Billy Napier and his coaching staff have been in the process of offering prospects in the Class of 2024 and beyond during the dead period as they look to set their recruiting board for this year ahead of March visits.
The Gators 2024 class is already off to a great start as they have their leader of the class in quarterback DJ Lagway as well as commits from running back Chauncey Bowens and linebackers Adarius Hayes and Myles Graham.
GatorCountry is going to bring you series that will look at the top prospects at each position in the 2024 class ahead of spring visits in March.
We started with the offensive side of the ball and now we move to the defensive side of the ball, where we previewed the linebacker position first and now, we move to the defensive line.
Defensive line
Defensive end Elijah Rushing- Rushing is a Florida legacy and has visited Florida multiple times last year when his brother was a walk-on in Gainesville. Rushing’s brother left the program which has made Florida’s confidence with him go down, but the defensive end says he may visit Florida this summer. If Rushing visits Gainesville again then the Gators will be back in the race.
Defensive end Dylan Stephenson- The Gators just recently offered Stephenson, but the defensive end has been to Gainesville before and is very familiar with the Florida staff. Stephenson wants to visit Gainesville this spring as well as Miami and Florida State. Florida State has the early edge in Stephenson’s recruitment.
Defensive lineman Kendall Jackson- The Gainesville native has been on campus more times than he can remember, and he plans to be back on campus again this spring. The Gators sit in great shape for Jackson heading into the spring, but the defensive lineman wants to take other visits before deciding.
Defensive lineman Jowhar Franklin- Franklin has already set up a visit to Gainesville for this spring as he wants to see the Gators’ staff in action and while Franklin doesn’t have an offer from the Gators yet, an offer could come this spring. Florida’s staff will see Franklin in-person this spring as well.
Defensive lineman Jamonta Waller- Waller plans to visit Gainesville this spring after the Gators offered him in February. Waller has the likes of Alabama, Ole Miss, and Penn State all high in his recruitment but admits he wants to see Florida in person this spring.
Defensive lineman LJ McCray- McCray visited Gainesville in January before the dead period and enjoyed getting to spend a lot of time around the coaching staff. McCray who’s from Daytona Beach admits that the distance from home for Florida helps the Gators. Florida State is also highly in the mix for McCray heading into spring visits.
Defensive lineman Malik Blocton- The Alabama native visited Gainesville in January and plans to get back to town again this spring for another visit. Blocton has a great relationship with Sean Spencer but his older brother plays for Auburn which makes the Tigers the team to watch early on.