Florida Gators Priority OL Target Roderick Kearney Commits to Florida State

The Florida Gators will miss out on one of the top OL prospects in the 2023 recruiting class, OL Roderick Kearney who has committed to Florida State.

The Florida Gators didn't come out on top for one of the top interior offensive linemen in the country and instead will see a rival reap the benefits of the recruitment. 

2023 IOL prospect Roderick Kearney (Orange Park, Fla) has committed to the Florida State Seminoles, Kearney posted on Instagram just moments ago.  

Kearney completed an official visit at Florida roughly a half an hour before announcing his pledge to the Gators’ in-state rival.

Florida had already earned commitments from offensive linemen Knijeah Harris (IMG Academy, Fla), Bryce Lovett (Rockledge, Fla) and Tommy Kinsler Trinity Catholic (Fla). Now, it appears the program will need to look elsewhere for more help on the OL. 

Kearney, 6-foot-4, 300 pounds is ranked as a four-star prospect, No. 115 nationally, No. 7 (interior offensive line) and No. 23 in the state of Florida, according to On3 consensus. He was among a small group of players who took an official visit to UF this weekend.

Kearney committed to Florida State over offers from Florida, Michigan, UCF, Georgia, Miami, Arkansas, Michigan State, Rutgers, Penn State, Tennessee and Cincinnati. Those teams, including Florida State, were the 12 programs that Kearney mentioned as his top schools in March.  

Florida's pursuit of Kearney began late in the process, with the prospect hearing from the university infrequently until following the Under Armour Miami camp in February. Into March and the rest of the year to date, that changed, however, with Kearney getting closer with members of staff.

Kearney's primary recruiter had been co-offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Rob Sale, and the young recruit built relationships with the remaining members of the team's offensive staff, including head coach Billy Napier. Still, it appears the relationship with the Florida State staff was stronger.

Kearney told AllGators in March that the program likes his play as a center because he's able to move and has "great hips," he said. But, he believes that he can play all five positions on the OL.

His plan, as of March, was to graduate and enroll early in a program. That program will apparently be Florida State as he continues his football career and education.

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