Florida 'Really Up There' for Top OT Recruit Daniel Calhoun
CARROLLTON, Ga. -- One of the top offensive tackle recruits in America resides in the Atlanta area in Daniel Calhoun. The rising-senior has a who's who list of top programs after him and he's well traveled.
It has included multiple trips to Gainesville thus far, with a spring practice and game visit to UF in 2022. The impressions and multiple-coach approach under Billy Napier has Florida in the thick of one of the most coveted recruiting battles in the class of 2024.
"They're really up there, they're in the top 10," Calhoun told All Gators' Zach Goodall at the Under Armour Next camp in Atlanta. "I probably talk to them about once a week. I talk to Coach (Darnell) Stapleton and Coach (Rob) Sale, and they have other offensive line coaches so it makes a difference.
"They have coaches everywhere, so any time you need work or something, they can help you."
Calhoun released the top schools on January 17, with Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State, Texas and Oklahoma included alongside the Gators.
He credited Stapleton and Sale for their involvement in his recruitment since the day they arrived at UF as assistant coaches, leading to Florida’s placement among his current crop of contenders.
"I think they like me at tackle, tackle or guard," Calhoun said of UF. "I'm physical and I'm fast for my size."
That initial trip to see Napier's staff in action, last spring, was Calhoun's first attendance of a collegiate practice, where he was impressed by the team’s tempo. While considering a return trip to Gainesville this spring, the 6-foot-6, 350-pounder is also looking at trips to SEC rivals Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.
Calhoun is also beginning to set official visits for the summer months, a sign his recruitment will likely wind down before the thick of his senior season at Marietta (Ga.) Walton High School.
"Beginning of the school year," he said of the target decision timeline.
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