Grill in the Ville Insider Notebook II

After offering and receiving a commitment from German offensive lineman Noel Portnjagin last month, Florida is once again in the hunt for a foreign-born player. This time it is Class of 2026 Swedish defensive lineman Adrian Bekibele.

Florida isn’t the only program to take notice of him. On Friday the 6-foot-3, 290-pounder received an offer from Georgia.

Bekibele was on campus for Saturday’s Grill in the Ville.

“I spoke with Sean Spencer a lot,” said Bekibele. “He told me that I was a young athlete and he is excited to see my progress.”

As for Florida, he shared his thoughts on the Gators. “I like the place,” he said. “There’s good coaching and a good environment.”

Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes 6-foot-6, 280-pound offensive lineman Tavaris Dice hasn’t earned a ranking from three of the four recruiting services, but he has already amassed an impressive early offer list.

Programs such as Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Louisville, and South Carolina have already extended an offer.

He said he felt like a priority for the UF staff on Saturday.

“I spoke with three of the offensive line coaches and they all really told me the same thing, which was if you come here we are going to develop you with technique, your steps, your strength. They have five offensive line coaches in all, so there should be no reason why you are not working and getting developed.”

While he hasn’t released an early leaderboard, Dice said that three programs do stand out.

“Florida is really going to be in my top five, my top three,” said Dice. “I like them a lot because of how they treat you like family and how they’re really trying to develop you if you commit there.”

He shared his top three.

“The top programs sticking out to me now are Georgia, Auburn, and Florida.”

Florida 2024 three-star cornerback commit Teddy Foster not only attended the Grill in the Ville, but he brought Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney 2025 teammate Chris McCorkle along with him.

“I talked to Coach [Corey] Raymond, Coach AB [Allen Brown], and [Billy] Napier,” said McCorkle. “Their message to me was they want to get me back up there and how I am next up.”

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound cornerback, who earned an offer from the Gators back in the spring, said that UF remains at the top of his early board.

“My thoughts on Florida are the same as it was before, it’s a great school. Definitely No. 1 right now as far as it is my first visit.”

Although Florida four-star commit Kahnen Daniels was unable to make the trip to Gainesville, fellow Mississippian Mario Nash was there. The 6-foot-6, 280-pounder out of De Kalb (Ms.) Kemper County sounded like he had a solid trip to the Sunshine State.

“I really like Florida, the atmosphere was great,” said Nash. “I spoke to all the o-line coaches. We didn’t talk about anything in particular, but it was just getting to know them and building a relationship. They are great people who make you feel like you belong and are family.”

Besides Florida, early in the process, Nash said he feels like Florida State, Houston, and Penn State are showing him the most interest.

One of the lone 2024 uncommitted prospects on campus Saturday was Tallahassee (Fla.) University School unranked offensive lineman Mark Faircloth.

The 6-foot-5, 320-pounder has offers from programs such as FAU, UAB, Middle Tennessee, and Florida Memorial. While Alabama, Florida, and Florida State have given him a PWO offer.

Though he has visited Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, and others, he said that his Saturday visit to Gainesville was his best.

“It was awesome,” said Faircloth. “It was definitely the best I’ve ever been to.”

His big decision will be whether he wants to accept a full scholarship to a smaller program or walk on at a P5 program.

“I haven’t really decided yet, but I think I will know by around the middle of my season.”

Tampa (Fla.) Tampa Tech 2025 receiver Santonyo Isaac has an offer list that belies his three-star ranking.

The 6-foot, 165-pounder already has offers from the likes of Auburn, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, and others.

Florida has yet to offer, but the Gators are showing some interest.

“Coach Billy G[onzales] was talking about the little things like this upcoming season and other things like that.”

Isaac then shared his thoughts about the visit.

“It was nice,” said Isaac. “The whole campus, the new sports facilities, and a lot of great people there.”

However, as of now, he doesn’t have UF as a program high on his list.

When asked which programs stand out, he replied, “I’ll say FSU, UCF, Oregon, and Penn State.”

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