Academy’s first offensive lineman [autotag]Chancellor Barclay[/autotag] has been to Gainesville several times in the past year, but his most recent trip to the University of Florida for the Grill in the ‘Ville BBQ was different from his previous visits.
He compared it to a Junior Day while talking to Swamp247 recently. At Junior Days the main objective is to meet coaches and players only in your position. Grill in the ‘Ville is all about spending time with the entire team and recruits at all positions can mingle with everyone.
“I know who they are and they know who I am,” Barclay said of Florida. “They invited me several times and took the time to get to know me. That’s what makes conversations with them different, and that’s a good thing for me. Right now, you’re going to need a coach like that. People who can help you.
However, we are still very early in the recruiting process for the Class of 2026. Barclay is not ready to narrow things down to a list of top schools, despite having more than 20 offers. Still, it’s hard to imagine the Gators being left off this list when it arrives.
“Florida is a team that will be at the top of my list because of how long they recruited me and how well they got to know me,” he said.
Clemson, Notre Dame, Oklahoma It is Penn State are some other teams that have worked lately. State programs like UCF and USF also remain in contention.
Barclay plans to attend the season opener against Miami. He has high expectations for the matchup, and a win in Florida could mean a lot for the Gators.
“I’ll say one thing right now, this game is going to be one of the best, if not the best game of the 2024 season. It’s a fierce rivalry, Miami team, Gainesville team. the state’s big three teams playing in the loudest college football stadium in the country. It will be a good game and I will definitely be there.
Recruitment Summary
Barclay is a three-star recruit according to 247Sports, ESPN and On3, but Rivals considers him a four-star talent and has him ranked 168th in the class.
The On3 industry rankings, which consider all four major services, give it four-star status and place it at 307th overall and 26th among interior linemen.
O On3 Recruitment Prediction Machine considers Florida the favorite to sign Barclay, giving the Gators a 45.5% chance of ending up with the pick. Penn State (8.6%), West Virginia (7.4%) and Oklahoma (6.1%) round out the top four.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like us on Facebook to keep up with ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, grades and opinions.
This article was originally published on Gators Wire: Florida OL target has a different vision of the program to end the summer
