DT Kayden McDonald Pits Gators As Top 3 School Following Official Visit

Gators defensive tackle target Kayden McDonald recaps his official visit weekend in Gainesville, naming Florida as a top three school in his recruitment.

The Gators' interior defensive line spot is one of the most pressing issues for Florida as it heads into year one of the Billy Napier regime.

Continuing the search to haul in quality and quantity talent at defensive tackle to fill the holes in depth — which will be needed if Gervon Dexter departs for the pros after 2022 — Florida hosted North Gwinnett (Ga.) defensive tackle Kayden McDonald on campus for his official visit from June 17-19.

Taking his second trip to Gainesville this month, McDonald received a magnified look at the program Napier has started to piece together in his seven months on the job.

He liked what he saw.

“Coach Napier, he's changing it from the previous years,” McDonald said. “I can see it. The players, they all together. It's like a brotherhood.”

Entering into the fold at the position of utmost need for the Gators squad in 2023, McDonald has heard the pitch for early playing time and finding the right prospects to anchor the trenches.

The Gators view McDonald as one of those integral pieces to the puzzle, and they have made that fact known to the big man.

“They [are] just trying to get the right guys to go compete with other great schools," McDonald stated. "I'm one of them, so just trying to build it basically.”

Standing at 6-foot-3, 310 pounds, McDonald possesses the massive, stout frame necessary to plug holes in the middle of the defensive line at the next level.

However, his size isn’t the most revered aspect of his game, although desirable.

Drawing attention for his nimbleness for someone of his stature, McDonald’s explosiveness off the ball, ability to work laterally and hands to shed blockers equips him atop the Gators' board of must-have defensive tackle prospects.

He shared where he would potentially be plugged into the Gators' defense if Florida was the school he chose.

2023 defensive line recruit Kayden McDonald / Zach Goodall

“Coach Toney, he went through the scheme they're gonna run and I work [well] at the two, the three and the one [techniques]," McDonald said. "He just likes moving around his guys. They think I'm versatile, one of the best pass rushers in the country, so I’ll definitely be a three-down player.”

McDonald spent time learning from his player host and fellow young defensive tackle Chris McClellan — who, as McDonald could, will benefit from the lack of depth present in the room due to the raw skills and stout frame he carries as a true freshman — over the weekend about the opportunities the current state of the program provides.

According to McDonald, McClellan’s message to him was simple but interesting.

“‘I want to play beside you,’” he said McClellan told him. “‘We can do special things here. We can go win an SEC championship, go beat Bama.

“He was telling me we're gonna be first-round draft picks. Just kind of like a big brother to me. I was hanging out with him the last time I came. He was just telling me ‘come work.’ [Defensive line] coach Chaos [Sean Spencer] will help you get to where you need to be.”

Also getting to connect with Spencer during his time at the University of Florida, McDonald felt his energy throughout every interaction. His enthusiasm, genuineness and experience caught McDonald’s eye as he began to form a “tight” relationship with Coach Chaos.

“He's really, like, a mentor to the guys, and I really like that because he coached at all levels, so he just knows the experience, you know, what to do to get you there.”

After months of attempting to make a trip to UF to scope out the program and what the staff in place could offer him as a player and student, McDonald’s inability to get on-campus made Florida a nonexistent player in his recruit. However, with Florida stockpiling visits as of late with the North Gwinnett defensive tackle — getting him on campus twice in June — Florida has soared up his list of schools.

Visiting on June 3 unofficially before getting back on June 17 for an official visit weekend, McDonald’s expectations for Florida were exceeded.

“They definitely moved up. I'm considering Florida [heavily],” he said while billing the Gators as a top-three team in his recruitment. He had named UF among his top ten schools just three days before the visit.

“They got everything I need here to be successful. I'm glad I got here.”

Depending on his schedule, McDonald is eyeing a potential return to Gainesville for the July barbecue and/or the Gators' week one contest against the Utah Utes in The Swamp.

After using his first official visit to Florida, McDonald is slated to take a June 24-26 trip to Michigan State before pumping the breaks on his summer visiting schedule. While he will still be equipped with three remaining OVs, which he looks to use in-season, McDonald still has to decide which schools will be deserving of his presence. 

Michigan is trending toward getting his third visit, but nothing is set in stone.

Willing to let his process roll into his senior high school season, McDonald is eyeing a commitment date for sometime in October. However, if he falls in love with a program before then, he said he would commit when he feels ready.

As for now, the changes the Gators have made since the end of last season are standing out to a plethora of high-caliber prospects on the open market.

That is also a reality for McDonald, as he believes UF is trending in the right direction.

“It’s Florida. I want to play in the SEC," McDonald said. "[Napier’s] gonna win some games if I come here or not, they're gonna win. He can get [national championship] in possibly three-to-four years, so we're just trying to build this 2023 class.“

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