INTEL: Breaking down the Gators' hunt for a 2023 quarterback

Although Florida has offered several 2023 quarterbacks, there is still a significant amount of work to do in terms of gaining traction at the position.

While he does not hold an offer from the program, Marcus Stokes was heavily on the Gators’ radar but is now committed to Penn State; however, if UF chooses to offer, his recruitment could become interesting.

Five-star prospect Nico Iamaleava also came off the market in recent weeks, as the California native is now teamed up with Tennessee.

Then you have Christopher Vizzina, who heavily considered the Gators early on but did not include them in his top six. The Alabama native is set to reveal his decision this afternoon, with Clemson being the heavy favorite.

With that being said, Gators Online dissects UF’s quarterback board and where the Gators sit with each prospect.

No. 1 prospect overall Arch Manning

Considering he is the top-ranked prospect regardless of position, it’s no surprise we are starting with Arch Manning.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound junior is expected to visit the Gators at some point over; however, we are still chalking this one up as a long shot. There were talks of him visiting in March or April, but it will not be long before we enter May.

Alabama, Texas and Georgia all played host during the spring, so it’s safe to say those are the schools positioned best right now. LSU and Ole Miss are some schools making a push as well.

As for the Gators, they simply need to get Manning on campus and knock it out of the park. From there, the best case scenario is receiving an official visit and then being heavily in the mix until the end. They entered the race fairly late due to the coaching changes, but that not prevented Napier and company from going all in for his services.

The chances of Manning landing with the Gators are extremely low, but conversations are still taking place and he is certainly on the quarterback board.

Dual-sport standout Dylan Lonergan

While there is still a good amount of work to do, I believe Lonergan might be the most-likely addition as of today.

The top-100 prospect was offered by Billy Napier’s staff in early March and then made his way down to Gainesville roughly two weeks ago. That was his second trip to campus, as Lonergan attended a Florida game during his freshman year.

A return visit to campus has yet to be scheduled; however, the Gators are now heavily in the mix to receive an official visit. They are currently in his “top sive or six.”

“It was good. I really enjoyed coach Napier. I liked the facilities a lot, the new ones they’re about to build. Practice was good to watch too,” Lonergan previously told Gators Online.

“It’s really nice down there. I kind of forgot what campus looked like. It’s a really nice campus, the stadium is really nice, and I just really enjoyed being there.”

Lonergan and his family also went through multiple one-on-one meetings with UF’s head man. He is expected to play baseball in college as well.

“Coach Napier was really good. You can tell he’s really involved with the offense and the quarterbacks especially. Just talking to him one-on-one, you can just tell how good of a guy he is and how detail-oriented he is.

“He was kind of just answering questions we had and talking about the day. Also, (he was) just telling me what they like about me on film.”

Alabama, Ohio State and South Carolina are some additional schools that are heavily in the mix.

According to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, the Gamecocks are trending in Lonergan’s recruitment.

Top-100 prospect and Louisiana native, Eli Holstein

Another signal caller who is expected to make his way down to Gainesville is Holstein. This is prospect UF has legitimate shot at landing once a trip to campus takes place. No date is scheduled as of now, but I’m told it shouldn’t be long before itinerary is locked in.

The All-American was offered on March 28, but conversations with the Gators have been taking place much longer than that. The majority of that commmunication runs through Napier, while Ryan O’Hara is heavily involved as well.

According to a source, the Gators currently have “good traction” with Holstein due to the staff’s strong Louisiana ties. Assistant coach Rob Sale has good relationships with his high school staff at Zachary as well.

A former Texas A&M commit, Holstein is also heavily considering the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Miami, Stanford and Oregon. The Aggies remain under strong consideration as well.

With the Gators, it all starts with securing a visit date. Napier’s staff definitely has the attention of Holstein’s family, but now it’s about seeing everything with their own eyes.

Five-star Dante Moore is fresh off a Gators visit

According to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, Notre Dame has a 89.3 percent chance at landing the elite signal caller out of Detroit. Moore does a good job of not revealing too many details, but the Fighting Irish are definitely in the best spot.

When recently speaking with reporters at the Elite 11, Moore ran off a list of LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State. That is not a list of top schools, but those are the schools he listed when asked about some of the top contenders.

Many believe Moore will end up staying put in the Midwest for college; however, the Gators definitely provided him with an eye-opening experience in March. The best case scenario is that he returns for an official visit and then a game sometime in the fall, but those will be difficult tasks.

“Me getting down here was probably the most important thing of course, you know, seeing the Swamp. I enjoyed it and had a great time up there. Meeting coach Napier and coach O’Hara, we have a good bond also over the phone. I just wanted to see them in person, get to see campus, and I loved it,” Moore said last month.

“First off, you have to appreciate the Jordan Brand. The jerseys, cleats, and the branding around the campus is outstanding; I love Jordan. One thing I would say is the coaching staff. It’s a loyal coaching staff and a staff that has been together for quite a while now, so it’s a great staff with great people.

“The biggest thing I know for sure that I saw in the presentation was seeing that Florida is ranked top five in academics for public universities, so that was really huge for me and I really took that in.”

The Gators check off a lot of boxes for Moore; there is no about about that; however, convincing him to attend college thousands of miles away from home will be difficult. Florida is not doing anything wrong here. Moore is just much more familiar with some of the programs closer to home.

The latest offeree for the Gators is Jadan Rashada

Many believe that Rashada, another native of California, could be the next big-time signal caller to come off the board.

Ole Miss is the school trending according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, while Miami and Oregon are heavily in the mix as well; in fact, the Hurricanes recently offered his brother, who is a junior-college cornerback.

As for the Gators, I don’t see it happening unless Rashada ends up visiting over the two months. The four-star prospect wants to know where he is going by June or July, so time is certainly not on UF’s side.

“I used to have a timeline but it never worked out,” Rashada recently told On3. “At this point, I can’t rush a commitment. I’m thinking of anywhere from tomorrow until Signing Day. I want to know where I’m going by June, by June or July or before the season starts. I want to know by then, but if not I’ll take it to Signing Day. If I think somewhere is home, I’ll take it to next week.”

Like with Arch Manning, I’m chalking this one up as a long shot.

Gators Online’s take on UF’s search for a signal caller

The Gators are likely sitting the best with Dylan Lonergan and Eli Holstein, and there is still work to do with both of them.

With that being said, quarterback recruiting for UF is pretty uncertain right now. I could see Marcus Stokes flipping from Penn State if an offer is delivered. He is an in-state target and Florida is an offer he really wants. He also hails from the same school that produced Tim Tebow, so there are some connections in place.

But for now, it’s safe to say Florida has a lot of work to do. Additional offers will likely be sent out in the coming weeks as well.

As always, stay tuned to Gators Online.