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Top-100 prospect Jones Lay signs with Gators basketball

79417-removebg-preview (1)by: Corey Bender6 hours agoCorey_Bender
Jones Lay

Florida Gators men’s basketball officially has its 2026 class off the ground.

Moments ago, Tabor City (N.C.) Moravian Prep 4-star center Jones Lay signed his national letter of intent with the defending national champions, locking himself into Todd Golden’s program. The 7-foot prospect committed to Florida in early September after taking an official visit to Gainesville.

“We are really excited to welcome Jones to our program here at the University of Florida,” Golden said on Wednesday. “Jones is a big, strong athlete, with his best basketball in front of him. He is a smart, hard worker, who already has a lot of the qualities we look for in our student-athletes. He comes from a family of coaches and athletes, and we believe he will become a valuable piece to our program.”

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Jones Lay recently made a big move in the Rivals rankings

Lay, Florida’s lone commit in the 2026 class, recently made a major rise in Rivals’ updated rankings, climbing from No. 142 to No. 99 overall, a 43-spot jump. His surge reflects the growing value of traditional big men who can dominate the paint. That’s something Golden and the Gators leaned on heavily during last season’s national championship run.

“Jones Lay is a big man, pushing 7-foot-0 tall, and plays a physical style of basketball. He is a presence around the basket, has nice hands and keeps the ball high in traffic. He tries to dunk everything around the rim,” Rivals analyst Jamie Shaw said. “A throwback of sorts, but as we know, trends are cyclical. Lay fits the trend of bigs in the college game.”

Lay is known for his toughness, rebounding and rim protection, traits that make him a natural fit in Golden’s system. He became a standout at Moravian Prep thanks to his ability to finish through contact, control the glass and impact both ends of the floor.

By anchoring the middle, Lay’s combination of size, effort and old-school mentality gives the Gators a cornerstone piece to build around going forward.

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