Please Read: Welcome to the new-look Inside the Gators
- Getting to Know: Mike Williams
- Getting to Know: Jerrae Hawkins
- Getting to Know: Joey Slackman
- Getting to Know: Fletcher Westphal
- Class of 2024 Recruiting Superlatives
- Fletcher Westphal’s mother talks about the in-home visit with Florida
- Watch & Read: Napier discusses signing class, transfer portal and changes to staff
- 25-Game Report Card: The numbers don’t look good
Marcus Mascoll officially visited and then committed to the University of Florida back in the summer. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound three-star offensive lineman is ranked as the No. 26 overall tackle in the class of 2024.
Inside the Gators, Nate Bilgoray got to know Mascoll a little better in this edition of Getting to Know.
GETTING TO KNOW MARCUS MASCOLL
Football/Recruiting
Take us through the process that led to your commitment. What was that experience like for you?
“It was a fun experience I’d say. I never would’ve thought I would have offers and stuff like that. Football came as a natural for me up until eighth grade, and then my freshman year I couldn’t play due to COVID-19. I was going into my sophomore year fresh and I fell in love with football again. From that point on it was up from there. I stayed down and did what I was supposed to do and the offers kind of just came. I did what I felt was best for me.”
Which school came in second for you and why?
“At first I was heavily leaning towards LSU, and that was right before I took my official visits. When I went down to Florida it felt right compared to the other schools. At the end I came down to Florida and felt like it was the best place for me, it was just a better environment.”
What is your favorite football memory?
“I would say when I scored my first touchdown. It was a little dump pass; I took it to the crib, did my little celebration so that was my favorite memory.”
What would you say are some of your greatest strengths as a football player?
“I would say my greatest strength is just being a dominant blocker. It’s what I love to do and I’m pretty sure it’s what got me where I’m supposed to be.”
What do you need to work on the most when you get to Florida?
“I would say pass pro (protection), that’s one thing I know I’ve got to work on. I want to get light on my feet, and I gotta get stronger in that area.”
Who is the prospect that you have talked to the most from the Class of 2024?
“I hear from all of them, we have group chats. I’ve been talking to Mike Williams a lot.”
Is there anything about the recruiting process that you would change if you could?
“I don’t regret anything. I try not to burn bridges and stuff like that. I feel like that’s as important as the relationships with the coaches who recruited me.”
You committed to Florida in the summer with the Gators coming off of a losing season in Billy Napier’s first year. They followed that up with another losing season. Did you have any second thoughts?
“I never had any second thoughts; I know it’s a process. We were hoping it would be a better season, but stuff takes time to develop so we’re going to come in, work our butts off, and try and change the narrative.”
Has the staff told you about any potential coaching changes either along the line or with a new offensive coordinator or anything?
“I wouldn’t know of any changes to the coaching staff, but I know Coach [Rob] Sale, Coach [Darnell] Stapleton, Coach [Billy] Napier and we’ll keep them.”
Is there any untold, funny, or interesting recruiting story that you can share about your recruiting process?
“Coach Sale and Coach Stapleton, they always cracking jokes and stuff like that so it would be one of the jokes they probably said. I don’t even remember none of them but we were at a family thing for the whole team next year”
Personal
What is your major?
“People change their majors and stuff like that but I’m gonna try business out. I know my brother, he changed his major after his first year of college so we’ll see what I do. I’ll start off as a business ]major], though.”
What’s your favorite quality in a teammate?
“Being able to know I could trust that person, and being able to get back from a bad play”
Who are you looking forward to playing alongside? Or getting to know on the team?
“The whole offensive side of the ball. I can’t wait to get to work and get to know them boys. Pretty much everybody.”
What is your favorite professional football team?
“I’d say the Bengals. That’s the team I’d always use in Madden.”
Who is your favorite professional football player right now? Why?
“He’s not on the Bengals, but It’s Penei Sewell on the offensive line”
Is there a person, sports personality or not, that has influenced your life?
‘I would say it’s my family, my dad, my mom, my brother. They helped get to where I am.”
What are three things on your bucket list?
‘For one go to the NFL, second make sure my families straight, three I wanna to get out and travel the world and go to all sorts of places.”
What would be your first purchase if you were drafted as the first-round pick by the NFL?
“I would buy my parents a new house.”
Where do you see yourself in five years from now?
“I see myself hopefully in the NFL, but, you know, hopefully being a better man and a better person.”
If you had a chance to spend the day with a celebrity, who would it be?
“Lebron James.”
What is one item that you cannot live without? Why?
“My phone, I’m always on it.”
What are your favorite types of music? Do you have a favorite artist or song?
“I listen to Playboi Carti the most. Location (is his favorite Playboi Carti song).”
What is your favorite movie?
“I would say Interstellar.”
What is your favorite TV show?
“My favorite childhood show is Spongebob; I used to watch that every day.”
If you could go on a dream date with anyone, who would it be?
“I can’t even answer that. I gotta girlfriend, she’s right next to me.”
What is your favorite meal or favorite food to cook?
“Pasta I would say.”
Walk us through some of your pregame rituals.
“I normally get a text from my dad or my brother. I normally read that text, they just let me know how great I am and to keep on doing what I’m doing. I don’t listen to nothing crazy (music) cuz I like to have a calm mind going into the game.”
If you could spend an entire day with anyone in history, who would that be?
“I would say Chadwick Boseman.”
Orange or Blue?
“Blue.”
Favorite flavor of Gatorade?
“I’d say fruit punch.”
What is one thing about you that Gator Nation would be surprised to find out about?
“I used to play the viola, but I’m a chill person I’m a calm person”
What’s your message to Gator Nation?
“Imma be ready to work. Y’all are getting a hard worker that knows what it takes to be successful and understands the process.”
Leave a message for your future self.
“Everybody has their own race so don’t assume or overthink what’s going to happen with your process, just trust the process and your time is coming.”
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