Florida jumps three spots in Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings after latest commitment

Florida received more good news on the recruiting trail this weekend as Brunswick (Ga.) four-star jumbo athlete Heze Kent announced his commitment to the Gators on Saturday.

Kent follows Duncanville (Texas) four-star EDGE KJ Ford, who pledged to UF on Friday evening. With two more top-200 overall prospects now in the fold for head coach Billy Napier and Co., the Gators have made a big move in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

The addition of Kent helped Florida leap from No. 15 to No. 12, jumping Texas, Tennessee and Florida State. Twelve blue-chippers are now in the fold in Gainesville this cycle.

“Just the job they’re doing recruiting me,” Kent recently told Rivals when asked what stands out about UF. “The way they use their tight ends and the tight ends coach now is the offensive coordinator. Hopefully they get more touches than usual.”

Ranked as an offensive tackle, Kent is the No. 158 overall prospect in the 2026 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’ll head to The Swamp as a tight end but could line up at multiple positions at the next level.

Florida stays hot on the trail this summer

Ford — the nation’s No. 116 recruit and No. 18 EDGE — and Kent bring Florida to 18 total commits this cycle. Many of the top names in the fold are recent additions this summer.

Winter Garden (Fla.) Windermere four-star cornerback CJ Bronaugh flipped to the Gators from Nebraska last month amidst a big surge of recruiting wins in Gainesville. Bronaugh sits atop the class as the nation’s No. 106 recruit and No. 14 corner.

Fort Myers (Fla.) four-star defensive lineman Kendall Guervil pledged earlier this month, while Tupelo (Miss.) four-star DL JaReylan McCoy, a one-time LSU commit, pledged on June 14. They are the nation’s No. 12 and No. 17 D-linemen in the cycle, respectively. Lakeland (Fla.) four-star linebacker Malik Morris was another big defensive addition to the class with a commitment earlier this week.

“It was a tough decision, but I followed my heart and Florida is the place for me,” Guervil told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “When I left Texas, I thought it was Texas, but I came home, I thought about it a lot, I prayed about it and Florida was in my heart.”

In total, Florida picked up 12 commitments last month. Among the other top additions were a pair of blue-chip pass-catchers in Tuskegee (Ala.) Booker T Washington four-star WR Marquez Daniel and Gainesville (Fla.) F.W. Buchholz four-star WR Justin Williams.

Milton (Fla.) four-star safety Kaiden Hall, Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes four-star running back Carsyn Baker and Cocoa (Fla.) four-star corner CJ Hester are other blue-chippers that have chosen UF this summer.