Florida Gators’ Message to Elite DB Joenel Aguero: ‘This Is Home’
Photo: Joenel Aguero; Credit: Zach Goodall
It wasn't his first time traveling down south from the northeast to check out Florida's campus, but this time around, top-rated 2023 safety Joenel Aguero from St. John's Prep (Lynn. Mass.) caught what he described to be a "new vibe" from the Gators during an official visit on Saturday.
"This is definitely a new vibe. I like it way better than the old staff," Aguero told AllGators following his visit, bluntly but honestly. "I love the vibe here, to be honest. It's chill. The campus is nice, the people here are good, I'm getting along with people out here. Everything is good, I like it."
Aguero, considered the No. 2 safety in the nation by the 247Sports Composite, was originally offered by Florida in March of 2021. His relationship with UF's previous staff, led by head coach Dan Mullen, was good enough to get the Gators into his top seven schools released earlier this month.
However, his bond with the new Gators' coaching staff, this time led by head coach Billy Napier with co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Patrick Toney and cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond on top of Aguero's recruitment, has only strengthened his interest in the program.
"Their message to me is this is home, to be honest. That's what they say to me, 'This is your home. You can come here and be an impact player right away,'" Aguero shared. "You know, after this year they're gonna really need safeties, so they really need me."
Aguero has been pitched with early playing time at just about every school in his recruitment, and Florida is no different. The Gators' starting safety duo will see at least one member depart after the 2022 season, that being Trey Dean III as he will be out of eligibility, whereas another strong campaign from Rashad Torrence II could possibly lead to an early declaration for the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Gators have some intriguing depth behind those two players, such as true freshman Kamari Wilson and rising sophomore Donovan McMillon, but otherwise the cupboard is a bit bare on starting-caliber talent — which catches Aguero's eye.
"I feel like if I come here I'm definitely gonna see the field early, no matter what," said Aguero. "[Toney] likes everything, especially how versatile I am. I can come down and play in the box, I can play man-to-man coverage, and I can play deep, read a quarterback. I can do many things, so he just likes how versatile I am. I can play in the nickels, do a whole bunch of things."
Aguero would go on to expand on his relationship with Toney, who would be his position coach at Florida as well as his play-caller.
"I feel like, you know, he's one of the coolest coaches on the staff," Aguero explained. "We've been talking on the phone for the past couple of weeks, months, whatever, and then I finally got to meet him in person. So I really think he's a good guy, he cares, he wants to develop his players and put them in the league. So, that's what I'm looking for."
Aguero has a few more visits planned throughout the spring, with a trip to Ohio State planned for the weekend of March 25 and treks to Miami, Georgia and possibly Texas A&M to follow in April. He's still undecided on where and when his official visits will take place, although the fall/in-season timeframe is likely.
Considering he came away impressed with Florida once again, there is a solid chance that the Gators could receive one of those officials.
"They're definitely high up in my recruitment," said Aguero. "Obviously, I haven't been with the new staff, I really hadn't met them in person. I can't really feel their vibe through the phone, I needed to wait to meet them in person. So, I feel like the vibe I get with them is good. I feel good being around them. I kind of feel, like, at home being here because they make me feel so welcome."
Aguero shared that his recruitment has slowed down due to the wild coaching carousel that took place from November through January, as he had originally planned to commit to a school earlier in the process.
Now, Aguero is looking beyond coaching staffs to determine his best fit. And considering what he learned about UF across his two visits, the school is attractive enough beyond football to keep the Gators in the running moving forward, in addition to his appreciation of Florida's new coaches.
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