4-star EDGE KJ Ford commits to Florida over Alabama

Duncanville (Texas) four-star EDGE Kevin “KJ” Ford has committed to Florida, he announced on Friday evening.

Alabama had momentum in the days leading up to Ford’s decision, but things swung back in favor of the Gators in the final hours before he announced. Ohio State and Texas A&M were the other finalists in his recruitment.

Ford is the No. 116 overall prospect and No. 18 EDGE in the 2026 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 18 player in Texas.

“Seeing Florida … the staff, in general, everybody clicked together,” Ford said at the Rivals Five-Star last month after logging official visits. ” I love the family atmosphere there.”

Head coach Billy Napier and the UF staff have now wrangled their first commitment from the state of Texas this cycle. Ford began to trend toward Gainesville following his official visit at the beginning of June. The Gators managed to withstand some late pressure from the Crimson Tide and have now landed their sixth top-200 prospect this summer.

The Gators see a bright future for Ford as a pass-rusher. EDGE coach Mike Peterson helped lead the charge for the SEC program.

“They have already given me a good idea of my fit there, and we’ve talked about that on past visit,” Ford told Gators Online after taking his OV. “This weekend, we talked some more about my fit, and how much of a priority I am for them. They’ve shown me that time and time again since they started to recruit me.”

Playing for one of the most notable high school football programs in the Lone Star State, Ford is gearing up for a big senior campaign at Duncanville. He’s tallied over 100 total tackles across his last two seasons, per MaxPreps.

Gators add another big defensive prospect to 2026 class

With Ford in the fold, four of the five highest-ranked prospects in UF’s 2026 class to date are on the defensive side of the ball.

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.

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.

The class now features 17 total commits and ranks in the top 15 of the Rivals Industry Team Rankings. The Gators are also currently trending for Brunswick (Ga.) four-star athlete Heze Kent ahead of his decision on Saturday.