Five-star defensive lineman LJ McCray commits to Florida

Florida’s elite 2024 recruiting class just got even better. Billy Napier has landed a five-star defensive lineman ranked in the top 10 by 247Sports and On3.

The Florida Gators added a major piece to an already elite 2024 recruiting class on Saturday.

Five-star defensive lineman [autotag]LJ McCray[/autotag] committed to the Orange and Blue over Georgia, Florida State and Miami, among others.

“First I would like to thank God for blessing me with these abilities, and opportunities and surrounding me with great people said,” Mccray said on a live stream broadcasted by 247Sports. “I would like to thank my mom, dad and sister for going through this process with me and always being there. Thank you for every coach and every trainer that has helped me become who I am today.

“Lastly, I’d like to thank all of the universities that have been relentlessly recruiting me for the past few months. With that being said, I’ll be choosing the University of Florida.”

McCray attends in-state Mainland High School, located in Daytona Beach. He’s been a big riser in the rankings this year and has worked his way into five-star territory.

Both 247Sports and On3 rank McCray inside the top 10 among class of 2024 recruits, and the latter believes he’s the best defensive lineman in the class. ESPN is a bit less bullish on him at No. 23 overall, but it’s Rivals’ No. 249 ranking that’s holding him back from a spot in the top 10 in the consensus rankings.

Still, adding a 6-foot-6, 275-pound lineman ranked anywhere in the top 300 is going to help a team, let alone ranked No. 6 nationally by the industry leader. Adding McCray vaults Florida to the No. 3 spot on both 247Sports and On3’s team recruiting rankings.

It’s clear that Billy Napier has built a recruiting juggernaut at Florida with this latest addition, but he’ll need to win the hardware to back up all his staff has done on the trail.

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