Where the top 10 prospects from Florida are committed

With less than five months to go until the early signing period in December, many of the top recruits in the country have already made their college decision and committed. Anything can happen on the recruiting trail, however.

The state of Florida has done nothing but produce elite talent every recruiting cycle. The 2024 class appears to be no different, as the No. 1 overall player hails from the Sunshine State.

Below are the top 10 prospects from Florida and the status of their recruitments, per the On3 Industry Rankings.

Note: This list does not include prospects that play in Florida but aren’t from Florida.

1. WR Jeremiah Smith — Ohio State commit

School: Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 1 overall
On3 NIL Valuation: $456K

Scouting Summary: “One of the more talented and well-rounded receiver prospects in recent cycles. The highest-rated wide receiver prospect from Florida in well over a decade. A big, skilled receiver with fluidity and savvy for the position. Measured in at 6-foot-3 and around 200 pounds with a 32.5-inch arm prior to his senior season. Had a breakout junior season, catching 58 passes for 1,073 yards and 20 touchdowns while leading Chaminade-Madonna to a state title. A very polished route-runner at this stage with rare ability to change directions at his size. Smooth mover with technical refinement that allows for separation. Regularly stacks cornerbacks off the line. Pairs his route-running ability with advanced ball skills. Has strong hands and comes down with catches in traffic. A high-level ball tracker with the ability to locate the football over his shoulder. Capable of making fantastic one-handed grabs. Also flashes ability after the catch. Has the size to run through contact and a long stride to pull away in the open field. Also a strong track athlete winning state titles in the 110 meter and 400 meter hurdles as a junior. An extremely well-rounded prospect with a high floor and ceiling. Looks like a prototypical X wide receiver prospect with considerable traits and skills that point to an upside as a high draft pick.“

2. CB Charles Lester III — Florida State commit

School: Venice
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 20 overall, No. 2 cornerback
On3 NIL Valuation: $259K

Scouting Summary: “Two-way standout as a receiver and cornerback who has one of the more intriguing upsides among the 2024 cornerback group. Measured at around 6-foot-1, 170 pounds prior to his senior season. Has unverified length. Hip fluidity and ball skills stand out. Shows the ability to consistently and naturally catch the football away from his frame. Can flip his hips with ease in man coverage. Breaks on the ball quickly in zone coverage. Flashes a high quality short area quickness and excellent trigger to the football. A willing tackler with solid physicality and ability to play in the box. High level ball production as a junior, picking off five passes. Also makes plays at receiver, showing off his ball skills and change of direction. A tough runner with the ball in his hands. Lacks verified top end speed.”

3. WR Joshisa Trader — Miami commit

School: Chaminade-Madonna (from Miami)
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 34 overall, No. 9 wide receiver
On3 NIL Valuation: $219K

Scouting Summary: “Savvy receiver with signs of a well-rounded skill set as he enters his junior season. Uses his natural shake and change of direction as a route-runner, where he is one of the more technically-advanced receivers early on in the 2024 cycle. Has shown the ability to break off defensive backs with his start-stop ability. A fluid, natural mover in the route and after-catch phases. Shows the ability to track the football downfield. Already has above average size at over 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds. Made big plays against big-time competition in South Florida on a consistent basis.”

4. DL LJ McCray

School: Daytona Beach Mainland
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM): Florida 34.6%, Florida State 19.1%, Auburn 13.1%, Georgia 11.0%
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 46 overall, No. 9 defensive lineman
On3 NIL Valuation: $139K

Scouting Summary: “Big-framed, athletic defensive lineman with pass rush ability. Has translatable physical attributes and athleticism at the position that point to a high developmental ceiling. Measured in at over 6-foot-6, 260 pounds prior to his senior season. Has solid length along with a 10.5-inch hand. Showed his top end speed in the combine setting, running an electronically-timed 4.98 second 40-yard dash at Under Armour’s Orlando camp. Lines up as a big defensive end on Friday nights. Shows upside as a pass rusher, using first-step quickness to get into the backfield. Has high-end closing speed for a player of his size. Plays with a very encouraging level of physicality. Bullies offensive linemen on contact and finishes plays with violence. Works to get off blocks with vigor. Also sees time as a tight end. Finished his senior season with 17.5 tackles for loss. Can continue honing his technical skill as he fills out and grows into his body.”

5. LB Adarius Hayes — Florida commit

School: Largo
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 54 overall, No. 6 linebacker
On3 NIL Valuation: $151K

Scouting Summary: “Inside linebacker prospect who is an excellent processor and has a quick trigger. Possesses stopping power when meeting ball carriers in the hole. Quality free blitzer from the inside backer position or off the edge. Has some tightness in his hips and can get stuck in quicksand a bit when changing direction. One of the older prospects in the 2024 recruiting cycle.”

6. RB Jerrick Gibson — Texas commit

School: IMG Academy (from Gainesville)
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 63 overall, No. 5 running back
On3 NIL Valuation: $160K

Scouting Summary: “Highly explosive, twitched up running back prospect. Physically developed and advanced heading into his junior season. Checked in at 5-foot-10.5, 190 pounds with a rocked up build. One of the more explosive 2024 prospects in the combine setting, registering an electronically-timed 4.57 second 40 yard dash, 40.3 inch vertical and 10 foot broad jump. Moves at a different speed than many of his fellow top running backs. Carries that burst and twitch over to the field. Shows the play speed to rip off chunk runs. Also catches the ball fairly well, but can continue to improve in that area. Moderately productive as a sophomore while playing for a team with a losing record. Transferred to IMG Academy prior to his junior season. Older for the cycle, turning 17 years old during his sophomore season.”

7. S Zaquan Patterson

School: Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM): Miami 92.2%, Michigan 3.0%, Auburn 1.1%
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 80 overall, No. 3 safety
On3 NIL Valuation: $110K

About: Patterson has taken seven visits to Miami, the frontrunner to land the 6-foot-0.5, 185-pounder. He has taken a pair of visits to Michigan in June and July. As a sophomore, Patterson was a Sun Sentinel first-team all-county selection after finishing with 61 tackles, three sacks and an interception. He also blocked eight punts and field goals. Then in 2022, he had 69 tackles, four sacks, two interceptions, averaged 13.7 yards on kickoff returns and also averaged 40 yards a reception.

8. CB Cai Bates — LSU commit

School: Orlando Edgewater
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 92 overall, No. 12 cornerback
On3 NIL Valuation: $108K

About: Florida DB Chose LSU over Alabama and Tennessee. Took a round of official visits to the three schools and Florida State before making the decision to pledge to the Tigers on July 26. “The culture of the program is what separated LSU,” Bates told On3. “It’s a program known for producing defensive backs and I know that players who played there will come back, so it’s really a defensive back brotherhood. Those guys are players I looked up to growing up and watched who will come back during their offseason to help.”

9. S Jaylen Heyward — UCF commit

School: Rockledge
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 96 overall, No. 5 safety
On3 NIL Valuation: $125K

Scouting Summary: “Athletic defensive back with the skills to line up at multiple spots in the secondary. Measured at around 5-foot-10.5, 180 pounds prior to his junior season. A strong athlete who also excels as a sprinter in track and field. Was a state finalist in the 100 meters as a junior with a 10.79 second mark. Primarily lined up as a cornerback as a junior, despite being considered as a safety prospect. Could feasibly play multiple spots in the secondary at the college level. Has the speed to run with receivers on vertical routes. Carries wideouts down the field and stays in phase. His man cover skills stack up on the higher end among 2024 safety prospects. Had solid ball production as a junior with 8 pass breakups and 2 interceptions. A physical and willing tackler. Not shy in lowering his shoulder. Also plays on offense, showing his burst as a running back. Pulls away from defenses once he’s at the second level. Does not have a big frame. Looks to be more of a straight line athlete at this time and can continue improving his fluidity and change of direction.”

10. WR TJ Moore — Clemson commit

School: Tampa Catholic
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 97 overall, No. 18 wide receiver
On3 NIL Valuation: $133K

About: Chose Clemson over Florida. Moore took an official visit to Clemson on June 2 before sealing the deal with a commitment to the Tigers on June 6. He had previously taken unofficial visits to UCF, Florida State and Miami. “I never realized just how much better there statistics for wide receivers were over every other team,” Moore told On3 of Clemson. “Ohio State has that recently but before that, there wasn’t that much. I know for the future Clemson will get me right financially, they’ll better me as a man as a player. I know that I want to play under Coach (Dabo) Swinney.”