Count ‘Em Up: Recruits Expected To Attend Orange and Blue Gators Spring Game

The Florida Gators are hosting plenty of recruits of various classes for their annual Orange and Blue Spring Game later tonight.

The Florida Gators are hosting a considerable number of recruits tonight for their spring game, many of which are set to decide soon between Florida and other top-tier schools.

The list includes players that are expected to be highly-rated, targeted recruits, players who are more on the bubble and have yet to receive offers, players from various classes including 2023, 2024 and 2025, along with potential transfer athletes, who would like to get a lay of the land prior to committing.

Today will mark the first Spring Game under head coach Billy Napier and the first Orange and Blue game since 2019. In 2020, all of Spring was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and last year the program opted not to hold the game as Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was being utilized as a testing site.

Now, recruits from all around the country are expected to attend the game, and we've got you covered in following which ones have made their intentions to show up public, along with a brief description of some of the top players set to attend.

I and our Conner Clarke have compiled a list of players that have confirmed their intentions to attend tonight's game, detailing several of the players below. The majority of the players listed have received an offer from Florida, however, we did indicate which players do not currently have an offer.

Note: Not every player that is in attendance will be on this list, only those we have confirmed either ourselves or via their social media pages.

* Indicates that the player has visited the program under the current staff.

2023 Recruits

CB Cormani McClain (Lake Gibson, Fla)*

Perhaps the top player that's visiting the school for the program's spring game, McClain is graded out as the nation's best cornerback prospect and the No. 1 player in all of Florida. He has plenty of offers from top-rated universities, including Florida, Alabama, Miami, Michigan and Ohio State.

At 6-foot-1, 165 pounds, McClain has plenty of room to grow in his frame and possesses some serious ball skills and athleticism at the CB position. He's expected to be one of the best players in this year's class. McClain has already taken multiple visits to Florida and included the program in his early top 5 last year under the previous staff.

This Florida staff has not let up in their recruitment of him, and it appears as though McClain is still strongly considering the university for the future of his football career. Their impressions made at the spring game will be of the utmost importance.

ATH Samuel M’Pemba (IMG Academy, Fla)*

Yet another highly-rated recruit, M'Pemba is perhaps one of the best overall athletes in the state of Florida or the nation as a whole. He plays on both sides of the football, at wide receiver on offense or defensive end or outside linebacker on defense. Considering he's being recruited by defensive analyst Jamar Chaney, it's likely the team views him on that side of the football.

That, however, still remains up in the air as Florida likely would just like to get him on campus in some capacity, and moving forward will likely decide what he will ultimately play as he narrows down his schools or if he ultimately opts to join Napier and his staff at Florida.

OT Francis Mauigoa (IMG Academy, Fla)*

Yet another IMG Academy top prospect, Mauigoa is thought to be one of the best offensive linemen in the country. At 6-foot-5, 330 pounds, he comes in as the nation's No. 2 rated offensive tackle, and boasts an impressive resume of college offers, including from Alabama, Miami, and Oregon, among others.

Mauigoa was among 12 prospects who impressed Sports Illustrated All-American at Elite Underclassmen Camp.

2023 OT Francis Mauigoa, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy

While we'd like to say Mauigoa won all four of his one-on-one reps on Sunday — two at left and two at right tackle — his final one would be considered a penalty in a game even though it turned into the type of power snapshot that has every major program in the country courting the American Samoa native on the offensive line.

Debatable clip aside, it was easy to see on Sunday why Mauigoa, 6-foot-5, 330 pounds, is one of the most talked about 2023 offensive linemen in the nation. His footwork is sound, seen by his consistently clean kick-slide in every rep. Mauigoa knocked two rushers out of their lane as they attempted to turn the corner, and stonewalled another before throwing the defender back onto the turf from where he came from.

When speaking with AllGators in April following his visit, Mauigoa indicated that it's hard for him to narrow down to just one school at this time, but he will likely cut down his top-13 list in May to just five schools. Florida, of course, hopes its one of the five.

OL Knijeah Harris (IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla)*

Harris is another highly-rated prospect out of IMG Academy, slated to play inside at the next level. He's currently rated as the nation's No. 18 inside offensive lineman, and it's easy to see why on tape. At 6-foot-3, 335 pounds, he has shown quickness and power rare for a player at the prep level.

Currently, he's being recruited hotly by Michigan, Alabama, Texas A&M, Miami, Oklahoma, along with Florida. Offensive line coaches Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton have been the primary recruiters during their talks and visits.

Shortly after visiting the program in February, Harris told AllGators that Florida having two offensive line coaches is "huge" for his recruitment, and it makes them an intriguing school to potentially go to as a result.

He's currently narrowed down his top teams to Alabama, Miami, Florida, Michigan State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, and is set to decide between the schools, making a commitment on May 7.

WR Aidan Mizell (Boone, Fla)*

A legacy prospect, Mizell has visited Florida already in the past, earlier this month. Now, he's expected to attend the school's spring game. Following his previous visit, he stated that Florida was in his top schools as of now, but there are more schools he needs to visit before making a final decision on where everyone stands.

At around 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Mizell offers legitimate track speed and will be a highly recruited athlete when it's all said and done, already enjoying offers from over 30 universities. He currently has a standing offer from Alabama and of course Florida among others.

Both of Mizell's parents ran track at Florida, which makes his interest in the university that much more intriguing. Gators wide receivers coach Keary Colbert was who ultimately offered the receiver in March, with Mizell indicating that the offer is a "big deal," considering Florida has been a good school over the years and an SEC school.

“He just thinks that I’m a real good player, I have next-level speed and a good playmaker," Mizell said shortly after receiving his offer via Andrew Spivey of GatorCountry.com "He wanted to get me on campus before he offered but we haven’t been able to set that up, so he just wanted to get it over with.”

RB Treyaun Webb (Trinity Christian Academy, Fla)*

Another legacy recruit, Webb has shown plenty of interest in the Gators since his recruitment began, taking multiple visits to the university. He currently has an official visit scheduled for June 3 and will be attending the spring game later today.

The cousin of former Florida CB Dee Webb, Treyaun plays on the other side of the football at running back, currently listed at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds. Webb is thought to be one of the top running backs in the country, rated as the No. 5 back as of today. He is currently ranked No. 23 national overall.

Webb told 247Sports shortly following his initial visit to the campus on March 4 that he almost considered committing while he was there, indicating just how good of a visit it was. The smoke has been plentiful with Webb and his potential commitment to Florida, and it wouldn't be surprising to see it happen sooner rather than later. 

WR Hykeem Williams (Stranahan, Fla)* 

At 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, Williams boasts a fantastic frame and a likely big target outside in any offense he steps foot in. He's taken plenty of visits, including to Florida on March 4, and will likely continue touring the country until he finds a great spot to ultimately take his talents to next year.

Williams told 247Sports in March that Florida was among his top teams, including Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Rutgers, Texas A&M, USC and Pittsburgh, an array of different schools both in the SEC and ACC conferences.

The Gators will likely want to get to speak with the standout wideout again and will enjoy the opportunity to do so during tonight's game.

ATH/WR Creed Whittemore (F. W. Buchholz, Fla)*

If Whittemore's name seems familiar that's because his older brother, Trent, currently attends Florida as one of the team's top receivers. A local athlete, Whittemore plays a variety of positions, primarily quarterback, at F.W. Buchholz.

He possesses speed and athleticism, able to escape the pocket and make defenders miss downfield as a runner while being able to toss the football from a variety of angles.  

This will be yet another opportunity for Whittemore, not only to see his brother compete in Florida's spring game but also to see the staff himself and move forward if he wants to ultimately follow in his footsteps at UF. He was originally offered by the Florida staff last year.

Following his visit, Whittemore spoke about coach Colbert and Napier, able to watch film with the duo and get to know the new staff. He would likely play the WR position if he were to join his brother at UF.

“They just want to see me run some routes because all I have is quarterback film,” he said in March via GatorCountry.com. “They want to see me; they love my film and stuff so after they see me run some routes we will see. They know that I’m a great player, but they need to see me run some routes and catch the ball.”

DB Kenton Kirkland (Raines, Fla)

Kirkland attended a Gators camp in 2021 but has not taken a visit to see the new coaching staff. Now, he will be able to enjoy the visit, already with a standing offer from the program. At 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, Kirkland is the ideal frame for the safety position, and likely would be utilized in that same role at Florida.

OT Payton Kirkland (Dr. Phillips, Fla)*

OT Bryce Lovett (Rockledge, Fla)*

OL Gernorris Wilson (Lake Gibson, Fla)*

WR Tyree Patterson (Eustis, Fla)

DL Will Norman* (IMG Academy, Fla)

WR Tyler Williams (Lakeland, Fla)*

RB Jacobe Fowler (Lake Gibson, Fla) (no offer) *

S Cameron Upshaw Jr. (Taylor County, Fla) (no offer)*

Transfer Portal

Maryland DL Darrell Jackson

Prior to the team's Orange and Blue game, the Maryland defensive tackle paid a visit to Florida's campus, getting a close look at how he might fit into the program's colors, while meeting with the coaching staff and exploring his options.

Jackson, 6-foot-6, 274 pounds, attended Gadsden County (Fla) prior to attending Maryland this past season. He would play in eight games as a true freshman last season, accounting for 22 total tackles. Jackson entered his name into the portal last week, and it was reported that Florida was interested in him just 24 hours later.

Following the transfer of sophomore Lamar Goods Florida's need on the defensive line grew even more with depth issues at the two and three-deep levels of the team's defensive line has dealt with plenty of attrition.

Gators head coach Billy Napier has not been shy about indicating the team will be aggressive in the transfer portal and Jackson might be the first domino to fall in securing much-needed help.

2024 Recruits

DB Brayshon Williams (Lake Gibson, Fla)*

RB Chauncey Bowens (The Benjamin School, Fla)*

LB Timajay Hayes (Eau Gallie, Fla)

DB Fred Gaskin III (Vanguard, Fla)*

DB Jordon Johnson-Rubell (IMG Academy, Fla) (mo offer)

WR Chance Robinson (St. Thomas Aquinas, Fla) (no offer)

WR Jamar Taylor Jr (Lake Gibson, Fla) (no offer)*

DL Kendall Jackson (F.W. Buchholz, Fla) (no offer)*

2025 Recruits

WR Koby Howard (Pensacola Catholic, Fla) (no offer)

RB Gideon Davidson (Liberty Christian Academy, Fla) (no offer) 

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.