Billy Napier comments on the Gators' signing of Arlis Boardingham
Although they had to wait longer than expected, Gators fans were brimming with excitement when Arlis Boardingham officially signed with Billy Napier’s program.
The 6-foot-3, 234-pound athlete had planned to shut down his recruitment on National Signing Day; however, eliminating all but one school can be quite stressful and Boardingham simply needed more time to make his decision.
Luckily for UF fans, when it was all said and done, the Gators edged out Oregon for the services of the California-based playmaker. They also recruited him the hardest during the home stretch, with Keary Colbert and William Peagler having visited him at school during the contact period. He took part in an official visit during the weekend of Jan. 14 as well.
In addition to the Gators and Ducks, Boardingham earned offers from Texas, Notre Dame, Utah, Colorado and Duke among others.
“He’s a very intelligent kid. His mom and dad are impressive people,” Napier said on Friday when speaking with the media. “His dad’s a track coach and his mom’s very accomplished in her profession, so we’re very fortunate to add Arlis to our team.”
Napier weighs in on the skill set of the Gators signee
The three-star prospect oozes with offensive versatility, with the Gators planning to utilize him in the role of H-back.
Boardingham does a great job of high-pointing the ball, possessing the mixture of size and athleticism to construct plenty of mismatches downfield. He picks up steam quickly when getting downhill and impresses with his ability to play through contact as well.
According to the On3 Consensus Rankings, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, Boardingham is the No. 19 athlete in the 2022 class. He is also the No. 39 senior in the state of California and has an On3 NIL Valuation of $15,300.
“Arlis is a unique athlete. If you watch the tape closely, he’s really playing receiver, playing inside ‘backer and outside ‘backer,” Napier said. “He was 6-3 and a quarter, 235 on the visit and really has some growth potential. This is a track athlete who ran an 11.4 100 meters last year as a junior at that size and could run even better than that this spring.
“He can go run the full route tree as a receiver if you watch the tape. He has some play strength and physicality on defense, so my experience would say those equate to a mismatch-type of player that we’ll be able to use him a lot of different ways on offense.”
During the 2021 season, the Gators signee reeled in 43 receptions for 836 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also completed a 19-yard touchdown pass and racked up 171 yards and five additional scores on the ground. He recorded a total of 23 touchdowns, including two punt returns scores and one from a fumble recovery.
Relationships in Gainesville sealed the deal
“I would say the coaching staff,” Boardingham previously told Gators Online when asked why UF received the nod. “They all seem like they have a plan and are on the same page. They also share the same common goal and have their best interest in me and me developing as a person and player.
“The coaches connected with me and my family, and I feel like that was a huge part. They check off all the boxes.”
Stay tuned to Gators Online.
