Florida Gators Land Commitment From DL/TE Andrew Savaiinaea

The Florida Gators earned a commitment from Graham-Kapowsin (Wash.) 2022 defensive lineman/tight end Andrew Savaiinaea on Monday, the prospect announced on social media.

New beginnings…📝 #GoGators #Committed pic.twitter.com/RQKoyoBRbX
— Andrew Savaiinaea (@A_Savaiinaea) January 24, 2022

Savaiinaea earned a scholarship offer from UF during his official visit to the program over the weekend, and made his commitment official one day after returning home to Washington and assessing his options.

Gators outside linebackers coach Mike Peterson, co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, and head coach Billy Napier have been involved in Savaiinaea's recruitment, suggesting he'll play on the defensive side of the ball upon enrollment at Florida, likely as an edge rusher. However, he has experience at tight end and could contribute at the position if the coaching staff deems it is a better fit for his talent.

Savaiinaea, 6-foot-3, 273 pounds, drew interest from Oregon, California, Kentucky, Virginia, and other schools before pledging to Florida.

As a senior, Savaiinaea tallied 18 tackles, three sacks, four tackles, two fumble recoveries and a defended pass defensively, and caught 24 passes for 317 yards and nine touchdowns offensively.

So long as Savaiinaea enrolls as a defensive lineman, he'll join Owasso (Okla.) tackle Chris McClellan and Viera (Fla.) tackle Jamari Lyons as defensive line signees in the Gators' 2022 recruiting class. Should he go the tight end route, Savaiinaea would team up with King's (Fla.) Tony Livingston and Weatherford's (Texas) Hayden Hansen as tight end pledges in Florida's current haul of recruits.

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