Florida edges out LSU for 4-star wide receiver Caleb Douglas

For the bulk of his recruitment, Caleb Douglas envisioned playing his college football at USC.

After a whirlwind of coaching changes, the SEC came calling. Douglas, a four-star wide receiver from Fort Bend (Texas) Hightower, answered by signing with Florida on Wednesday.

LSU finished second for the longtime Pac-12 verbal, who ranks No. 165 in the country in the On300. The Gators edged out their SEC rival with strong relationships and a fast path to the field.

“Honestly, it was a blessing,” Douglas told On3 of the second chapter in his recruitment. “I didn’t have as many offers because I committed early to USC, but it opened up a lot of doors I wasn’t expecting to open. When the SEC started messing with me, I stepped back and had to consider them and find the best fit for me.”

“It came down to relationships and having the chance to play as early as Year 2 based on how I perform,” he added on picking Florida. “How Coach (Billy) Napier interacted with the recruits and the players. I wanted a coach who was interactive and part of the system, and not just a head coach.”

Florida staved off a late push

Florida began to carve out a lead for the Houston standout before the LSU contingent gained ground with the final official visit before National Signing Day.

Keary Colbert, who landed Douglas’ commitment once upon a time with the Trojans, made the best connection and Napier made no secret that he was a priority get.

“He gave me a lot of comfortability,” Douglas said of Colbert. “I know I can trust this dude. I had a great relationship with him and it’s been a time-tested thing. I’ve been with KC for a long time, so it’s hard to break that relationship.”

“I was Coach Napier’s first offer on the staff,” he added. “He really wanted me and that came into play a lot.”

Douglas provides vertical threat

The 6-foot-3, 182-pound receiver began as a quarterback for Hightower High before transitioning to wide receiver as a junior. With size, speed and outstanding athleticism, Douglas quickly developed into a District MVP as a senior.

Last season, Douglas turned 51 receptions into 984 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged north of 19 yards per catch.

Douglas is a long-strider that can challenge vertically and has a massive advantage on 50-50 balls with a height and leaping advantage on top of a wide catch radius. He’s also continued to develop as a route-runner and makes for a difficult player to bring down after the catch.

Douglas is the nation’s No. 48-ranked wide receiver, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. On3 ranks Douglas as the No. 24 wide receiver in the country.