Florida Moving Up With No. 1 IOL in Louisiana

Florida Moving Up With No. 1 IOL in Louisiana originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Florida Gators are desperately trying to lure one of the top recruits at his position away from his home state of Louisiana.

Rivals' Sam Spiegelman reported Monday that the Gators are pulling out all the stops to impress four-star interior offensive lineman Albert Simien. Simien is the top interior offensive lineman from Louisiana in the 2027 class.

The LSU Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, Texas A&M Aggies, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Tennessee Volunteers are Florida's main competitors for recruits.

Simien attends Sam Houston High School and is a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana. He is listed at 6-foot-3, 265 pounds.

“When we went, it was more about getting to know everyone — and the camp went great,” Brown said. “Getting to know everyone and learn more about the program, continuing to get to know more about their program and those involved with it … The Florida staff and my family have been in communication, and it’s starting to get up there.”

Simien is also the No. 2 interior offensive lineman and No. 34 overall recruit in the Rivals Industry Rankings for the class.

He recently took a trip to Gainesville on an unofficial visit back on June 20. He has also visited Alabama, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and the Houston Cougars.

The Gators are starting to make moves with another key prospect from the 2027 class. Four-star running back Tranard Roberts stated that Florida was in the lead as the program was the first college football team to pursue him.

Florida is trying to return to the level it was during the Urban Meyer era in Gainesville. Meyer led the Gators to two national titles (2006, 2008) and never missed a bowl game from 2005-2010.

Meyer recently credited the Pac-12 for trying to stay relevant after adding Texas State for the 2026 season.

Florida begins its fourth season under head coach Billy Napier against Long Island on August 30.

Related: Florida Loses Race for No. 2 Safety in Georgia to SEC Rival

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.