4-star WR Hardley Gilmore names top three schools, sets commitment date

Belle Glade (Fla.) Pahokee four-star wide receiver Hardley Gilmore is down to three schools.

The 6-foot-1, 165-pound Gilmore announced on Twitter that he will commit on Friday, August 25. He will choose between Penn State, Kentucky and UCF.

Gilmore is the No. 276 overall prospect and No. 48 receiver in the 2024 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 38 player in Florida.

August 25th 📍 pic.twitter.com/mtD3jGb73y

— Hardley Gilmore IV (@GilmoreHardley) July 24, 2023

Gilmore took advantage of the busy recruiting month of June. He visited each of his now top-three schools in addition to Texas A&M. He also took trips to Florida and Georgia earlier this spring. Gilmore reclassified from the class of 2025 earlier in June before setting up his official visits.

Kentucky currently has the best chance of landing Gilmore’s commitment according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM). The RPM gives the Wildcats a 96.1% shot.

Multiple expert predictions have been entered in favor of Kentucky since mid-June. KSR insider Zack Geoghegan was the first to pick Kentucky in this recruitment, entering a pick with a 60% confidence level. Picks from KSR writer Adam Luckett and Gators Online‘s Corey Bender soon followed.

“I feel good about Kentucky’s positioning,” Luckett wrote in June. “That only strengthened after Penn State took two wide receiver commits this week. I’m jumping on the RPM bridge with KSR’s Zack Geoghegan and predicting that Gilmore ultimately commits to the Big Blue.”

Breaking down Gilmore’s top 3

Kentucky currently sits No. 35 nationally in the On3 Industry Team Rankings with 14 commits. The group includes three blue-chip recruits: Hodgenville (Ky.) Lexington Christian four-star quarterback Cutter Boley, Cincinnati (Ohio) Withrow four-star cornerback Terhyon Nichols and Cross Plains (Tenn.) East Robertson four-star linebacker Elijah Groves.

UCF sits one spot ahead of the Wildcats. The Knights’ 13 commits include just one receiver in Riverview (Fla.) Armwood three-star Kason Stokes.

Penn State boasts a top-10 class in the country. The Nittany Lions’ 24 commits include three top-100 players in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking. Belle Vernon (Pa.) athlete Quinton Martin, Brookline (Mass.) Dexter athlete Liam Andrews and Westford (Mass.) Cheshire tight end Luke Reynolds lead the way in Happy Valley.

“Gilmore is an interesting situation,” BWI‘s Sean Fitz wrote in June about Gilmore. “He has been in touch with Penn State for a while but just reclassified to 2024 a few weeks ago. In fact, we talked about him in last week’s ’S’ Zone as a potential guy to watch. Kentucky hosted him for an official visit last weekend but Florida, who looked to be the top competition, seems to be in a holding pattern for Gilmore at this point. There’s been no indication when he’ll make a decision, but Penn State wanted to get him on campus now just in case he wants to make a summer decision. It’s a very interesting recruitment that’s been packed into a couple of weeks. We’ll keep checking back to see when a decision could be coming.”