Florida football recruiting: Gators make top eight for 4-star 2025 OT
By Will Thomas
Florida football recruiting is planting its roots in the 2025 cycle in an attempt to secure one of the best classes in the country.
The only commitment in the '25 cycle that Napier has so far is 4-star RB Waltez Clark, but he is making good progress with some other priority recruits.
One player who has an interest in the Gators is Tavaris Dice, a 4-star OT out of Fairburn, Georgia, who announced his top eight schools today.
Florida made the cut, along with Georgia, LSU, Auburn, and others.
Florida football recruiting: A bully in the trenches
Dice stands at 6'6''-275 and has a strong size advantage over most of the guys he's tasked with blocking. His pad level is advanced for his age, and he's able to drive his legs to power through the defender.
Tavaris also has very good range for a guy his size. He's able to pull and block on the outside, as well as level defenders downfield when the play extends.
When you watch his film, the biggest and most obvious takeaway is that Dice is flat-out stronger than the guys across from him. If you don't beat him with your first step, you aren't getting past him.
Auburn currently has a big lead for Tavaris per On3's RPM, with a 94.6% chance to land his commitment. The Gators are in second with 2.8%, followed by Georgia at 1.2%.
Dice has taken two trips to Gainesville, both for unofficial visits earlier this season, so he does have some familiarity with Napier and the Gators.
Florida is going to have to beat out a handful of fellow SEC schools if they want to land Dice when all is set and done.