June Recruiting Winners: Florida Gators log major victories, resulting in top-three class
On3’s Keegan Pope sums it up perfectly in his first sentence below.
To kick off the busiest month of the year, the Gators manufactured a recruiting stretch to remember and landed 10 commitments before turning the page to July.
Billy Napier’s program entered June with a recruiting class ranked in the teens; now, the SEC program is sitting comfortably at No. 3 with more summer additions likely on the way.
Only Georgia and USC, respectively, are currently ranked ahead of the Gators for the 2024 class.
“Florida had maybe the most impressive recruiting week in recent memory from June 12-19, getting a whopping nine commitments in the span of seven days,” said Pope. “Along the way, they pulled off surprise wins in getting four-star linebackers Jamonta Waller and Aaron Chiles, as well as snagging four-star defensive linemen Nasir Johnson and Amaris Williams.
“Billy Napier also added a couple of playmakers around elite quarterback commit DJ Lagway with four-star tight end Amir Jackson and wideout Jerrae Hawkins.”
Additional programs on Pope’s list of June winners are Clemson, USC, Texas and Georgia. Florida received the nod at No. 2 ahead of USC and behind Clemson. That full breakdown can be viewed HERE.
Quarterback DJ Lagway is the headliner of UF’s elite class
“It depends on the type of relationship I have with that person or not. Some people like that, to be on them about it but some people don’t. You have to figure out the person and the player and find out how they want to be communicated with,” Lagway previosuly said on the Gators Online Show when asked about his recruiting approach.
“I just really want to build a bond even if they didn’t come to Florida, and I wish that they did. But even if they didn’t, you still have that relationship with them. Because you never know, with the transfer portal, they could maybe end up right back at square one and choose Florida. I just want to build that relationship with those guys and get on a personal level so they can trust me and trust my word.
“I’m really excited about what the future holds. I definitely wanted to be part of what coach Napier is about to build and where this program is heading. I’m just thankful and honored to be a part of it.
“I’m ready to get down to Gainesville and get to work right away. Just come in and try to compete for a starting job, be a day-one leader and lead my teammates to success on and off the field.”
Background on the On3 Team Rankings, powered by the On3 Industry
The On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking is our best work yet. It is the most advanced, complete and unbiased ranking measurement in the industry, yet its simplicity makes it easy for fans to follow and understand.
+ The On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking utilizes all four major recruiting media companies: On3, 247Sports, Rivals.com and ESPN.
+ The On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking solves the problem of varying class sizes during the recruiting cycle. It compiles the highest-rated commits for each team up to a total based on a rolling average of current total commitments among Power 5 schools.
With this model, there are no bonus points for having more commitments than other teams, and only small deductions occur when a team has fewer commitments than the rolling average. Unlike distribution (bell) curves, this model doesn’t disproportionately weight a team’s top three or four highest-rated commits and is a more accurate representation of an entire class.
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