Florida one of two finalists for local 4-star power forward

The Florida Gators are one of two finalists for class of 2024 four-star power forward Ryan Jones Jr., who plays high school ball locally.

It’s down to the Florida Gators and Virginia Tech Hokies for four-star power forward [autotag]Ryan Jones Jr[/autotag]., according to 247Sports.

Jones is committing on Monday, Oct.2, at 7 p.m. on the 247Sports YouTube channel, and he’s expected to pick the Hokies despite playing high school ball at the Rock School in Gainesville.

Florida has done its best to convince Jones to stay in town. He took an official visit earlier this month and returned just last week to observe the first fall practice.

“The coaching staff when they came in I was their first offer and they just knew being in their backyard they wanted to recruit me because of who I am as a person and a player,” Jones said. “What they’ve done to this point, I’ve loved it. The official visit, it was cool being in my hometown for an official visit, and basketball-wise they fit as well.”

With just two days left before Jones makes his announcement, the On3 recruiting prediction machine gives Virginia Tech 93.9% odds to land him. Florida is a distant second on the list at 5.0% and NC State has less than a 1% chance to pull off the unthinkable.

Jones is a consensus four-star recruit, ranked highest by ESPN at No. 63 overall in the class of 2024. The On3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted average of all four major recruiting services, puts him at No. 66 overall and No. 9 among power forwards in the class.

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