OT Payton Kirkland Lists Florida Gators in Top 5
Perhaps one of the biggest targets on the Florida Gators football recruiting list, offensive tackle Payton Kirkland, who currently attends Dr. Phillips in Orlando (Fla.), has officially announced the five teams he will ultimately decide from.
Along with the Gators, Kirkland has zeroed in on Alabama, Michigan State, Miami and Oklahoma, all top-rated programs in the nation. He's expected to draw plenty of interest from plenty of other programs, too, once expected to take a visit to Georgia at one point.
Still, it appears that those five teams are the ones drawing the most interest for the 6-foot-6, 345-pound lineman.
It's no surprise that Kirkland listed Florida among the few teams he's seriously considering. He took a visit to the campus earlier this month and came away with rave reviews, understanding that Florida's renewed energy with its new staff isn't just a PR stunt, but it's a legitimate difference between the previous staff and the one under head coach Billy Napier.
“I’ve taken 16 to 17 visits to programs over this past year, and [Florida] showed us things that no staff, no program has shown us before," Kirkland shared with AllGators following his visit to the campus on March 8. "And a huge thing was not doing too much. That was one of the big things, and just being genuine and honest.”
Kirkland met with nearly all of the staff, but most importantly Napier, and offensive line coaches Darnell Stapleton and Rob Sale. Those two will be who ultimately will have a heavy hand in his development moving forward if he is to choose Florida in July, his target time for making his commitment.
“Coach Sale and coach Stapleton really say you can’t compare me to a high school guy when it comes down to technique," Kirkland said. "They say that I’m well above the rest of the guys in my class when comes down to technique and understanding the game. And they can see me coming in and being a true leader within the program.”
It's clear the Florida staff thanks highly of Kirkland, and it seems he thinks highly of the program, too.
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