Where to Watch Florida OT Target Caden Jones' Commitment
Six class of 2023 recruits are expected to bring their recruitments to an end on Saturday during the Adidas All-American Bowl. Among them will be Florida's top remaining target from the high school ranks: New Orleans (La.) De La Salle offensive tackle Caden Jones.
The All-American Bowl will kick off at 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT on Saturday, Jan. 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Each recruit will announce their pledges live on NBC and on the NBC Sports live stream, and Jones told All Gators that his announcement will take place prior to the second quarter.
Jones — whose recruitment by UF head coach Billy Napier and his staff dates back to their time at Louisiana in 2021 — is expected to pick one of Florida, Texas A&M and Houston.
As of Dec. 5, the Gators remain the leader in Jones' recruitment, a position they've held since August. The presence of two offensive line coaches, Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton, is a large factor in Jones' comfort with the program.
"It's just the vibe and energy I get from [Florida's coaches]," Jones said in August. "They're different with the two offensive line coaches because you don't see that everywhere, and I'm like, 'that's crazy.'
"Say you've got ten offensive linemen, you can't have one coach for all ten. You can go five and five, left side and right side, or centers and guards and tackles and tight ends. That's really important to me because I feel like everybody needs an equal amount of attention to get their best work out of practice."
Jones has visited UF five times since Napier's hiring over a year ago, including officially from Dec. 9-11. Napier and running backs coach Jabbar Juluke visited Jones in New Orleans in the week leading up to his official.
Florida has a glaring need at offensive tackle both short and long-term, following several years of underwhelming recruiting at the position by the previous coaching staff paired with the departure of 2022 starters Richard Gouraige (NFL Draft) and Michael Tarquin (transfer to USC).
The Gators signed one tackle prospect during the early signing period, Bryce Lovett, but long to secure one if not several more before spring camp from either high school or transfer portal recruiting.
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