Florida Gators football top recruiting target sets commitment date, and Jon Sumrall has a major advantage
Offensive line has been a massive focus for the Florida Gators, and OL coach Phil Trautwein continues to swing for the fences
The offensive line has been a massive focus for the Florida Gators. New head coach Jon Sumrall paid a lot of attention to their hire, and nailed it with Phil Trautwein.
Since he came into the program five months ago, Trautwein has landed the first five-star offensive lineman since Martez Ivey in 2015 in Maxwell Hiller. He’s also landed top-10 players at their position in four-star center Peyton Miller and four-star offensive tackle Elijah Hutcheson. Trautwein has vaulted himself into being the No. 2 overall recruiter in the nation.
Florida Gators have inside track to landing elite OT Kennedee Jackson
The Gators are working hard toward landing another top-100 offensive lineman,landing in the top-7 of four-star Kennedee Jackson. After missing out on four-star offensive tackle Layton von Brandt, landing Jackson would be a massive coup for Trautwein.
Jackson is the No. 100 overall recruit and the No. 8 offensive tackle per Rivals, and he’s got the profile to thrive in the SEC and beyond. At 6-5.5 and 301 pounds going into his senior year of high school in Lithonia, Georgia, Jackson already has the right size to thrive at tackle.
The other intriguing element with Jackson’s recruitment is how the coaches have bonded with him, something he told Gators Online.
“I love the o-line coaches. The facilities were amazing, and the people all around the building were nice,” Jackson said. “I just like the area. Everything is just live, and everyone is active. The facilities are nice, and also all the athletes.”
There is one really interesting aspect about the entire conversation: the Gators will have an official visit on May 28th, right before he commits on June 10th. The only other school that will host him on an official visit after the Gators, before his commitment date, is the North Carolina Tar Heels. Being one of the last visits will give them a nice advantage.
Rivals’ Recruiting Prediction Machine has it wide open, with five schools all above 9.4%.
| Team | Percent Chance |
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 24.5% |
| Georgia Bulldogs | 21.4% |
| Auburn Tigers | 14.8% |
| Florida Gators | 12.4% |
| LSU Tigers | 9.4% |
If the Gators can wow Jackson on his second visit, with the first being at the beginning of April, it will go a long way to landing him.