Billy Napier 'Excited' for Florida OT Caden Jones' Future
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Between the Early Signing Period and National Signing Day, Florida secured the commitments of four offensive linemen to bolster a recently elite unit that had withered in a matter of weeks.
The transfer acquisitions of Micah Mazzccua, Damieon George Jr. and Kiyaunta Goodwin offer Florida three linemen with varying degrees of experience who can contribute immediately upfront. In the wake of 2022 starters Richard Gouraige, Ethan White, O'Cyrus Torrence and Michael Tarquin's departures, their additions were crucial.
Whereas, the signing of New Orleans (La.) De La Salle's Caden Jones provides UF with a familiar developmental tackle that head coach Billy Napier has high hopes for.
"We offered Caden when he was in the 10th grade," Napier said on Wednesday, acknowledging their relationship from the coach's time at Louisiana-Lafayette.
"He was a defensive lineman back then, but I think if you take a good look, Caden is one of those guys who made huge improvement [from his] junior to senior year if you really look at the senior film."
Jones flipped sides of the ball as a junior and manned the left tackle position to finish his high school career. His refinement along the way resulted in an invitation to the 2023 Adidas All-American Bowl on Jan. 7, an event where Jones "had a great week," according to Napier, and made his commitment to Florida public.
Napier and his coaching staff observed Jones' progress up close and from afar. Jones earned his Gators' scholarship offer on March 29, 2022, proceeded to visit campus four times throughout the year for recruitment and evaluation, and participated in one of UF's prospect camps during his July trip to Gainesville.
His size and ability to move and bend with such a long frame grasped Napier's intrigue.
"We had Caden in camp, so we had an opportunity to work with him," Napier said. "6-7 and a half, and he's got a 36 [inch] arm. It's probably the longest arm we've measured since we've been doing it. So, and really a young man too, a guy that I think is gonna continue to grow."
Napier and running backs coach Jabbar Juluke made way to New Orleans upon the end of the regular season to pay Jones an in-home visit while he contemplated his college decision, between Florida, Texas A&M and Houston at the time.
Along with the efforts of his former high school teammate, now Gators running back Montrell Johnson Jr., Florida was able to seal the deal.
Now, Jones enters a reconstructed offensive tackle room with talent above him to prevent being rushed onto the field. George, Goodwin and 2022 First-Team Freshman All-American Austin Barber's presence, barring injuries, should allow Jones to continue developing behind the scenes until his number is eventually called.
"I think we're going to look up in a couple of years and be really glad we took him," Napier proclaimed. "Good player and certainly one I'm excited about the future there."
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