The Florida Gators coaching staff was able to host recruits last Saturday in Jacksonville when they took on the Georgia Bulldogs and while the Gators didn’t get the results on the field they wanted, they had a solid visitors list in town.
2025 defensive lineman Jalen Wiggins (6-4, 245, Tallahassee, FL. James Rickards) was at the game and liked how the Gators battled during the game.
“I really did like the environment, especially at the beginning of the game,” Wiggins said of the Florida/Georgia game. “In the first quarter, you could tell how good Florida was doing because they started off strong and the fans were loud. After that, it kind of died down but it was kind of hard for them going up against the number one team in the nation, but they put up a fight.”
Wiggins watched the Gators’ defense closely and while they didn’t get a lot of results, he noticed they were battling in the game.
“The front seven and the defensive line, I liked how they held up against the Georgia offensive line,” he said on what he liked about Florida’s defense. “I know Georgia has a good offense line so for them to get a pretty good pass rush and the way they were able to hold their own was good to see.”
One thing that stood out to Wiggins was just how many young guys played for the Gators on Saturday and the trust the staff has in those guys.
“I noticed when they got in the red zone they had a lot of young guys in there,” Wiggins said. “That’s something you like to see from a coach because they know they can trust their guys to go out there and make plays and that’s why you choose them to be on the team in the first place. That’s a good thing for when you get to a school is to play early and get developed by getting in the game.”
Wiggins and the rest of the recruits didn’t get to talk to the coaches on Saturday, but the defensive lineman talks to the staff a lot and they like him playing several different roles if he picks Florida.
“They see me fitting in at either jack or interior like a 4i type of player,” he said on where the coaches like him at. “They like me as one that can play down in the running game and drop back in coverage at times in the passing game too. Kind of like Kelby Collins plays for them.”
This year has been full of ups and downs for Florida, but Wiggins believes that head coach Billy Napier is on the right track.
“I think he’s doing a good job, he hasn’t been there long,” Wiggins said on the job Napier is doing. “The growth is what you want to see because in the coming years, you must see what he can do with what he has coming in. Right now, he’s just working with what he has so seeing how high the 2024 class is. I think Coach Napier is going to be able to take that and start strong and dominate some games.”
Wiggins has been to Gainesville several times already and plans to be back in town for the Florida State game and he explained what keeps him coming back so much.
“I really like as well as the football program but the school in general,” he said on what he likes about Florida. “From the atmosphere from the fans, usually I go around, and I always see Gator fans everywhere and you don’t see that everywhere. It isn’t just in Gainesville but it’s everywhere.”