Gators Secure Visit From Former Ohio State DT

Gainesville, Fla. – Having lost multiple defensive tackles this offseason, the Florida Gators have run into a slight depth issue at this position.

A potential option to fill in for the losses is former Ohio State Buckeye Hero Kanu. Kanu entered the portal on Jan. 24 and is now expected to visit Florida, according to 247Sports’ Blake Alderman on X (formerly known as Twitter). Furthermore, his visit is expected to begin Sunday evening, according to On3’s Corey Bender on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Kanu is a 6-foot-5, 305-pound defensive tackle and was a top-150 prospect in the class of 2022. Additionally, the Santa Margarita Catholic (Calif.) High School product was rated as the No. 7 overall prospect from the state of California, according to the 247Sports Composite ranking.

The big-framed contributor along the trenches redshirted his freshman year with the Buckeyes in 2022, although he played in three games before doing so. He did not record any stats, however.

That changed in 2023, though. He played in 11 games that season, recording 10 tackles, one sack and one tackle-for-loss. Then, during this past season, he saw action in 15 games, including the National Championship game against Notre Dame. And, during the 2024-25 season, his stats regressed a little, as he only logged four tackles.

Again, the Gators have lost multiple players along the defensive line this season. The trio of defensive tackles Cam Jackson, Desmond Watson and Joey Slackman all departed from the program due to exhausted eligibility, which is the reason the Gators might be hunting for more experienced players to play behind Caleb Banks. But they will have Jamari Lyons, D’Antre Robinson, Micah Boireau and Brien Taylor back for 2025.

Gators Illustrated is tracking all of Florida's portal moves here and is keeping count of the Gators' roster numbers here.