Four-Star OT Fletcher Westphal commits to Florida

Hayes Fawcett updated head shotby:Hayes Fawcett•07/10/23•

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Four-star offensive tackle Fletcher Westphal of Leesburg (VA) Tuscarora High announced his commitment to Florida Monday morning.

The 6-foot-8, 330 pounder chose the Gators over Clemson.

Westphal on why he chose Florida

“This was a very hard decision. What steered me toward Florida was its high academics. It’s not just football for me.  A degree from a top university (#5 public with a 30% acceptance rate) helps my future in a big way. Education for the players is a priority to Coach Napier.  The Gators had the highest team GPA of the top schools on my list. 

They are the SEC , the gold standard for college football. The personal development with the Gatormade program is doing big things already like trips the NYSE and South Africa and internship opportunities.  

I like what Coach Napier is building culture and program wise and I know Coach Sale and Stapleton can get me developed.  I also liked the players I’ve met and hung out with. For me, the University of Florida is the everything school where I can get a great education, get developed, play good ball and build a solid future for myself.

I like Florida as a location and so do my parents who will follow me from Virginia.  It’ll be a new chapter for all of us.”

The Virginia offensive tackle joins coach Billy Napier and the Gators’ top 5 class in the 2024 team rankings. He is accompanied by quarterback DJ Lagway, safety Xavier Filsaime, and others.

Westphal ranks as the No. 259 player in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also tabs in as the No. 19 offensive tackle and the No. 5 player in the state of Virginia.

He currently does not have an On3 NIL Valuation publicly listed. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.