Tag: flip

Gators host Auburn DL commit for multi-day visit in effort to flip

Defensive lineman Malik Autry has been committed to Auburn for over a year, but that isn’t slow the Florida Gators down from pursuing him.

Florida’s first spring scrimmage on Saturday was also an opportunity for recruits to stop by and check out the Swamp, including Auburn defensive line commit Malik Autry.

The Tigers earned a verbal commitment from Autry over a year ago, but the Gators are among the teams continuing to push for him. In fact, Florida might be the positioned team to flip Autry, according to a report from 247Sports.

“I’m committed to Auburn, but they’re (Florida) right behind Auburn,” Autry said. “It’s just all a matter of time. After OV’s and everything like that.”

Florida will join Oregon, UCF and USC in hosting him on an official visit over the summer. The Gators get him on June 7.

“I’ve seen everything for the most part,” he said. “Just seeing if everything is consistent, and having a good time, and then going from there.”

The hope is to have things figured out after those official visits. He doesn’t want to take a flip decision into the season.

Recruiting Summary

Autry is a four-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals’ measures, but ESPN and On3 think he’s a three-star talent.

The On3 industry ranking, which considers all four services, has him listed as a four-star at No. 244 overall and No. 17 at his position, while the 247Sports composite has him even higher at Nos. 184 and 23, respectively.

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Florida pushing to flip this FSU offensive line commit

Four-star offensive lineman Solomon Thomas committed to Florida State last month, but that doesn’t mean the Gators are done pursuing him.

Florida’s recruiting staff lost the race for blue-chip offensive lineman Solomon Thomas last month, when he committed to Florida State, but the Gators aren’t giving up just yet.

Thomas visited Florida in January, according to Swamp247, and are one of the few teams that are still pushing hard for him after the commitment.

“I would say most schools are still trying to push for me,” Thomas said to Swamp247. “But when you committed, it shows me who truly still wants me. I would say that is LSU, Miami, and UF.”

The expectation is for Thomas to make more visits throughout the spring and a few official visits later on in the year. Florida should get him on campus at least one more time, but no dates are in place right now.

Thomas is a consensus four-star recruit, ranked the highest by ESPN at No. 20 overall. He’s a top-50 overall recruit everywhere but On3, but the 247Sports composite, which considers all four services, puts him at No. 18 nationally and No. 1 among interior offensive linemen in the 2025 class.

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Florida loses another 4-star, this time to Texas A&M Aggies

Florida’s 2024 recruiting class has taken another hit. Four-star wide receiver Izaiah Williams flipped to Texas A&M on Wednesday.

Florida’s early signing period bleed continued late into Wednesday as in-state wide receiver [autotag]Izaiah Williams[/autotag] flipped from UF to Texas A&M.

Williams signed shortly after announcing the flip, sending in his national letter of intent to the Aggies. Florida had Williams under commitment for over seven months.

“What really stood out to me with Texas A&M is the vision they have,” Williams said to On3. “I feel my skill set best aligns with their program to be successful. They have key components that will help develop me not only as a player but as a person as well.”

Williams is a four-star talent, according to On3 and Rivals, but 247Sports and ESPN think he’s a three-star. He retained four-star status on the On3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted average of all four major services, though. He checks in at No. 318 overall in the class of 2024 and No. 54 among wide receivers.

Florida signed receivers Tawaski “TJ” Abrams and Jerrae Hawkins Jr., as well as four-star tight end Amir Jackson. Former Wisconsin wide receiver Chimere Dike transferred in.

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Florida’s blue-chip LB commit flips to Miami Hurricanes

This four-star in-state linebacker recruit just wasn’t feeling the Gators’ vibe and instead chose the ‘Canes.

Florida football received more bad news on Wednesday afternoon during the opening day of the early signing period rush. Along with the delay in five-star defensive lineman LJ McCray’s official commitment and Amaris Williams’ flip to the Auburn Tigers, the Gators were dealt a major blow with the flip of another blue-chip recruit.

Four-star linebacker [autotag]Adarius Hayes[/autotag] out of Largo (Florida) made a last-minute decision to choose the Miami Hurricanes despite the long courtship between him and UF.

He was originally offered as a freshman during Dan Mullen’s tenure, and inside linebackers coach Jay Bateman continued where his predecessor left off. The 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pound Sunshine State product grew up a Gators fan and was seemingly amped to join the Orange and Blue.

However, the Hurricanes were persistent, and there were times it appeared his commitment to Florida might be wavering. His official visit to Coral Gables this month likely was what turned the tables on Billy Napier and Co. in the end.

Hayes is ranked No. 73 overall and No. 7 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite. The On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 80 and 7, respectively.

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Auburn flips 4-star DL commit from Florida on early signing day

The Gator Nation gets another hit of bad news as this blue-chip D-liner flips to another orange and blue school.

The opening of college football’s early signing period has been filled with mostly good news, but there have been a couple of blemishes on the Florida Gators’ efforts so far. After learning that their five-star defensive lineman commit is putting a pause on making his final decision, another blue-chipper on the D-line flipped to a fellow Southeastern Conference school.

Four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Amaris Williams[/autotag] out of Clinton (North Carolina) committed to the Orange and Blue back in June but appears to have had cold feet when it came time to put the ink to the paper. The 6-foot-3-inch, 270-pound trench warrior made a last-minute decision to choose a different school with similar colors in the Auburn Tigers.

“The chance to play early and the people I get to be around every day,” Williams told 247Sports. “Especially the coaches I get to be coached by. Coach JG (Jeremy Garrett), Coach Trell (Vontrell King-Williams) and Coach Freeze.”

It seems that Florida had an inside edge, but a weak showing on the field this season and the resulting personnel moves apparently had a negative effect on his view of UF.

“I’m really big on culture and how people are to me. That’s really one of the reasons I committed to UF,” Williams admitted. “But seeing all the changes that they’ve had and everything like that, it’s really a downfall for me. So knowing that Auburn has really good people and knowing they have a sustainable staff when it comes to the next three to five years is really good for me.

“It’s good to know I can come here and be around really good people and have coaches who are going to be here for a very long time.”

Williams is ranked No. 79 overall and No. 12 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 83 and 12, respectively.

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HOOKED: Texas flips four-star WR DeAndre Moore from Louisville

Texas adds another elite wide receiver.

Texas adds another elite wide receiver to its 2023 recruiting class with an early signing period flip of DeAndre Moore Jr.

The four-star wideout had previously been committed to Louisville. The Cardinal could not fight off the late push from Steve Sarkisian and Texas’ staff. Georgia was also in the mix of late, but Moore ultimately decided on Texas as his future home.

247Sports composite rankings list Moore as the No. 17 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 95 overall prospect. He joins five-star Johntay Cook and four-star Ryan Niblett in what makes up an excellent wide receiver haul for the Longhorns.

Moore is a speedy player with great hands and route running. He excelled at the highest level of high school football playing a St. John Bosco in California. Moore profiles as a perfect dynamic playmaker for Steve Sarkisian’s offense.

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Florida EDGE commit trending toward early signing period flip

Florida could be losing a member of its recruiting class of 2023 on the first day of the early signing period.

The insiders at both 247Sports and On3 are reporting that Florida edge rusher commit [autotag]Isaiah Nixon[/autotag] is likely to sign with the UCF Knights on Wednesday when the early signing period opens up.

Of course, Nixon was originally committed to the Knights until a June visit to the Swamp forced his initial flip. 247Sports’ Jacob Rudner said that the this move has been described as a “mutual parting of ways,” and On3’s Corey Bender said that he wouldn’t consider this a “flip,” per se.

It shouldn’t take long for some clarity to develop in this situation. Nixon is planning on signing on the first day of the early period, which is less than 24 hours out at this point. It wouldn’t be a national signing day without some drama, and UCF did just land former Gators wide receiver commit [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag] as well. Well played, Knights. Well played.

Nixon is the only edge rusher in Florida’s class labeled as such, but there are plenty of defensive linemen coming in that could shift positions. Florida may need to look more aggressively for an edge in the transfer portal to fill out the depth chart, though.

Nixon is a four-star recruit that is ranked No. 267 overall and No. 32 among edge rushers in the class of 2023 on the 247Sports composite. The On3 consensus is a bit higher on him at No. 250 nationally and No. 27 among those at his position.

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Gators flip 4-star QB Jaden Rashada from Miami

The Gators shocked the world overnight and got their quarterback. Jaden Rashada has flipped his commitment from the University of Miami to the University of Florida.

In a surprise turn of events, four-star quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] flipped his commitment from the University of Miami to the University of Florida.

Rashada committed to the Hurricanes back in June, and it was the start of a string of wins for UM that made Florida fans anxious. The Gators have since put together a top-10 class, and flipping Rashada moves them up to No. 8 on both 247Sports and On3’s team rankings for the class of 2023.

Team booster Hugh Hathcock teased a big announcement on Wednesday, and Rashada’s Thursday night/Friday morning announcement did not disappoint. Although it hasn’t been explicitly stated that Rashada got a nice NIL package, the puzzle pieces are there to put together. Hathcock is the biggest donor the football program has and Rashada posted a video of him in Hathcock’s Lamborghini to make the announcement.

Rashada’s commitment makes him the highest-rated recruit in the class of 2023 and there’s room for early playing time. If [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] departs for the NFL, which many believe he will, Rashada could compete for the starting job as a true freshman with Ohio State transfer [autotag]Jack Miller III[/autotag].

Miller was the clear No. 2 to Richardson coming into the season, but his thumb injury has propelled [autotag]Jalen Kitna[/autotag] into the backup role this year. There’s also freshman [autotag]Max Brown[/autotag] to consider and incoming quarterback [autotag]Marcus Stokes[/autotag] in that race. Rashada has the right tools to make it happen, but it wouldn’t be too crazy to see him spend a year in a backup role.

The 247Sports composite ranks Rashada No. 57 overall in the class of 2023 and No. 7 among quarterbacks in the class. The On3 composite agrees with that opinion, placing him at No. 61 nationally and in the same spot among players at his position.

Rashada is now the highest-ranked recruit on Florida’s lit of verbal commitments, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see more of Miami’s commits jump ship. The Hurricanes still have commitments from the top cornerback in the class [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag] and the top offensive tackle in the class, [autotag]Francis Mauigoa[/autotag]. If Florida was pushing on Rashada, they are probably pushing on those two still as well.

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Florida completes flip of this 4-star FSU OL commit

Billy Napier and Co. have successfully flipped four-star offensive lineman Roderick Kearney from the Florida State Seminoles.

The Gators continued to dominate the state of Florida on the recruiting trail Monday. Four-star offensive lineman [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag] took to Twitter to announce a flip in his commitment from FSU to Florida, bringing the class of 2023 to 22 commits.

It doesn’t take a college football expert to understand the significance of beating out a rival program for an in-state blue chipper, but Kearney should be the highest-ranked offensive lineman signed by Florida since 2018 ([autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag] was ranked in the top 100). For a school and fanbase looking for signs of a swift turnaround, nothing could be more promising than a win in the trenches. The previous regime struggled to recruit offensive linemen, and [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s crew is looking to change that narrative.

Landing Kearney is a good start. He’s an aggressive interior lineman that’s constantly working on the little things to get where he wants to be. His strength is against the run right now, but he’s looking to grow and become a better all-around player by the time he’s in Gainesville.

Kearney picked FSU over UF shortly after visiting the Swamp, but the Gators’ persistence paid off in the end. Kearney’s commitment secures Florida’s spot at No. 8 in 247Sports’ team rankings for now. Clemson was breathing down UF’s neck, and now there’s about a 2.5-point gap between the two programs. Passing LSU would take a major signing or two, though.

The 247Sports composite ranks Kearney at No. 123 overall in the class of 2023 and No. 4 among interior offensive linemen. On3 is even more bullish on him, ranking him at No. 66 overall in the class.

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Florida flips 4-star linebacker from South Carolina

The Gators needed a linebacker in the class of 2023, so they kept after four-star Jaden Robinson and flipped him from South Carolina.

The Gators picked up another four-star recruit Wednesday night, flipping linebacker [autotag]Jaden Robinson[/autotag] from South Carolina.

Robinson committed to the Gamecocks on the Fourth of July, but Florida was just getting into the race at that point and continued to pursue the Columbia High (Lake City, Florida) recruit. Eventually, Billy Napier’s staff convinced him to flip. Inside linebackers coach Jay Bateman has been the lead recruiter for Florida, and outside linebacker coach Mike Peterson is also in the mix, according to 247Sports. Peterson has ties to Robinson from his time recruiting him for South Carolina.

Florida lacked an inside linebacker in the class, and Robinson fills that hole. In previous visits, coaches have laid out where he would play, and the Gators like him on the inside. He took a pair of visits to the Swamp in late July and that could have made the difference for Robinson.

Florida class of 2023 now sits at 17 total commitments, 15 four-stars and two three-stars. Robinson is around the middle of the pack, but he’s still ranked No. 379 overall on the 247Sports composite and No. 32 at his position.

UF remains at No. 13 on 247Sports’ team rankings.

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