Florida Gators 2024 Recruits to Know: Tight Ends
While the Florida Gators will be equipped with seven scholarship tight ends this fall, the position remains a priority for newly minted position coach Russ Callaway and Co. throughout the 2024 cycle.
Florida did not sign a prospect at the spot during the 2023 cycle. However, Tony Livingston — a prospect from the 2022 class — entered the fold alongside the rest of the 2023 class this offseason as a gray-shirt freshman. He did so due to an injury he suffered during his prep career.
The current room mixes long-time veteran upperclassmen and youthful inexperienced players.
At the top of the room, Florida is set to lose sixth-year senior Dante Zanders after 2023 due to exhausted eligibility. Meanwhile, Keon Zipperer could medically redshirt to return, as he's expected to miss a large chunk of the upcoming season after suffering a knee injury this spring.
Fourth-year junior Jonathan Odom — who has also struggled with injuries since joining the team — can return in 2024 but would likely do so with uncertainty surrounding his playing availability. He is currently recovering from a severe knee injury suffered in the 2022 Las Vegas Bowl, and his status for the upcoming season is unclear.
Once you get past the veterans, it's a room full of prospects that have yet to touch the field in a significant capacity at the college level. Arlis Boardingham, Hayden Hansen, Andrew Savaiinaea, a converted defensive end, and Livingston are all true or redshirt freshmen.
Meaning, adding more talent to a young room that struggled to produce last year is of great importance to the Gators in the class of 2024.
All Gators highlights a handful of prospects to watch as we approach the heat of "recruiting season." Without further ado, let's look at what Russ has cookin'.
Amir Jackson, Portal (Ga.) High
Jackson is a 6-foot-4, 223-pound athlete who has seen his recruitment pick up over the spring and summer months, pulling in offers from FSU, Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn, Alabama, and Miami since the Gators' offer back on January 28.
Jackson is a smooth route runner who primarily lines up on the outside as a jumbo wideout and uses his body and size well to shield smaller defenders from being able to make a play on the ball. He high-points the ball using his lengthy frame to his advantage and is tough to bring down after the catch.
Florida has prioritized Jackson since the second they offered the talented pass-catcher. While he's not a traditional in-line guy, he provides something that Florida's TE room, outside of maybe Boardingham, lacks: playmaking ability.
His mismatch ability presents the unit with a chess piece to utilize in the passing game, similar to the deployment of former UF All-American Kyle Pitts.
This recruitment was seen as a tightly contested battle between SEC East rivals, UF and UGA, for quite some time. However, with the Bulldogs recently securing a commitment from two prospects at the spot within the last two weeks, it looks like the pendulum for Jackson could be swinging in favor of the Gators.
With an official visit locked in for June 16-18, Florida will have a chance to seal the deal in a couple of weeks. This is a prospect and recruitment Gator fans should be watching very closely.
Walter Matthews, Hiram (Ga.) High
When discussing tight ends with prototypical size, Matthews certainly fits the bill.
Measuring in at a massive 6-foot-7, 245-pounds, this talented prospect is someone you want walking off the team bus first. However, just because he's a big body doesn't mean he can't move around and be a threat in the passing game.
Having an in-line tight end piece who can aid the rushing attack as a blocker and is a threat to make plays in the passing game is invaluable. And Matthews brings just that.
He is often lined up out wide at the high school level to create mismatches against smaller defenders, a trait most of Florida's TE targets in the 2024 class carry.
He does a great job of using his frame to easily come down with catches by boxing out the opposition, especially around the endzone, and he's surprisingly smooth and athletic for someone of his stature.
This recruitment looks to be coming down to two schools: USC and Florida. Matthews has already named those two programs as his top schools and has scheduled an official visit with each. USC will play host to him this weekend (June 2-4), while Florida will get its chance to persuade him when he arrives for his June 9-11 stay.
This is another recruitment the Gators are positioned well in. As a result, like Jackson, Matthews is a prospect to monitor closely heading into the summer.
Eric Karner, Elmhurst (Ill.) Immaculate Conception
Karner, a former Purdue commit who backed off his pledge on April 13, is another prospect that has seen his recruitment explode in the spring/summer months.
Since the beginning of April, Karner has received offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Iowa, Louisville, Miami and South Carolina to go along with Florida.
He fits in the same category as Amir Jackson, spending most of his time lined up out wide almost exclusively as a pass-catcher. He's shown intriguing athleticism after the catch with a big frame that aids him in pulling down contested catches when given jump ball opportunities.
He likely won't be asked to play traditional in-line much in his early career at the next level — that will probably be saved exclusively for 12 personnel until he grows into the mold of player Napier and Co. seek at the position, where he can move around the formation more freely — but he is a willing and effective blocker on the outside when asked to do so.
Karner has locked in three official visits so far. He'll travel to Michigan State June 2-4, Florida June 9-11, and Iowa June 23-25. Each program aligns within his recently released top five, also naming Alabama and Texas A&M.
Caleb Odom, Carrollton (Ga.) High
Odom, the highest-rated and highest-profile prospect on the list, almost didn't make it here. Early in the spring, Odom released a top schools list containing 12 teams moving forward in contention. None of which were the Gators.
The move removed Florida as a potential suitor for his services in his eyes. Though it looked out of running for the uber-talented pass-catcher from Georgia, Napier, Callaway and other staff members did not slow their pursuit.
On May 12, Odom again narrowed his contenders, and this time UF was part of the group of seven.
He spoke with All Gators about what got UF back into the mix, naming his growing relationship with the new tight ends coach and a new opportunity to lineup on the boundary at wide receiver on occasion as well.
The flexibility the Gators offered for his role matches the versatile skillset he imposes.
While Odom is listed as a tight end on all services, he is really a big wide receiver. He is dynamic on the outside with the speed and route-running ability needed to be a dynamic pass-catching weapon in the SEC. He uses his 6-foot-6 frame to perfection, going over defenders to make challenging contested catches outside his framework and can be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.
Accordingly, the Gators have proven steadfast in recruiting the Carrollton (Ga.) product.
Odom has locked in three official visits to this point, including trips to Alabama (June 2-4), Penn State (June 9-11) and Miami June (23-25). The Florida staff has some ground to make up on the other potential suitors, but getting themselves back into his recruitment was a big step in the right direction.
The next step will be locking him down for an official visit.
Honorable Mention
Traville Frederick Jr. (Tulane commit)
Stay tuned to All Gators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @AllGatorsOnFN on Twitter and All Gators on FanNation-Sports Illustrated on Facebook.
Get your Gators football, basketball and other sporting events tickets from SI Tickets here.