5-star offensive tackle blown away by ‘crazy’ Florida visit
As summer continues to creep in, Florida football’s recruiting efforts have matched the rising temperatures as Billy Napier and Co. continue to impress some of the best prospects in the nation who have made their way to the Swamp so far. Among those was five-star offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa out of Bradenton (Florida) IMG Academy, who arrived in town on Tuesday and stayed until Thursday on his official visit to Gainesville.
The native of ‘Ili’ili, American Samoa, had seen the sights around the Swamp a few times prior, but his official stop saw the red carpet rolled out for the 6-foot-5-inch, 330-pound lineman. Mauigoa’s connection with a couple of current Gators from his time at IMG, Kamari Wilson and Kingsley Eguakun, added to his positive experience.
“This OV was crazy,” he told Swamp247. “It was one of my favorite OV’s now. Keep on coming back here, you start to feel like more of a relationship. Kind of starting to feel that bond and now I am comfortable with them. I think that is one of the biggest things in recruiting. I just felt the hospitality, I felt the love, and the family bond through the coaches from the coaches to the players.”
The blue-chip recruit also got a chance to hobnob with the entire football staff including offensive coordinator Rob Sale, all of whom made a strong impression on the young athlete.
“We had a meeting with them and they’re some cool dudes,” Mauigoa told Gators Online. “They showed me a lot of things, taught me a lot of things. I was in the meeting room with them and going through film. They are constantly fixing their mistakes and going down the line making sure everything is taken care of.”
The coveted recruit currently has the Alabama Crimson Tide, USC Trojans, Tennessee Volunteers, Miami Hurricanes and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, along with the Gators, as his preferred collegiate destinations. Florida was the second stop on his summer tour after passing through Tuscaloosa last weekend, with the Vols, Trojans and ‘Canes coming up next. The Aloha State got an unofficial visit on June 1.
Mauigoa is currently ranked No. 9 overall and No. 1 nationally at his position according to the 247Sports composite, while the On3 consensus him at Nos. 10 and 2, respectively. Tennessee currently holds the edge on his recruitment with a 59.7% chance of signing him per On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, with USC in second at 33.6%, UM third at 2.6% and UF trailing in fourth at 1.2%.
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