How Florida can contend for the No. 1 class in the 2024 cycle
Florida is currently one of the hottest teams on the recruiting trail, as the Gators’ 2024 recruiting class currently ranks No. 2 in the 2024 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. That success has recently brought a lot of attention to the future in Gainesville, Corey Bender of Gators Online said on the On3 Roundtable.
Between June 17 and June 19, seven players committed to head coach Billy Napier and his staff. They included Picayune (Miss.) Picayune Memorial four-star linebacker Jamonta Waller, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel four-star linebacker Aaron Chiles and Portal (Ga.) four-star tight end Amir Jackson.
The only school with a higher-rated class than Florida is Georgia. As a result, there is a chance that the Gators could compete for the top class in the country in the coming weeks.
“Guys like Colin Simmons, Jeremiah Smith, D’antre Robinson and LJ McCray, the list goes on, they’re in the mix for a lot of high-profile names,” Bender said. “But I always say everyone can be an offseason All-Star. Momentum’s always high because you’re not dealing with wins and losses. So, I personally think the most important thing for a path to No. 1 is holding on to a lot of these guys.”
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Florida is off to a fast start in the 2024 cycle
In addition to Chiles, Jackson and Waller, Clinton (N.C.) four-star defensive lineman Amaris Williams, Dublin (Ga.) four-star defensive lineman Nasir Johnson, Atlanta (Ga.) South Gwinnett three-star offensive tackle Marcus Mascoll and Fairburn (Ga.) Creekside three-star defensive lineman Michai Boireau chose Florida last week. Additionally, other June pledges to the Gators include Schwabisch Hall (Germany) three-star offensive tackle Noel Portnjagin and Baltimore (Md.) Charles Herbert Flowers three-star offensive tackle Mike Williams.
Napier and Co. hold commitments from five top-100 prospects, including two ranked in the top 30 of the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking. They are McKinney (Texas) four-star safety Xavier Filsaime and Willis (Texas) four-star quarterback DJ Lagway.
“A lot of it had to do with timing,” Bender said of Florida’s recent recruiting success. “With recruiting, we all know it’s a momentum type of game. As the classes fill up and you start seeing buzz on social media, we know kids are on social media all day when it comes to recruiting. They see that and I think it was a mixture of timing and Florida right now with DJ Lagway, they’re definitely clicking on all cylinders. They have a lot of good recruiters in their class.”