On Saturday, the Florida Gators hosted several top-ranked prospects on campus for the last spring practice before spring break starts.
Offensive lineman Fletcher Westphal (6-7, 305, Leesburg, VA. Tuscarora) was one of those guys on campus and got to accomplish exactly what he set out to see.
“It was fun,” Westphal said of his visit to Florida on Saturday. “The main goal was to get down there watch Coach [Rob] Sale and Coach Stape [Darnell Stapleton] and see how that two-coach offensive line works and seeing how they interact with the players. I got to see the business school and talk to the coaches.”
Westphal enjoyed watching the Gators’ practice on Saturday and enjoyed getting to see the Gators’ offensive line coaches in action.
“Definitely high energy during practice,” he said of practice. “Having those two coaches, you get two different viewpoints, and you have eyes on you at all times because if Coach Stapleton isn’t looking then Coach Sale is looking. You always have eyes on you, it’s definitely big because you can split things up.”
Offensive line coaches Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton explained to Westphal just how they would use him if he picks Florida and how they can help prepare him for the next level.
“Obviously I have tackle size but at Florida, they practice their offensive linemen everywhere,” Westphal said on the message from Sale and Stapleton. “I definitely appreciate being versatile because if something ever happens and I need to switch to guard if someone gets hurt or if my one chance to get some playing time is at the center, I’m going to take it. The way they have things set up, I like it.”
Head coach Billy Napier talked with Westphal on Saturday and explained why having two offensive line coaches is positive.
“We sat down and chatted about practice,” he said on his talk with Napier. “We talked about how things went down, what I liked and what I thought about the two offensive line coach dynamic and how it’s proven to be successful because all 32 NFL teams have two offensive line coaches.”
Westphal plans to major in business, and he says seeing that and practice helped the Gators in his recruitment.
“After seeing the business school and practice, it definitely helped them,” Westphal said on his interest in Florida. “Seeing how the two offensive line coaches worked together, how things are broken down, it definitely helped out.”
This spring is a busy one for Westphal as he plans to visit most of his schools in his top 10 and after that, he plans to narrow things down.
“I’m going to narrow things down to a top five after I’m done with my entire spring schedule,” he said. “The plan is to take my officials in the summer, and I would like to have a decision before my senior year so I can focus on football.”