Tag: 2025 football recruiting

Things ‘going good’ for Florida Gators with legacy WR recruit

The son of standout Cornelius Ingram is very high on the Orange and Blue heading into official visit season.

The college football recruiting grind continues for the Florida Gators this spring, with the program looking to take a step forward from last season’s disappointing finish on early signing day with a strong showing with the 2025 class.

One of the targets for the team in the current cycle is a local legacy recruit. Three-star athlete [autotag]CJ Ingram[/autotag] out of Hawthorne (Florida) has been recruited hard by the team that his father, standout tight end Cornelius Ingram, starred for back in the glory days of the Orange and Blue.

The 6-foot-4-inch, 200-pound prospect is capable of playing multiple positions on the gridiron. While the Gators have been focused on bringing him into the Swamp as a receiver, it is possible he could also play at quarterback.

CJ Ingram on Florida’s recruiting

“Everything is going good (with Florida),” Ingram told Gators Online. “They communicate probably the best out of every school, especially the coach who is recruiting me: (wide receivers) coach Billy (Gonzales). He is always hitting me up throughout the week, seeing what’s going on at school and how my family is.”

Ingram also has a close connection with head coach Billy Napier.

“Coach Billy Napier, he has a group chat with me and my dad and sends us stuff every week. They send a lot of mail, so there is something new every day when I’m checking the mail.”

Official visit date

Ingram has not finalized his official visit date with the Gators but it is expected to come on the weekend of June 21.

“I’m still trying to schedule the one for Florida and the one for Louisville,” Ingram offered. “The Florida one, we are supposed to schedule it for the later date (in June).”

Recruiting Summary

Ingram is ranked No. 791 overall and No. 62 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 677 and 37, respectively. On3’s recruiting prediction machine gives Florida a 99.6% chance of signing the Sunshine State product.

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Florida makes top 13 for 4-star IMG Academy linebacker

Florida made the first cut for one of the top linebackers in the class of 2025, IMG Academy’s Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng.

Florida’s connection with IMG Academy has stayed strong since the start of the Billy Napier era, and the latest blue-chip recruit from the in-state powerhouse to show interest in Florida is four-star linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, who narrowed his options down to 13 on Sunday.

The Gators join Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Stanford, South Carolina, Texas and USC in Owusu Boateng’s top 13, according to 247Sports.

He has official visits set up to three of those schools — South Carolina on May 31, Stanford on June 7 and Georgia on June 14. IMG Academy is only 198 miles away from the University of Florida, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get him back on campus, if not a few times.

Recruiting Summary

Owusu-Boateng is a consensus four-star recruit, ranked the highest by Rivals.com at No. 24 overall in the class of 2025. The On3 industry ranking puts him at No. 62 nationally and No. 4 among linebackers in his class, while the 247Sports composite has him slightly lower at Nos. 69 and 9, respectively.

The On3 recruiting prediction machine favors Florida with 27.9% odds to land a commitment from him, but South Carolina (19.6%), Georgia (12.7%) and Miami (10.6%) are still in the race, too.

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Top-ranked 2025 safety sets official visit with Florida Gators

The Florida Gators set up an official visit with the No. 1 safety prospect in the nation, set to take place this Friday.

It seems like talks between the Florida Gators and the No. 1 safety in the nation are starting to spice up as the prospect told reporters at 247Sports that an official visit has been set up for the upcoming weekend.

Four-star recruit [autotag]Trey McNutt[/autotag] is regarded as the top safety in the nation, and Gators defensive backs coach Will Harris has been in contact with the recruit to coerce him to the Sunshine State.

The sweet talk has come to fruition and now an official visit has been for Friday. The Cleveland, Ohio, native has never been to the UF campus and wants to see what it’s like in person.

“I am interested,” McNutt said. “I want to get out to Florida and see what it’s like out there. Really meet the whole staff.”

Top Schools

The top-rated prospect included the Gators in his top eight choices for programs on his trail during the 2025 recruiting cycle. Others on the list spanned from USC, Ohio State, Tennessee, Michigan, Oregon and Georgia.

McNutt told 247Sports reporters that Tennessee, Oregon, USC, and Ohio are programs who have maintained regular contact.

“There are some schools that I can tell they want me,” McNutt said. “And then some schools who aren’t showing as much interest or putting in the effort as others. It’s been a journey, and I am enjoying it.”

Recruiting Summary

Trey McNutt is a four-star safety out of Cleveland, Ohio, standing at 6-foot and ranking as the No. 23 overall prospect in the class of 2025. According to 247Sports, he’s the best among others at his position, standing at No. 1.

2025 4-star cornerback includes LSU in top 10

Missouri is a 49% favorite to land Charles Bass per On3.

One of the top cornerbacks in the 2025 recruiting class has narrowed his list of final schools down to just 10 schools. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the LSU Tigers are still in the mix.

[autotag]Charles Bass[/autotag] is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound, 4-star cornerback from East Saint Louis, Missouri, where he plays for East St. Louis High School. The East St. Louis Flyers finished the 2023 season 10-3 with a loss to Cary-Grove in the 6A state championship game.

LSU joins Michigan, Oregon, Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Texas A&M and Kansas are the final 10 schools that are still in the running to land Bass.

There are currently no Crystal Ball projections for Bass but Missouri is a 49% favorite to land him per On3. LSU’s 2025 recruiting class is currently ranked as the No. 3 class in the country by 247Sports. The class is headlined by two five-star players, [autotag]Dakorien Moore[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag]. Bass would be a great addition to the class.

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Florida makes top 5 for blue-chip 2025 Cotton State safety

Florida football has been hot on the recruiting trail of late coming off a successful spring practice season that culminated in the annual Orange and Blue game last Saturday. Make no mistake – while Billy Napier and Co. were certainly busy with …

Florida football has been hot on the recruiting trail of late coming off a successful spring practice season that culminated in the annual Orange and Blue game last Saturday. Make no mistake — while Billy Napier and Co. were certainly busy with offseason workouts they still pressed hard for the top prep prospects in the nation.

The Gators’ efforts have come to fruition of late as many high school players have set official visits with the program as well as mentioning the Orange and Blue among their top collegiate destinations. One such student-athlete is four-star safety Eric Winters out of Enterprise (Alabama) in the 2025 cycle.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 200-pound defender recently announced his top 5 schools and included Florida among them.

Per Swamp247:

“It’s just something about Napier that excites me. He’s a really good dude. I went up there this past spring and we talked for quite a bit and I got a good first impression from him. Coach Harris too, he’s got a lot of experience. He knows what it takes because he’s done it at every level. The environment too. It’s something a lot of kids dreamed of as kids.”

Per Gators Online:

“When hanging around coach Harris, he gives you those vibes that he’s a guy that you would like to go to work with every day and he makes your day easier. Florida has a rich history of doing things the right way and they’re trying to get back to the top and where they were.” 

The Auburn Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, Miami Hurricanes and Tennessee Volunteers are also among his top 5 collegiate destinations.

Auburn: “Auburn is self-explanatory. Who wouldn’t want to stay home?”

Georgia: “As a prospect that plays defense, how can you say no to Georgia? Georgia recruits themselves.”

Miami: “It’s more than just ball with them. If you go there, you know you’re going to be successful on the field and off the field.”

Tennessee: “Those are the most down-to-earth guys I’ve met. They produce talent year and year out.”

“I’m looking for somebody to really separate themselves,” Winters told Gators Online. “Honestly, I want to commit as quickly as I can, even sometime before I start spring ball. But if not, I’ll take my OVs, weigh my options, name the pros and cons of each school and make a decision from there.”

Winters is ranked No. 79 overall and No. 8 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 79 and 9, respectively.

Auburn currently holds one crystal ball prediction from 247Sports while also commanding a massive lead in On3’s recruiting prediction machine with a 92.2% chance of signing him. Georgia (3.8%) and Miami (1.7%) trail a very distant second and third, respectively.

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Gators earn crystal ball prediction to flip SEC-committed DL

Florida is quickly rising for in-state DL Jeramiah McCloud, per 247Sports.

Florida football continues its grind on the recruiting trail despite the end of the spring practice season in a never-ending effort to restore glory to the Orange and Blue. Billy Napier and Co. are leaving no stone unturned as the program builds its 2025 recruiting class.

One of the Gators’ targets is three-star defensive lineman [autotag]Jeramiah McCloud[/autotag] out of Havana (Florida) Gadsden County, who is currently committed to the Mississippi State Bulldogs as of January. The 6-foot-4-inch, 285-pound defender has been keeping his options open and appears to be trending toward the Swamp.

On Friday, Swamp247’s Blake Alderman submitted a crystal ball prediction in favor of Florida, crediting defensive line coach Gerald Chatman, co-defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong and head coach Billy Napier for the achievement.

McCloud has stopped by campus three times this spring, visiting in late March and then twice in April. His most recent visit on Wednesday allowed him to bring his mother along for a tour of the university.

Recruiting Summary

McCloud is ranked No. 508 overall and No. 51 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 461 and 39, respectively.

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LSU commit Harlem Berry recognized as one of the top running backs in his class by On3

One of LSU’s top commitments for the 2025 recruiting class has been recognized as the No. 1 running back in his class by On3.

One of LSU’s top commitments for the 2025 recruiting class has been recognized as the No. 1 running back in his class by On3.

[autotag]Harlem Berry[/autotag] is a 5-foot-11, 175-pound, five-star running back from Metairie, Louisiana, where he plays for St. Martin’s Episcopal. Berry is ranked as the No. 1 running back in the 2025 recruiting class by On3 and ESPN while Rivals and 247Sports has Berry listed as the No. 2 running back in the class.

Berry is not the only running back commitment the Tigers have in the 2025 class. Last week, LSU picked up a commitment from four-star running back [autotag]JT Lindsey[/autotag] as well. LSU has a long history of very talented running backs and it looks like that trend will continue with the 2025 class.

The [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] is currently ranked as the No. 3 class in the country by 247Sports. The class is headlined by three five-star players, [autotag]Dakorien Moore[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag], and Berry.

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Gators set up official visit date for 2025 blue-chip linebacker

This Peach State product will be in Gainesville the final weekend of May.

The list of official visitors for the Florida football program this summer continues to grow at a frenetic pace as Billy Napier and his army of staffers continue to grind away on the recruiting front.

Adding to the names of high school prospects planning on making their way to Gainesville in a couple of months is four-star linebacker [autotag]Christian Gass[/autotag] out of Covington (Georgia) Eastside in the 2025 cycle. The 6-foot-4-inch, 205-pound defender recently told Swamp247 that he plans on making his OV with the Orange and Blue on May 31.

Gass also has official visits set up with the USC Trojans (June 7), Georgia Bulldogs (June 14) and Kentucky Wildcats (June 21).

Previous visits to Florida

The high school junior has visited campus twice in the past year since receiving a scholarship offer in January. Gass’ fist stop came in February when he swung through the Swamp for a junior day event while following that up with another visit for the second spring intrasquad scrimmage.

He noted that off-field staffer Cannon Gibbs, co-defensive coordinator Ron Roberts and head coach Billy Napier are the members of staff that he speaks with the most.

Recruiting Summary

Gass is ranked No. 249 overall and No. 28 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 268 and 30, respectively.

On3’s recruiting prediction machine has Florida out in front with a 33.4% chance of signing him, followed by Kentucky (23.5%), USC (15.2%) and the Auburn Tigers (8.6%).

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Blue-chip tight end includes Florida among his top-8 choices

See what a 4-star tight end recruit had to say about the Florida Gators after including them in his top eight choices.

The Florida football program is almost always setting up high school recruits for official visits. It may be during the regular season, but most of the time it is during the team’s spring practice sessions that start in March and conclude with the annual spring game.

Now that the Orange and Blue game has come and gone, players are leaving their reviews for the college campuses and football facilities to help narrow down their top selections. Recently, a four-star recruit out of Center Valley, Pennsylvania paid a visit to several top universities, and his recent visit to UF helped the Gators earn a spot among his top eight choices.

High school tight end Andrew Olesh revealed his top choices to 247Sports, stating that selecting a top-eight list will help him go in-depth with what each program has to offer and where he fits best. Among the list are Alabama, Florida State, Michigan, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Ole Miss and the Florida Gators.

There’s plenty of stiff competition for the Gators to out-recruit, and here’s what Olesh told 247Sports when it comes to the UF football program. He mainly liked the coaching style of Florida tight end coach Russ Callaway.

Recruiting Summary

Olesh is ranked No. 175 overall and No. 8 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 177 and 9, respectively.

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Coveted blue-chip 2025 QB announces decision date

This Ohio-based signal-caller has the Gators in his final three. Will he pick the Orange and Blue?

The big day is nearly here for one of the top quarterback recruits in the 2025 cycle. Four-star gunslinger [autotag]Ryan Montgomery[/autotag] out of Findlay (Ohio) set his official announcement date for Wednesday, April 17, which will be broadcast from his high school at 3 p.m. ET.

The announcement will be broadcast live on the 247Sports YouTube Channel on Wednesday afternoon.

The Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs and South Carolina Gamecocks represent the three finalists in the running for the blue-chip passer. The trio were the finalists in a field that included 27 total offers from many top programs around the nation.

Recruiting Summary

Montgomery is ranked No. 184 overall and No. 15 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite, while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 186 and 14, respectively.

Georgia is the current favorite to land a commitment from Montgomery, with 73.9% odds on the On3 recruiting prediction machine; Florida (9.8%) and South Carolina (4.7%) follow behind.

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