the coaching staff. “The things that stood out the most were the weight room and how they separate people for each position group, I had never seen that before. And getting to talk to Coach Napier, that was the first time that I got to sit down and have a conversation with a head coach.”

Heading into the visit Blocton liked the Gators a lot and he says this visit helped them even more.

“It helped them,” he said on Florida’s chances after the visit. “They stand high, they were already high before the visit but they’re up there even higher after the visit. Clemson, Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee are all recruiting me hard.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.