Advertisement

Former Florida offensive lineman commit flips to Miami

When three-star offensive lineman Tommy Kinsler backed off his commitment to the University of Florida in early July, many expected him to quickly flip to the University of Miami.

It took 26 days, but Kinsler finally made the announcement and joined the Hurricanes’ ever-improving 2023 recruiting class on Thursday.

The Kinsler flip is frankly a bad look for the program under Billy Napier. He was long considered a lock to end up at UF and committed after his official visit in June. It took just one trip to Coral Gables five days later for Kinsler to realize he made a mistake, and he’s not the first recruit this cycle to choose UM over UF, which is supposed to be an SEC powerhouse. The Gators recently lost five-star offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa, four-star linebacker Malik Bryant and four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada to the Hurricanes as well.

The early returns for Napier’s staff against Mario Cristobal’s are anything but good, but the Gators bounced back a bit with two signings over the last two days (four-star cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson and four-star wide receiver Aidan Mizell). Still, losing Kinsler leaves the Gators with very little incoming talent on the offensive line.

Four-star interior offensive lineman Knijeah Harris and three-star tackle Bryce Lovett are still there, but Napier was hoping to add more at the position group based on the players he targeted.

The 247Sports composite lists Kinsler No. 920 overall in the class of 2023 and No. 66 among interior offensive linemen. Despite those rankings, Napier’s group clearly saw an upside to Kinsler that others didn’t. Hopefully, that doesn’t come back to bite the Gators.

Related

ESPN's 50 all-time greatest defenses includes this Florida squad

Florida adds another blue-chip wide receiver to 2023 recruiting class

Here are the players expected to attend Florida's recruiting weekend

Gators earn commitment from this 4-star blue-chip cornerback

Where Florida ranks among the best in college sports, per CBS Sports

List

Dooley's Dozen: 12 best Florida football traditions

List

Dooley's Dozen: Florida football's 12 biggest rivals right now

List

Dooley's Dozen: 12 reasons why Florida will be better than people think

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Story originally appeared on Gators Wire