Florida rises in On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings
Billy Napier notched one of his largest victories on the recruiting trail Monday morning when top-50 defensive lineman T.J. Searcy committed to Florida.
Searcy, a 6-foot-5.5, 243-pound prospect from Thomaston (Ga.) Upson-Lee, chose the Gators over programs including South Carolina, Clemson and Tennessee. The commitment of the No. 49 overall prospect in On3’s 2023 Player Recruiting Rankings provided a key boost to Florida’s recruiting class. The On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, currently ranks Searcy as the nation’s No. 153 overall prospect.
The Gators are now No. 14 in the On3 2023 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings, ranking ahead of programs including Oregon, Michigan State and Florida State. Additionally, Florida’s class is currently sixth in the SEC behind Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Arkansas.
Florida 2023 Recruiting Class
Landing Searcy gave the Gators their fifth four-star recruit in their upcoming class. The others, according to the 2023 On3 Consensus, are EDGE Isaiah Nixon of Saint Petersburg (Fla.) Lakewood, cornerback Sharif Denson of Jacksonville Bartram Trail, defensive lineman Gavin Hill of Gainesville F. W. Buchholz and athlete Aaron Gates of Sharpsburg (Ga.) Trinity Christian.
Of Florida’s nine-person 2023 class, seven are from the Sunshine State. Searcy and Gates are the only two recruits from out-of-state.
Last year, Florida finished with the nation’s No. 20 class, highlighted by four-star safety Kamari Wilson of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy. This year, the Gators are once again in the hunt for some of the nation’s top prospects.
According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, Florida is the favorite for Five Star Plus+ cornerback Cormani McClain of Lakeland (Fla.) at 75 percent.
Additionally, the Gators are among the top four schools for recruits including four-star running back Cedric Baxter Jr. of Orlando Edgewater and defensive lineman A’mauri Washington of Chandler (Ariz.).