2023 OL Payton Kirkland Sets Visit, Hearing From Multiple Gators Coaches

The Florida Gators are in a race for 2023 OL prospect Payton Kirkland, who sets his visit to the campus.

Photo: Payton Kirkland; Credit: Zach Goodall

One of the Gators' biggest needs of the 2023 cycle is going to be offensive tackle Payton Kirkland, one of the top prospects at that position, currently residing in central Florida out of Dr. Phillips HS in Orlando.

Kirkland holds nearly 50 scholarship offers from programs all across the country, including Florida which re-offered the young prospect a month ago.

When speaking with AllGators previously, Kirkland mentioned that linebackers coach Mike Peterson stopped by the city to meet with him. Since that meeting, he has been in constant contact with a few other coaches on staff, he told AllGators at Under Armour All-America Next camp in Fort Lauderdale.

“Almost every day I talk to [offensive line] coach [Rob] Sale, [head coach] [Billy] Napier and [offensive line] coach [Darnell] Stapleton. The relationship is going well and I’m going up there March 5 to check things out,” he said.

A common theme when speaking to prospects about the new Florida staff has been the staff’s ability to relate to prospects, show interest in not just the prospect, but also their families, the unwavering trust that everyone has in Napier and how the entire staff seems to always be on the same page.

And that is certainly the sentiment that Kirkland made clear was happening with his situation, too.

“When it comes to them as men, I really do like the approach that they are taking when it comes to me. They reach out to my mom before they even reach out to me because you have to go through my mom to get to me.” Kirkland said.

“They’re men of God and just a very humble staff and they all trust and believe in Coach Napier’s system. That’s something that you don’t see too much across the country is a staff that’s fully bought into the coach and won’t leave just to leave, that’s something I do like.

"And my relationship with Coach Stapleton and Coach Sale is growing every day, they’re learning more about me and I’m learning more about them.”

One of the biggest selling points for Sale and Stapleton is their NFL experience.

Stapleton played four years in the league including starting at right guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2008 Super Bowl-winning team. Sale, of course, coached at the highest level last year with the New York Giants.

That is something that Kirkland is well aware of and is taking into account.

“It’s a great resume to have, and as a recruit, those are the things you have to look for. Especially when it comes down to coaches and how long they were at a certain place and the success that they had [there].”

Napier has been a big part of the Gators recruiting efforts talking to just about every recruit that Florida is after, a welcome change from the approach of the previous staff.

Kirkland also said there is a different vibe and message between how the last staff recruited him and how Napier’s staff is now.

“The culture before, it was like okay we’re the staff here, you’re in the state of Florida so you need to come to here. Where [this staff] is actually taking it upon themselves to get to know to get to understand you as a person rather than just as a recruit.” 

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