Florida football slips out of top 3 for nation’s No. 1 recruit

The nation’s top recruit had Florida in his top three a few weeks ago but now the Gators find their rivals ahead of them in the race.

Two and a half weeks ago, No. 1 recruit Walter Nolen named the Florida Gators in his top three schools. On Tuesday, Nolen tweeted out a graphic that included Georgia instead of Florida.

This is just the latest in what’s been a rollercoaster of a recruiting process for the class of 2022’s best defensive lineman. In July, his top five didn’t have Texas A&M on it but they shot up into the top three earlier this month. Now the Gators seem to be losing ground but nothing is set in stone. The current top three are Georgia, Texas A&M and Tennessee.

Inside the Gators spoke to Nolen’s father and received clarification that the top three tweeted out isn’t a final list. Nolen’s list changes often because they are based on how the 17-year-old feels at the moment.

With Nolen being one of the most sought-after players in the country, programs are bound to recruit aggressively. It’s no surprise that the situation is as fluid as it’s been. He still has plans to visit Gainesville for the Alabama game, and a lot can change in a few weeks.

There is a chance Nolen decides sooner than expected. He tweeted out that he’d be committing once his Instagram account reached 11,000 followers and then stated his recruitment was “still wide open” five minutes later. As of this writing, his account has reached over 11,500 followers.

Nolen took over the No. 1 spot on the 247Sports industry-generated composite rankings in the latest update. He also jumped up three spots to No. 2 overall on Rivals Top250 and is the highest-rated defensive lineman according to both services.

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