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Florida head coach Billy Napier visits pair of Cardinal Mooney (Fla.) 4-stars

Collin-headshotby:Collin Ginnan•about 10 hours•

GinnanCollin

florida gators head coach billy napier

Coaches are still on the road visiting top 2026 prospects across the country, and on Thursday that included a visit by Florida head coach Billy Napier to Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney High School.

Four-star defensive lineman Elijah Golden and four-star interior offensive lineman Da’Ron Parks both received visits from Napier on Thursday. Golden and Parks anchor the trenches of a Cardinal Mooney squad that finished with a 12-1 record, falling in the FHSAA 2A semifinals.

Golden is the nation’s No. 212 overall prospect in the 2026 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking — a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is the No. 21 DL in the class and the No. 35 recruit from the Sunshine State.

Parks ranks No. 268 nationally, No. 21 among IOL and No. 41 from the state of Florida.

The 6-foot-3.5, 246-pound Golden told On3 earlier this month that he was ‘high’ on multiple schools.

“Florida’s definitely up there on my list of schools,” Golden told On3 ahead of the Navy All-American Bowl. “My list is different. I’m not going to have a list of schools ranked from 1 to 10 because they’re all high on my list. The schools that I’ve been talking to for the past few years ever since I started high school, they’re all high on my list. There are a lot of great schools on it like Michigan, Michigan State, Washington, Florida, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame and Clemson.” 

As for Parks, he has taken several visits to Ohio State while also showing interest in Tennessee, Miami and Penn State.

Both Parks and Golden were also offered by Oregon on Thursday — in addition to 2026 CB Laron Dues.

Three already committed to Florida’s 2026 class

After an impressive late November and early December push helped the Gators’ 2025 recruiting class skyrocket into the top 15, Bill Napier & Co. has gotten off to a solid start in the 2026 cycle. Florida currently ranks No. 14 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

Three recruits are committed to the Gators among the junior class: top-150 quarterback Will Griffin, four-star cornerback Jaelen Waters and three-star safety Devin Jackson.

Griffin, who has been committed to Florida since June 2024, participated in Under Armour All-America just over two weeks ago. On3 National Scout Cody Bellaire had this to say about Griffin after two days of practice.

“Will Griffin has one of the more ready-made body types in the quarterback group. His build and frame make him perhaps the most physically developed prospect of the bunch. Through two days of practice, he has been able to escape pressure, showing off his athletic ability. As a passer, Griffin’s overall consistency and ball placement have been up and down. With that said, he has another practice to show improvement.”