Florida passes Auburn as the No. 1 school for elite OT who just visited

Billy Napier has pushed his team into the lead when it comes to the recruitment of a four-star offensive tackle. All it took? Making Gainesville feel like home.

After taking an official visit with the Gators, OT Claude Mpouma shared that Florida had surpassed the Auburn Tigers as the frontrunner in his recruitment. His visit with the Gators was just his second of the summer, having visited the Tigers just a week prior.

Now, Mpouma has just one scheduled OV remaining, with the Nebraska Cornhuskers on June 20, and then the Gators will be one step closer to landing his commitment.

"I feel like I'm home," Mpouma told 247Sports. "[They're] on top. I mean, it's Florida."

Mpouma is the No. 14 offensive tackle in the class of 2026, according to On3, and is the No. 6 overall athlete out of the state of Illinois. Despite what the young prospect told 247Sports, On3 currently has the Cornhuskers as the frontrunner for his commitment, with 33.3 percent odds of landing the OT.

Currently, Mpouma holds 30 Division I FBS offers, including two from his home-state teams: the Illinois Fighting Illini and Northwestern Wildcats. However, his home-state teams are a far cry from being favored to earn his commitment.

So far, Napier has brought in the No. 13 recruiting class of 2026 in the nation, just three places lower than his class of 2025 recruits, which ranks 10th in the country. Among fellow SEC programs, Florida ranks No. 6 for the class of 2026.

Most notably, Napier already secured commitments from six four-star prospects in the class, including quarterback Will Griffin, running back Carsyn Baker, safety Kaiden Hall, wide receiver Justin Williams, defensive lineman JaReylan McCoy, and wide receiver Marquez Daniel.

The addition of a four-star offensive lineman like Mpouma could be exactly what Napier and the Gators need to break into the top 10 of the team recruiting rankings for a second year in a row.