Pritchard still talking with the Florida Gators despite FSU commitment

The Florida Gators hosted a lot of prospects on campus during January and the coaching staff also visited several prospects at their schools during the contact period.

One of the prospects that Billy Napier visited was Florida State linebacker commit Ethan Pritchard (6-1, 200, Sanford, FL. Seminole) at his school.

“Coach Napier was at my school last month,” Pritchard said on Florida still recruiting him. “He and the defensive coordinator were there. I talked to them a little bit. I talk to them a couple of times a week.”

Napier and defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong had a simple message to Pritchard about how the Gators will continue to recruit him until he signs.

“They said that even though I’m committed to Florida State, I haven’t signed yet,” he said on the message from Florida. “They said they’re going to keep recruiting me until then.”

Pritchard has met Armstrong several times and talks to him a lot and they’re building a relationship.

“I feel like he has something real special about him,” Pritchard said on his relationship with Armstrong. “I feel like we have built a good relationship.”

Next up for Pritchard will likely be a visit to Gainesville so he can meet linebackers coach Ron Roberts and talk with the rest of the staff.

“Most definitely,” he said on if he plans to visit Florida in the spring. “I will probably get up there for a spring practice and get up there and talk to the coaches and build my relationship with them.”

Despite taking visits, Pritchard says he’s solid with the Seminoles but others including Florida, UCF, and LSU are recruiting him hard.

“I’m still locked in, 100%,” Pritchard said of his commitment to Florida State. “I’m still locked in.”

Two Gators Invited to 2024 NFL Draft Combine

Former stalwarts in the Florida Gators offense, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall and center Kingsley Eguakun, have received invitations to the 2024 rendition of the NFL Draft Combine, the league announced Tuesday. The duo joins 319 other prospects in the annual event, scheduled for Feb. 26 through March 4 in Indianapolis. Pearsall returned for his final season of eligibility in 2023, building on his impressive redshirt junior campaign in his first year at the University of Florida to boost his stock heading into the pre-draft process. The Chandler, Ariz., native closed his two-season career at UF, having reeled in 98 receptions for 1,626 yards and nine scores through the air to pair with 175 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Following a dominant showing during Senior Bowl practices — showcasing a high-level route running prowess on top of reliable hands and notable twitch at the break of his route against other prospective draft talent — Pearsall climbed even more. He notably earned his way into the top of the second round in a post-Senior Bowl mock draft by Pro Football Focus, where he was picked by the Carolina Panthers 33rd overall and coined as a perfect weapon for rising second-year signal caller Bryce Young.

Eguakun made 26 consecutive starts for Florida at center during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, proving to be a reliable piece in the middle of the offensive front. He was expected to maintain his role in 2023, providing a veteran voice on a drastically reconstructed offensive line that lost four starters from the year before. However, he was hampered by a lingering ankle injury initially suffered in preseason camp and re-aggravated several times in his four appearances against Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and Arkansas. Following UF’s overtime loss to Arkansas in Gainesville on Nov. 4, the Gators elected to move Egukaun to an emergency backup role for the remainder of the season. Jake Slaughter, who filled in during his absence throughout the year, became the full-time starter for the final three contests.

Despite his health struggles as a senior, the Jacksonville, Fla., native’s abundant production previously has earned him looks from NFL scouts during the early pre-selection process.

Egaukun’s showing at the Senior Bowl — displaying impressive arm length, burst off the ball and adequate pad level — helped him climb into the conversation for a potential late-round selection despite his undersized label.

Both former Gators will attempt to further bolster their resume for selection when they take the field inside Lucas Oil Stadium later this month.