Right In The Middle Of The Basketball Game, Napier Pulls A Rabbit Out Of The Hat: Arlis Boardingham

The new coach greets the latest addition to his 2022 Class. UAA Photo

“The coaches connected with me and my family, and I felt like that was a huge part. They check off all the boxes.”--Arlis Boardingham

By KYLE CURTIS

GatorBait Intern

Wait, wait! Recruiting season isn’t over yet! If you weren’t paying attention on Wednesday night, you missed it: In the midst of a Florida-Georgia basketball game in Gainesville, football managed to steal the spotlight.

The Gators were able to secure a commitment from 3-star Athlete Arlis Boardingham to close out their 2022 recruiting class.

Boardingham, 6-foot-3, 234 pounds, was primarily a wide receiver in high school, although UF will likely throw him in at tight end as well. He was officially listed an “ATH,” or athlete, which is not a designation often used to describe a tight end.

Boardingham, a California native, pared his colleges down to Florida and Oregon before ultimately choosing the Gators. In addition to the Gators and Ducks, Boardingham had offers from USC, Texas, Notre Dame, Utah, Arizona State and Oregon State among others.

Boardingham officially visited the UF on Jan. 14 and received multiple visits from them during the contact period. UF was also the program that had been recruiting him the hardest.

Oregon never made the effort to visit him out in California. Nonetheless, Boardingham made a trip to Eugene the weekend before National Signing Day. Therefore, Boardingham was dealt with a tough decision between the Ducks and Gators leading up to National Signing Day before finally choosing Gainesville.

“I would say the coaching staff,” Boardingham told Gators Online when asked why UF received the nod. “They all seem like they have a plan and are on the same page. They also share the same common goal and have their best interest in me and me developing as a person and player.

“The coaches connected with me and my family, and I felt like that was a huge part,” said Boardingham. “They check off all the boxes.”

Napier and his staff have proved how committed they were on the recruiting trail.

According to the On3 Consensus Rankings, Boardingham is the No. 19 athlete in the 2022 class. He is also the No. 39 senior in the state of California and has an On3 NIL Valuation of $15,300.

Florida has jumped up to 17 in the latest 247sports overall rankings, up from 19th after National Signing Day. Significantly better than outside of the top 80, where we stood the first day Napier arrived on campus.

Here is how the 2022 class ended up (via 247sports):

Enrollees:

● Kamari Wilson, 4-Star Safety

● Chris McClellan, 4-Star Defensive Lineman

● Devin Moore, 4-Star Safety

Signed Letter of Intent:

● Shemar James, 4-Star Linebacker

● Trevor Etienne, 4-Star Running back

● Tony Livingston, 4-Star Offensive Tackle

● Jamari Lyons, 4-Star Defensive Lineman

● Jack Pyburn, 3-Star Edge

● Caleb Douglas, 3-Star Wide Receiver

● Arlis Boardingham, 3-Star Athlete

● Andrew Savaiinaea, 3-Star Defensive Lineman

● Jalen Farmer, 3-Star Offensive Lineman

● Miguel Mitchell, 3-Star Athlete

● David Conner, 3-Star Offensive Tackle

● Christian Williams, 3-Star Offensive Lineman

● Max Brown, 3-Star Quarterback

● Trey Smack, 3-Star Kicker

● Hayden Hansen, 3-Star Tight End

Transfers

● O’Cyrus Torrence (Louisiana Lafayette), 4-Star Offensive Lineman

● Jalen Kimber (Georgia), 4-Star Cornerback

● Montrell Johnson (Louisiana Lafayette), 4-Star Running back

● Kamryn Waites (Louisiana Lafayette), 4-Star Offensive Tackle

● Jack Miller (Ohio State), 3-Star Quarterback

● Tyrone Truesdell (Auburn), 3-Star Defensive Lineman