Gators land in top 5 for this South Florida 5-star wide receiver

The Gators are pushing hard for 2024 five-star wide receiver Joshisa Trader, who just included Florida in his top five.

Five-star wide receiver [autotag]Joshisa Trader[/autotag] named his top five programs on Christmas and the Florida Gators have made the cut, according to On3’s Chad Simmons.

Trader named Florida, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State and Tennessee as his finalists, although there’s still plenty of time for other programs to break into that list. The Chaminade-Madonna Preparatory School product plans to commit after his senior year, which is just under a year away.

He’s visited each of his top-five programs save for Tennessee, with Miami being his most frequented school. That’s not too big of a surprise considering he’s a South Florida native, but it does give the Hurricanes a bit of a home-field advantage that the Gators will have to overcome to secure a commitment.

For Trader, getting to know the coaching staff is paramount. He said that “relationships are very important” to him, and he’s in constant contact with each of his five finalists. Florida’s scheme and history of producing NFL-caliber receivers are a plus, too.

“I like Florida’s speed and how they play fast,” Trader said. “They have produced a lot of top receivers over the years too. It is a good program that is going to produce big-time players at my position.”

This race could come down to a three-way in-state battle, but Ohio State has as good a shot to land Trader as any. The Buckeyes have already earned a commitment from Trader’s high school teammate, [autotag]Jeremiah Smith[/autotag], who is also the nation’s top-ranked receiver.

Bringing in the duo would be a major win for OSU, and the Buckeyes already have a good track record recruiting in the area. The class of 2023’s top receiver, [autotag]Brandon Inniss[/autotag], is from South Florida (American Heritage-Plantation) and is joining the team this year.

Trader plans to take his time and admits that official visits could change his view, but the expectation is that he’ll commit in December of 2023. He’s ranked No. 8 overall on the On3 consensus and is No. 4 among receivers.

[mm-video type=video id=01gm9vabaxqjsm5qecyv playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gm9vabaxqjsm5qecyv/01gm9vabaxqjsm5qecyv-eee0e7e142b305b5df985aa7fdf3ab20.jpg]

[lawrence-related id=98574,98572,98566,98551,98549]

[listicle id=98558]

[listicle id=98532]

[listicle id=98520]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!