Florida Gators continue working hard with elite five-star, but one thing stands in the way
Five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews is heavy on the Florida Gators’ radar, but they have some work to do.
Five stars have been a huge factor for the Florida Gators in recruiting the 2027 class.
So far, they are setting the pace for offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller, secured a visit with Texas Longhorns commit, wide receiver Easton Royal, and continue to press offensive tackle Kennedy Brown to visit Gainesville. Plus, they are still working to get back into serious play with quarterback Elijah Haven.
Head coach Jon Sumrall and his staff are coming out swinging, and the offensive line, with offensive line coach Phil Trautwein, has been the main focus.
The Gators need to continue making a push for five-star OT Mark Matthews
We saw how the issues on the offensive line in 2025 made things incredibly difficult. They are also losing their best two players to the NFL Draft in left tackle Austin Barber and center Jake Slaughter.
One player they need to continue pursuing is five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews. He’s been at the top of the list the Gators since Billy Napier was still the head coach. He’s already visited Gainesville twice, and reportedly missed a third visit earlier this year.
He was at the Rivals Miami Elite Camp over the weekend, and did the standard offensive line testing. Well, he certainly looks the part.
That type of profile screams potential first-round pick. He still has a long way to go in order to get there, but the base is there. He is Rivals’ second-overall recruit and the top offensive tackle.
Getting him to come back to Gainesville could be an uphill task for Sumrall and his staff. They are in second place at 1.8% on the Rivals’ Recruiting Prediction Machine behind the Miami Hurricanes at 93.6%. Once they are able to get him to Gainesville, Trautwein and Sumrall will have the ability to work their magic.
His recruitment is going to be a huge one to watch for the Gators, especially if they can turn the tides on the Hurricanes, their bitter in-state rival.
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