2024 top-50 LB Myles Graham commits to Florida: 'All the pieces just fell into place'

2024 Atlanta Woodward Academy four-star linebacker Myles Graham was well aware of Florida throughout his recruiting process. His father, Earnest, played running back for the Gators and Gainesville is just over a five-hour drive from the Georgia capital.

As Graham visited Florida more, he started to envision himself making plays at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and felt a connection with the Gators’ new staff. Graham has known some of Florida’s coaches since before they joined head coach Billy Napier, which helped as well.

They told Graham that they see him as a versatile linebacker who can “do it all” on the field. That message, along with a family environment, were key reasons why Graham committed to the Gators on Sunday over Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State and Texas A&M.

“The coaching staff is a great,” Graham told On3. “I believe they will bring back the Swamp and they will revive the Swamp into what it was before. The Florida fanbase and the players and staff, they showed a tremendous amount of love. They welcomed me as their own every time I go there, so that played a huge role. And obviously, the legacy, it can benefit me in many, many ways, on and off the field.

“All the pieces just fell into place and I feltl it was the right move for me right now.”

Graham intrigued by Florida’s new staff under Napier

Being a Florida legacy “helped a little bit” in his recruitment, according to Graham. But it certainly wasn’t the defining factor.

The Gators still needed to recruit Graham like every other program. And they did, successfully.

What impressed Graham about Napier’s staff was the coaches’ ability to work together and enable strong performances on both sides of the ball. When watching practice during one of his visits to Gainesville, he saw that the defense was “flying around,” while the offense was “sharp.”

“It’s just a great family-feel environment,” said Graham, the No. 45 overall prospect and No. 4 linebacker in the 2024 On3 Consensus. “The guys have a brotherhood there. They’re trying to develop a winning culture and I can see them working in that direction and getting better each and every day and progressing.”

Florida pitched Graham on playing inside linebacker. The point person on his recruitment was inside linebackers coach Jay Bateman, as a result.

Another reason Florida stood out to Graham was because of Napier, who is in his first year leading the program. He knows of Napier’s success at past coaching stops and believes he hires “great guys” to coach alongside him. The Gators’ new recruiting strategy also received the approval of the four-star linebacker.

“I think coach Napier and the staff, they’ve done a good job of prioritizing who they want, not just focusing on big guys or the really big names,” said Graham, who is returning to Florida on Sept. 3 for the game against Utah. “They prioritize who will fit into their scheme and it really shows them what they can be in the Swamp and what they can build for themselves on and off the field.”

Graham excited to get involved with the Gators

Graham’s junior season is set to begin in under a week. Now that he’s committed, he can focus on playing football, as well as interacting with more people around the Florida community.

“It just feels right right now,” Graham said of his commitment. “I think it’ll be more beneficial for me to commit early, you know, with off-the-field stuff, you know, networking and meeting new people around the Swamp and stuff like that.”

Even though Graham has more than a year until he arrives in Gainesville, he is looking forward to making memories with the Gators. After all, he is following in the footsteps of his father, who earned his way into the Florida record books by rushing for 3,065 yards and 33 touchdowns during his college career.

“I just hope to get my degree first and you know, take care of my academics first too, but those are the same boxes I want to check,” Graham said. “Being great in the Swamp, making plays and eventually going to the league to fulfill my dreams.”