Florida Gators make Big Impression with 4-Star DL, Ohio State on Deck

Jarquez Carter is a four-star defensive lineman who took an official visit to see the Florida Gators. He names a top-6 with the Ohio State Buckeyes on deck for his next trip.

Jarquez Carter, 4-Star DL, Newberry (Fla.) / Cam Parker, Gators Illustrated

When Newberry (Fla.) four-star defensive lineman Jarquez Carter spoke to Gators Illustrated in early May, he said his upcoming official visit with the Florida Gators would hopefully be “the one that hits.” 

Safe to say, his official visit from May 31-June 2 was all he hoped for, and Florida improved its chances with the local prospect. 

“Getting a better connection and a better feeling with Coach Billy Napier, building a better relationship,” he told Gators Illustrated on Sunday his visit. “When it comes to recruiting, I think the Gators and the SEC are probably the best recruiting. You can’t beat the SEC when it comes to recruitment. The Gators, they pushed this weekend.”

Despite being roughly-20 miles from UF, Carter explained that it wasn’t until this offseason that he truly began to look at Florida due to Gerald Chatman being hired as the new defensive line coach. 

“When Coach Chatman came to the school, everything changed about the school,” he said. “I wasn’t really looking to Florida like that, and then he came and changed my whole perspective.”

Although Chatman has yet to coach a game with the Gators, Carter already sees improvement in the defensive line from a practice perspective. 

“You can see they’re getting a little pushback in the backfield and getting off blocks unlike last year,” he said. “That’s like the way I play, getting off the ball, push back and making players in the backfield.”

The camaraderie between current players and recruits, no matter their position group, stood out to Carter. 

“When I went with them after the dinner, DJ Lagway, he was O-line, D-line and linebackers. Sometimes, you don’t see quarterbacks messing with the defense and the D-line and the linebackers,” Carter explained. “Just seeing that, seeing how big the relationship is with the team and the players, that just showed me a lot. It’s a big, family-oriented establishment.”

Despite a big push from Florida this weekend, Carter explained that he’s not ready to make a commitment decision yet. He’ll take an unofficial visit to Ohio State for a camp, and he plans to announce his decision after that late in the summer. 

He will also take official visits to Penn State the weekend of June 7, UCF the weekend of June 14 and Miami the weekend of June 21. He recently announced a top-six of those three schools plus Florida, Ohio State, and Florida State.

“I got to give other schools a chance, too,” he explained. “Once I do that, I can compare it and see how everything is. Right now, (Florida’s) looking real good. So, we’ll see how everything else will play out.”