Florida football’s 2024 recruiting class is nearly complete but there is still room to add another top prep prospect to the mix with national signing day still a few months away.
One of the remaining targets for Billy Napier and Co. is four-star defensive lineman [autotag]LJ McCray[/autotag] out of Daytona Beach (Florida) Mainland, who trimmed his list of preferred schools to five after making an official visit to Gainesville back in late June.
Along with the Gators, the Auburn Tigers, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs and Miami Hurricanes are all contenders for the coveted 6-foot-6-inch, 275-pound defender.
On3’s Keith Niebuhr caught up with McCray recently to discuss where Florida stands in the mix with the regular season right around the corner. His opening question asked what stood out most about the Orange and Blue for the high school senior.
“They’re not too far from home and being a Florida boy, you kind of like all the Florida teams,” he responded. “Especially with the direction Florida is headed.”
When asked about the Gators’ coaching staff, three members of the sideline squad stood out to him.
“It’s a three-way tie, honestly, (defensive line coach Sean) Spencer, (edge coach Mike Peterson) and (defensive coordinator Austin) Armstrong. I like them, for sure. They’re kind of just telling me I could be a guy for Florida. The next guy. And definitely just be in my own city.”
As for Napier himself, the head coach is very much involved in the blue-chipper’s recruitment.
“Oh, very. I talk to (Napier) as much as Coach Armstrong honestly.”
When asked about a commitment date, McCray offered an estimated date but could not say for sure. He did seem confident about it coming in October.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be (Oct. 18), but I know I want to have it somewhere around there.”
McCray is ranked No. 129 overall and No. 19 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 46 and 9, respectively. Florida holds the top spot on On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine with a 34.6% chance of signing him, followed by FSU (19.1%), Auburn (13.1%) and Georgia (11.0%).
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