It’s been a good summer for Billy Napier and the rest of Florida football’s recruiting staff.
Entering June, Florida had just four players under verbal commitment and ranked in the 50s nationally. A surge over the past two months has Florida moving up every major recruiting rankings list in the country, however.
Most recently, four-star Miami Booker T. Washington cornerback [autotag]Ben Hanks Jr[/autotag]. entered the fold, which led to at least a 10-spot jump on multiple lists.
The Gators surged from No. 43 to No. 30 on the 247Sports team rankings, passing three SEC teams among others. The On3 recruiting rankings are even higher on Florida, moving UF up 11 spots to No. 21 overall.
ESPN used to be the gold standard for recruiting but has fallen out of favor in recent years. On August 9, the industry leader pegged Florida as the No. 35 team on its recruiting rankings. Hanks is the team’s fourth ESPN300 recruit, so a significant jump is expected in the September update.
The outlier here is Rivals, which has Florida at No. 46 overall on its rankings. The Rivals player grades can differ drastically from the other major services, and this is one of those times.
Of course, there’s time for things to change as the cycle continues. The early signing period is four months away, and most high schools are just beginning the fall season.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.