The Florida Gators have been looking at class of 2026 running back [autotag]Javian Mallory[/autotag] since at least April, but it took until Tuesday (Halloween) for UF staff members to officially extend an offer to the West Boca High star.
The Gators reached out to Mallory’s coaches back in April to see about getting him up to Gainesville for a practice. He made the trip and plans to visit again whenever he can find a date.
His relationship with Florida is still young, but the Gators are doing everything right so far.
“I haven’t really been able to talk to many coaches over there but Coach Juluke,” Mallory said when asked which Florida coach has made the biggest impact on his recruitment so far. “He really made a strong first impression just talking to me and my family. Looking forward to building a strong relationship with him in the future.”
Blessed To Receive An Offer From The University of Florida! @CoachJuluke @CoachBillyG @coach_bnapier @GatorsFB pic.twitter.com/Um6dZ6aaxU
— Javian Mallory™️ (@mallory_javian3) October 31, 2023
A standout sophomore campaign made it easy for Florida (and others) to pull the trigger on a scholarship offer. Through nine games, Mallory has 1,247 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. He’s also added 408 yards and six scores through the air.
Florida is smart to get in on Mallory now. Waiting any longer could have hurt with the amount of looks the South Florida rusher is getting. Although his signing day is still more than two years away, Mallory is approaching two dozen offers. Florida State, Miami and Ohio State are a few of the schools recruiting him the hardest right now.
Mallory couldn’t say exactly where Florida stands on his list of colleges, but the Gators did themselves a favor by reaching out.
“It’s still early,” he said. “They offered me during the perfect time because now I’m going to really cut down my list to a few schools.”
Rivals is the only recruiting service that has weighed in on Mallory so far, and he checks in as a four-star recruit ranked No. 89 in his class. Only four running backs are ranked higher than him, and none are from the southeast.
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