Can Florida make a late push for this 5-star OT?

Florida Director of Scouting and Recruiting Relations Joe Hamilton returned to the program last week after a stint at Texas A&M, and the Gators are seeing an immediate impact on the recruiting trail.

Five-star Lewisville, Texas offensive tackle Michael Fasusi made a surprise trip to Florida over the weekend for the team’s Grill in the ‘Ville event, according to Swamp247, and Hamilton might have the Orange and Blue back in the race.

“It was fun being back there man,” Fasusi said to247Sports. “The same people. Seeing Decoster, seeing Sale and saying what’s up. … Getting these relationships. Me, coach Sale, and coach Decoster, we been building a relationship. It’s been getting better ever since.”

Fasusi left Florida out his top five in favor of Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Texas A&M. That list came out in July when he set a commitment date of August 21.

For now, it appears that Fasusi will stay true to the timeline he set, but he’ll be watching the Gators during the season with an open mind. Florida dropped off its communication with him when Hamilton went to A&M, but that’s changed with his return.

Fasusi is a five-star recruit, according to three of the four major recruiting services (247Sports, ESPN and Rivals). On3’s standalone rankings list him as a four-star talent ranked just outside of the top 30.

The 247Sports composite and On3 industry rankings both grant him five-star status and rank him No. 12 overall in the class of 2025. He is also ranked the third-best offensive tackle and fifth-best Texas-based recruit in the class.

All three crystal balls submitted to 247Sports for Fasusi are in favor of the Texas Longhorns and have been in place since the spring. The Longhorns also lead the On3 recruiting prediction machine with 63.2% odds to land Fasusi. Texas A&M (28.5%) is the other horse in this race, followed by Oklahoma (3.4%) and Missouri (1.3%).

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