Florida Football Recruiting: Jason Zandamela will pay dividends down the road

They say that all is well that ends well, and for Florida Football, they got some great news yesterday as four-star offensive lineman Jason Zandamela announced his plans to transfer to Florida.

His journey to get to Gainesville may be a bit strange, but the end result can't be denied for the Gators.

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Zandamela was listed at USC at 6'3" and 306 pounds. He committed to the Trojans in June of last year and never backed off the commitment. But after taking part in spring camp with USC, the Clearwater native had a change of heart and wanted to come back home.

When word came out that Zandamela had the Gators on his radar, we wrote last week that:

"His high school film showcases all the marks of a top-level center, though we may be inclined to agree with the ESPN grade the most. Even when paired up against opposition that could match his size, Zandamela had zero problems, making it known whose house the backfield belonged to. His ability to get defensive linemen to the ground in a variety of way, whether it was a traditional pancake or a straight up shoulder check, was impressive.

He was a willing run blocker when asked to pull, though his burst up the field is why we agree a little more with the ESPN grade vs the 247 grade."

His ESPN of 135th overall still puts him in a potentially elite category considering they still have him as a top five interior offensive lineman.

Zandamela will count as a transfer but in reality it will be like he was part of the 2024 recruiting class for Billy Napier. As is the case for virtually every offensive lineman, don't expect to see Zandamela as a true freshman. He'll spend 2024 in the weight room.

But combined with guys like Roderick Kearny, Fletcher Westphal, Caden Jones, and Noel Portnjagin waiting in the wings, Florida is slowly assembling a stable of offensive lineman to be ready to be the next wave the Gators will need in 2025 and beyond.