OL Sean Thompkins Recaps OV With Gators, ‘I Can See Myself Playing Here'
Perhaps one of the final "big day" official visits for the Florida Gators, last weekend's group of recruits brought plenty of promise.
That included a couple of commitments within the group in offensive tackle Tommy Kinsler and EDGE Isaiah Nixon, who ultimately flipped from UCF to join Florida on Tuesday.
Still, there were others on the visit who came away thrilled with their experience, including offensive lineman Sean Thompkins out of Newton (Ga). Thompkins recapped his official visit to the university on Sunday, visiting Florida for just the second time. His first visit with the program came last year.
"It was great," Thompkins said of the visit. "I really love the coaches. Players... out of all the visits I've been on, these players were some of the best guys ever been around. My host was actually from the same town I am, so we had a great time."
Thompkins was referring to 2022 enrolee, OL Jalen Farmer, who is also from Covington, Ga., but went to Eastside high school, a rival program to Thompkins' Newton. The two spent time reminiscing on the battles the rivals went through during their high school days, along with Farmer showing him the ropes as he himself gets used to the Florida campus.
"I feel like they treated me so well. It's not like they gave me anything, it was just like, anything... Some things I didn't even have to ask for. They just treated me like I was their little brother."
Thompkins, 6-foot-6, 310 pounds, is currently unranked, according to On3, but holds plenty of top-tier offers, including from Florida, Kentucky, Baylor, West Virginia and Georgia Tech. He recently visited Kentucky and Baylor before making his way down to Gainesville.
During his visit with, Thompkins was able to sit down with Florida offensive line coaches Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton, who gave the young OL tips and kudos for things he needs to improve on and does well already.
Ultimately, his position isn't exactly solidified, but that's okay with Thompkins, who wants to play guard or tackle.
"They were real with me," Thompkins said of the two coaches. "They was letting me know, how it will be, not just in football, [but] as a man."
Currently, Thompkins says that the three offers that he's focusing the most on are Florida, Baylor and Kentucky. When asked about Florida, Thompkins had nothing but good things to tell reporters.
"They're really high. They're really, really high," Thompkins said of Florida when asked about where they stand. "I really like it here, and I can see myself playing here."
Ultimately, Thompkins says Florida and Baylor are "neck-and-neck" right now. Tennessee expressed some interest, but it doesn't appear that Thompkins is going to take the visit, due to both his Mom's work schedule and the fact that he would like to commit early, sometime just before the season begins.
For Florida, they've already secured seven commits within the 2023 recruiting class, including two mentioned earlier, Nixon and Kinsler. Among OL that have committed, Florida has secured Rockledge (Fla) OL Bryce Lovett, Kinsler and IMG Academy OL Knijeah Harris.
Perhaps Thompkins could be the next man up within that room.
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