money This top offensive tackle prospect feeling a lot of love for Florida
Florida football’s busy month reached a feverish pitch this past weekend with Billy Napier and Co. rolling out the red carpet for a handful of top recruits from around the state and the nation. The new administration has made a profound impression upon many of those who have passed through Gainesville recently, including four-star offensive tackle Monroe Freeling out of Mount Pleasant (South Carolina) Oceanside Collegiate Academy, who recently wrapped up his official visit to campus.
The 6-foot-7-inch, 283-pound lineman had made a prior stop with the Gators back in March during the spring practice season but got a much closer look at the rebuilding program this time around.
“My first look out here was pretty quick, it was during the spring practice so everyone was doing stuff,” Freeling explained to AllGators’ Zach Goodall. “I got to see practice but all of the players were really new, so it was really just seeing the players kind of adjust, and in a way, kind of struggle with the intensity of practice. I know I really liked the intensity of practice because if you have an intense practice, that means your games are gonna be easy.”
“I think this time around I really got to get a feel of Florida’s campus and more like the football program and where it’s heading,” he told Swamp247’s Blake Alderman. “I think that was my biggest takeaway. I just enjoyed time with the players. The players and coaches [communicated where the program is heading], I think that Coach Napier really has a good outlook on where he wants the program to go. Every coach I talked to said the same thing how Coach Napier wants to take the program somewhere.”
The blue-chip offensive lineman’s recruitment has been spearheaded by offensive line coaches Darnell Stapleton and Rob Sale, with whom he has forged strong relationships according to Swamp247.
“It’s kind of funny because I have relationships with two different coaches, but they are doing the same job really. I really like Coach Sale and his resume and Coach Stapleton too. They are good guys. Over the summer I am going to be growing my relationship with them a lot more because I really do like Florida. I think they are telling me how they have five guys on staff that all work with offensive line. It helps you get ready and efficiency-wise. You get more coaches and you get two perspectives.”
Freeling has already spent two of his five official visits on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish who he visited earlier in June, as well as on Florida, with a trip to Coral Gables to see the Miami Hurricanes coming up next weekend. He plans on saving his final two visits for the fall season with the Clemson Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes and Georgia Bulldogs all possibilities; he also plans on making an unofficial return visit to the Swamp to see a game.
Freeling is currently ranked No. 62 overall and No. 8 nationally at his position according to the 247Sports composite, while the On3 consensus has him at Nos. 63 and 6, respectively. Clemson is currently in the lead for his talents with a 46.3% chance of signing him while Notre Dame sits in second at 38%.
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