Florida Gators 2023 In-State Recruiting Battles to Monitor: Defense

Five in-state recruiting battles on the defensive side of the ball to watch for the Florida Gators.

Photo: Malik Bryant; Credit: Zach Goodall

The pressure to close on prospects in the 2023 class is heating up across the country and there are recruiting battles aplenty happening everywhere.

The Florida Gators are no exception, in the midst of several of their own. However, the biggest difference for UF is a lot of its battles are within the Sunshine State.

AllGators gives you a look at some of the important in-state recruiting battles that the Gators are currently involved with, wrapping up a two-part series with recruits from the defensive side of the ball. 

RELATED: Gators 2023 In-State Recruiting Battles to Monitor: Offense

LB Malik Bryant, Jones (Fla.), UF vs. UM

Though Bryant named Alabama his leader after a visit to Tuscaloosa back in April, don't expect the in-state programs to go away quietly. 

Bryant released a top five on May 1 that included Florida and Miami as well as Alabama, USC and UCF. And while it doesn't seem like USC or UCF are as in the thick of this recruitment as the other three, there will certainly be a battle for the central Florida native and former IMG Academy defender. 

Bryant has an official visit locked in with the Gators for June 10 and Miami for June 24, while one with Bama has yet to be scheduled. This could turn into another heated in-state battle with Bryant's July 23 commitment date fast approaching — he'll announce alongside offensive tackle Payton Kirkland, who was included in our offensive in-state battles to watch. 

DL Jordan Hall, Westside (Fla.), UF vs. FSU

One of two major battles between the Gators and Seminoles (the other being on the offensive side of the ball), Hall is from nearby Jacksonville (Fla.) so it's no surprise that he has been on UF's campus three times in the last three months. 

When you get someone on campus that much, you would think that program would be the favorite, but that may not be the case. Though Hall has only made it to FSU one time in that same time period, the Seminoles have done an excellent job recruiting him and look to be the favorite. 

Hall only has one official visit scheduled to this point and that is to USC on June 10. I would expect both UF and FSU to get one as well, but with it looking like Hall's recruitment could stretch into the fall, this rivalry battle is nowhere near over.  

DL Derrick LeBlanc, Osceola (Fla.), UF vs. UM

LeBlanc was supposed to be part of a triple commitment with the aforementioned Bryant and Kirkland, but he recently announced that he would be backing off of that date, needing more time to assess his options. 

That news wasn't exactly what Florida wanted to hear, as it seemed like it was a matter of when and not if LeBlanc would commit to the Gators — he's visited UF and its new coaching staff eight times this year already. 

While his commitment date has moved back to October 22, the Gators should still feel good about where they stand. 

However, with more time comes more opportunity for teams to shoot their shot to the talented defensive lineman. One program that is still very much in the mix and could look to make a move with the delayed announcement is the Miami Hurricanes. The Hurricanes have been in LeBlanc's recruitment for quite some time and have gotten five visits from the Osceola product this year. 

CB Cormani McClain, Lakeland (Fla.), UF vs. UM

Arguably the best player in the country, McClain is being recruited by just about every program in the nation and that includes every program in the state of Florida.

Alabama and Georgia are schools under heavy consideration by McClain but so are two in-state programs: Florida, which many believe is the favorite to land McClain, and Miami. 

McClain, being from Lakeland (Fla.) has a good chunk of the recruiting industry believing that he is Florida's to lose. However, Mario Cristobal has proven to be an elite recruiter at Oregon and early returns at Miami aren't much different. UM's Jahmile Addae, UGA's former defensive backs coach who has a relationship with McClain, is squarely involved in this recruitment too.

While I think Miami is closer to team No. 3-4 in his recruitment at this time, you can't ever count the Canes out for an elite in-state prospect. 

The Gators and Hurricanes are primed for at least a handful of head-to-head recruiting battles in the 2023 class, but this one might be the biggest. 

DL John Walker, Osceola (Fla.), UF vs. UCF and UM

Walker is part of a new triple commitment scheduled with his high school teammates, LeBlanc and fast-rising cornerback Ja'Keem Jackson, which is scheduled for October 22. 

When talking about in-state recruiting battles for Florida, one would usually assume it's with the other members of the state's "big three", Florida State and Miami. However, Walker's in-state battle is primarily between Florida and UCF. 

UCF likes to say that the Knights are among the big boys and claim the state of Florida has a "big four" now. Quite honestly, they aren't wrong. 

UCF is coming off of its highest-rated recruiting class in program history and has found itself right in the thick of these kinds of battles. The Knights just hosted Walker for an official visit this last weekend June 3-5. All of Walker's OV's are scheduled, with four coming in the month of June and the lone in-season visit reserved for UF on October 15. 

The Hurricanes are also a team that is quietly in this recruitment as they have secured an OV for June 17. This could become a three team in-state race for the elite defensive tackle from Kissimmee (Fla.). 

Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.