Trio of Priority Florida Gators Targets Set Joint Commitment Date
July 23 could prove to be a huge day for the Florida Gators on the recruiting trail, as a trio of priority recruits — Osceola (Fla.) defensive lineman Derrick LeBlanc, Dr. Phillips (Fla.) offensive tackle Payton Kirkland and Jones (Fla.) edge rusher Malik Bryant — have jointly scheduled their college commitment for that day.
Each of the Orlando-area 2023 recruits has emerged as top targets on the Gators' board since Billy Napier took over as Florida's head coach and installed his first staff of assistants, particularly due to UF's need for talent and depth in both the offensive and defensive trenches.
Both LeBlanc and Kirkland are freshly removed from visiting Florida over the weekend of March 5, where the two got to meet UF's staff in person and bond with their potential future position coaches. Bryant previously met Napier and Co. in January on an unofficial visit.
LeBlanc and Kirkland had nothing but praise to share for the Gators' coaches they have bonded with when the two prospects spoke with AllGators at February's Under Armour Miami camp. LeBlanc has grown close with defensive line coach Sean "Chaos" Spencer and analyst Jamar Chaney while Kirkland has built relationships with offensive line coaches Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton, and both have gotten to know Napier as well.
"I talk to Napier like every day. Napier, Chaos and Chaney, I talk to all of them," LeBlanc said. "They're really good guys. They're really good people, they make sure you're straight on and off the field. They're really family-oriented people, that's really something that, like, means a lot. It really shows your character on everything. So I just really like that a lot."
“Almost every day I talk to coach Sale, [coach] Napier and coach Stapleton. The relationship is going well," Kirkland shared. "When it comes to them as men, I really do like the approach that they are taking when it comes to me. They reach out to my mom before they even reach out to me because you have to go through my mom to get to me. They’re men of God and just a very humble staff and they all trust and believe in coach Napier’s system. That’s something that you don’t see too much across the country is a staff that’s fully bought into the coach and won’t leave just to leave, that’s something I do like."
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