4-star OT Fletcher Westphal goes SEC, commits to Florida

Leesburg (Va.) Tuscarora four-star offensive tackle Fletcher Westphal was going to have no shortage of options when it came to making his college decision. Holding nearly three dozen offers and taking 44 visits, Westphal was able to explore all of his options.

In the end it was Florida who won out for the 6-foot-7.5, 295-pounder as he picked them over Arkansas and Clemson.

“For a long time, Arkansas was the leader and I hadn’t taken too many visits to Florida, but as I got down there more, I started feeling differently about them,” Westphal told On3. “I took my official visit to Florida, and I really enjoyed being around the players, I enjoyed being around the coaches and I loved the strength and conditioning staff. Everyone there was great to be around.

“After every official visit, you get that feeling that, that school could be the one, so I held off and took the rest of my visits. I went on vacation to clear my mind and that is when I made the decision that it was Florida over Arkansas.”

Prior to his visit, Westphal had visited Florida three times. When it comes to football, the degree and the people he’d be around for the next few years, Florida “checked all of the boxes” for him.

It also didn’t hurt the Gators’ chances considering that they play in the SEC. Westphal noted that he wants to compete against the best week-in and week-out and going to Florida, he’ll get that chance.

He noted that during a visit to Auburn, the Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze asked him to promise that even if he didn’t play at Auburn, he’d still play in the SEC.

“He told me that ‘it is the highest competition, it will give you the best chance to get drafted and it is the best league in college football’,” said Westphal, the No. 258 player in the country. “That stuck with me. I was talking with Coach Freeze when he was at Liberty, so we have a great relationship and after he told me that, I have heard that from other coaches as well.

“If I play well in the SEC, it carries a lot of weight. It’s the AFC, NFC and SEC so that played a factor in me picking Florida.”

Westphal has full belief in Billy Napier

Arguably the biggest factors in Westphal’s decision was getting to play for Billy Napier.

Westphal joins a Gators’ recruiting class that is currently ranked No. 3 in the country. They only trail Georgia, Ohio State and sit 10 spots higher than where they finished during the 2023 recruiting cycle.

Knowing how high expectations are in Gainesville, Westphal believes that the Gators have the coach to lead them back to the top of college football.

“I believe Coach Napier can get Florida back to the top of college football,” Westphal said. “He got rid of all of the bad and he is building the good now. I have seen them improve in the short amount of time I have been looking at Florida… Coach Napier has a great staff, he has some good pieces there and he is building the team and the football program back up.

“I like his personality and how much he puts the players first. He cares about his guys and that has always stood out to me. I was at the South Carolina game and I was in the locker room after the game and the speech he gave stayed with me and really made an impression on me.”