3-star DL Tavion Gadson flips to Kentucky from Florida State

Savannah (Ga.) Jenkins three-star defensive lineman Tavion Gadson took an official visit to Kentucky on the weekend of Dec. 17. Following the trip, he decommitted from Florida State.

Late in his recruiting process, Gadson was having thoughts of flipping to the Wildcats from the Seminoles. He made that a reality on National Signing Day.

“(Defensive backs) coach (Chris) Collins, he was a crucial factor in me choosing them,” Gadson told On3. “Just the heavy recruiting at the personal level. It wasn’t that Florida State didn’t do the same, because they did. But I just feel like right now, because of my situation, I feel like Kentucky would be my best bet.”

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound recruit called his decision “pretty difficult.” Both Florida State and Kentucky heavily recruited him. Following his original commitment to the Seminoles, the Wildcats worked even harder. Eventually, Gadson felt that Kentucky’s efforts “pushed it over the top.”

Gadson built relationships with multiple Wildcats staffers. They include Collins and head coach Mark Stoops.

“I’ve met coach Stoops a couple of times,” said Gadson, the No. 684 overall prospect and No. 72 defensive lineman in the 2023 On3 Consensus. “He came down to see me at school. From the two or three times I’ve talked with him and seen him, he seems like a pretty good dude and a pretty good coach. (He) connects with his guys.”

During Stoops’ tenure, Kentucky has developed numerous players, including some defensive lineman, for the NFL. That stood out to Gadson, who also took unofficial visits to Lexington on June 16 and March 23.

“I know on one of my visits, I (met) with one of their d-lineman,” Gadson said. “He was in the NFL Draft. I’ve seen some of their players, how they’ve looked, how they’ve developed into draft picks. They’ve just produced some guys and gotten them where they want to go.”