This elite 2023 cornerback is planning a second trip to Florida

A.J. Harris, one of the top cornerbacks in the 2023 recruiting cycle, will return to Gainesville on March 19 on his second visit to the University of Flordia, according to Gators Online.

Harris first met with new head coach Billy Napier and his growing staff on Jan. 22. The hiring of Corey Raymond caught Harris’ interest and Florida quickly joined the mix of teams vying for the Alabama defensive back. On this trip, the goal is to see the full staff in action and to observe some practices.

“We will be there on the 19th now instead of the fifth,” said Harris’ father. “A.J. wants to come check out the defensive staff in their natural habitat on the field. He wants to observe a practice and some meetings, so we pushed it back later to do this.”

In the fall, Harris named Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Ohio State as his top seven, but a second trip to the Swamp indicates that Florida has made enough of an impact to warrant consideration. Once eager to get the recruiting process over with as quickly as possible, Harris is now slowing things down and going over all of his options.

Raymond’s presence at Florida is a major factor for Harris, and the cornerbacks coach does have a history of landing top-end talent. He was instrumental in Florida’s pursuit of safety Kamari Wilson, the No. 3 safety in his class.

Harris is the No. 3 cornerback on the 247Sports Composite and the No. 17 overall prospect in the country. He’s arguably the top defensive back on Florida’s board right now, so expect Napier to pull out all of the stops for him.