Since new Florida head coach Dan Mullen has taken over the Gators program, one region of the state he has wanted to make more of a priority moving forward is the Jacksonville area. The area produces a good amount of top-end football recruits, and it’s close proximity to Gainesville make it an ideal area for the Gators to target.

On Monday, area recruiter Charlton Warren visited many of the local high school coaches to extend new offers while also reaffirm old tenders. One of the first stops for Warren was powerhouse Trinity Christian, a program that has produced several elite recruits in recent years. There Florida extended an offer to current Miami 2019 running back commit Marcus Crowley. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder is a talented runner, but he’s also versatile enough to possible be a linebacker or safety on the next level as well. A pair of 2020 cornerbacks at Trinity Christian also landed Florida offers in Fred Davis and Miles Brooks. Both are over 6-foot, and have early Power 5 offers.

Baldwin High was another school the Gators visited on Monday. There UF offered 6-foot-5, 290-pound offensive tackle Howard Allen Jr., a prospect that landed an offer from Alabama last summer after impressing at the Tide’s camp. Auburn and South Carolina are two other SEC offers for Allen.

Florida also stopped by Orange Park (Fla.) Oakleaf, home of two of the nation’s best 2020 recruits, offensive tackle Jalen Rivers and defensive end Chantz Williams. Florida reaffirmed old offers to both. Rivers is a massive 6-foot-5, 325-pound offensive tackle that ranks No. 59 in the nation for the 2020 class according to 247Sports. The athletic 6-foot-4, 215-pound Williams checks in at No. 63 in the nation. 2019 running back Keshawn King is another Oakleaf prospect the Gators are still evaluating.

The Gators also checked on 2020 defensive end commit Josh Griffis at Green Cove Springs (Fla.) Clay. A couple other high schools the Gators met with coaches at were Robert E. Lee and Bartram Trail.

On Tuesday, Florida is set to visit Neptune Beach (Fla.) Fletcher for prized 2019 wide receiver commit Jeremiah Payton. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Payton has the size Mullen likes with his receivers, and he ranks No. 23 in the nation according to 247Sports. Miami, Alabama, Georgia as well as Florida are just a few of Payton’s early offers.

As Florida continues its quest to have more of a presence in Jacksonville, look for Mullen to take a tour through the city and surrounding areas sometime in the near future before the contact period ends.