WR/TE Arlis Boardingham Commits and Signs with the Florida Gators

The Florida Gators have earned a late commitment in the 2022 recruiting class from Van Nuys (Calif.) tight end prospect Arlis Boardingham.

Narrowing down his list of schools to Florida and Oregon after both schools offered him late in his recruitment, Boardingham announced he would be taking his talents from the west-to-east coast to continue his football career at 6:30 p.m. today.

After an official visit to Gainesville in mid-January, Boardingham was slated to visit Eugene (Ore.) Jan. 21-23, before making his final decision before National Signing Day. However, seeing a change of plans that moved his visit back a week to the final official visit weekend of the cycle, Boardingham would extend his recruitment timeline a week to mull over the two options at hand.

The impression Florida made during his trip to campus Jan. 14-16 paid dividends as Keary Colbert and William Peagler were able to haul in the hybrid athlete to the roster.

"I'm a kid who could change the program early and have an effect on it at an early stage," he told AllGators when asked about Napier's message to him during his unofficial visit. "I'm the type of guy who brings just the type of personality and confidence that he's looking for."

Standing at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Boardingham falls in the middle of the traditional makeups for wide receivers and tight ends. As a result, Boardingham looks to operate in a role similar to Kyle Pitts in the Gators offense when he suits up in orange and blue.

He coined the position the "receiver tight end."

Moving Boardingham across the formation consistently, Florida will look to create mismatch opportunities with him, namely when in short-yardage and goal-to-go situations.

"They said that they liked me at the tight end spot, but I'm very versatile, so they would put me anywhere," he said. "I could play receiver. I could play slot. I could play tight end. I could play at any spot."

Producing at a high level in three varsity seasons at Birmingham, Boardingham reeled in 104 receptions for 1,675 yards and 20 touchdowns.

The Gators look to maximize his efficiency as a dynamic pass catcher at the next level. He joins Caleb Douglas, Hayden Hansen and Tony Livingston as pass-catching signees in the 2022 class.

Boardingham will enroll at UF in the summer.

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