Former Houston RB Alton McCaskill officially visiting Gators this weekend
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For the second time in the past week, the Florida Gators are hosting a transfer who entered the portal this spring. The latest official visitor is former Houston running back Alton McCaskill.
McCaskill arrived in Gainesville on Friday and will stay through the weekend to check out UF. The Gators were the first team to offer him on April 26, the day he put his name in the portal.
McCaskill did not play in 2022 due to a torn ACL suffered in the spring. He starred as a freshman prior to his injury, earning American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year honors in 2021.
McCaskill finished that season with 961 yards and 14 touchdowns on 189 carries (5.1 average). He also caught 21 passes for 113 yards and two more scores in his true freshman campaign.
McCaskill had three 100-yard rushing performances in 2021, including back-to-back games with 125 yards and three touchdowns at USF and 129 yards and two TDs at Temple.
He also rushed for 78 yards on 14 carries (5.6 avg.) in a 17-13 win against Auburn in the Birmingham Bowl. McCaskill would have four running backs to compete with at Florida.
The Gators’ RB room features one of the nation’s best duos in Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne, along with Tulane transfer Cam Carroll and early enrollee Treyaun Webb.
In addition to McCaskill, Florida also hosted former Michigan safety RJ Moten from Sunday to Tuesday of this week. Moten committed on his trip and signed with UF on Thursday.
RELATED: Former Gator LB Ron Moten describes ‘emotional’ return to Florida
Other teams to watch for McCaskill
On3’s Matt Zenitz reported that several schools are vying for McCaskill’s services.
“McCaskill, the 2021 AAC Rookie of the Year, has become a top target for Colorado and numerous other teams since news broke of his impending departure from Houston. McCaskill missed last year due to a knee injury but tied for 10th nationally with 16 rushing touchdowns in 2021. I’m not ready to make a prediction as of yet on a landing spot for him. There are teams such as Texas A&M and Miami that could be worth keeping an eye on here, especially with A&M hiring McCaskill’s former Houston position coach, Marquel Blackwell, and Miami hiring Shannon Dawson from Houston as its new offensive coordinator.”
Prior to enrolling at Houston, Alton McCaskill was rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 386 overall recruit in the country in the 2021 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.
McCaskill checked in as the No. 26 running back in his class and the No. 54 overall player from the state of Texas, hailing from Conroe (Texas) Oak Ridge.
![Florida Gators wide receiver Eugene Wilson III (3) hauls in a pass while taking balls from a throwing machine during University of Florida Gators’ Spring football practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 28, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]](https://on3static.com/cdn-cgi/image/height=215,width=393,quality=90,fit=cover,gravity=0.5x0.5/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/08/01212103/Untitled-design-80.png)
