Tag: Jaelen Waters

Two Gators commits ranked inside ESPN Junior 300

Florida has two of the top 300 recruits from the class of 2026 under commitment, according to ESPN’s latest update to the Junior 300.

A pair of Florida Gators commits — Jesuit (Tampa) quarterback [autotag]Will Griffin[/autotag] and Armwood (Seffner) cornerback [autotag]Jaelen Waters[/autotag] — are ranked inside the ESPN Junior 300 following a recent fall update.

Griffin is the higher-ranked of the two at No. 58 nationally with a scout grade of 83 (four stars). He is also ranked sixth among pocket passers from the class of 2026, 12th in the state of Florida and 34th in the Southeast region.

“Griffin will bring many of the same traits to Florida’s scheme that Graham Mertz provided over the last two years,” ESPN Analyst Tom Luginbill wrote. “We’ve seen that the Gators’ scheme is adaptable to athleticism based on how they’ve used DJ Lagway, so Griffin doesn’t have to be a dynamic runner in this offense. Griffin is a strong-armed, deep-ball passer and Florida loves to push the ball vertically off play-action.”

Waters is ranked No. 222 in the class of 2026 with an 80 scout grade, which is good for a four-star rating. ESPN has him at No. 21 among cornerbacks, No. 38 in Florida and No. 116 in the Southeast.

Florida has held Waters’ commitment since June, but in-state rival Miami is pushing strongly for him. Waters has already attended three Hurricanes games this season and has a history of flipping — the Gators flipped him from Florida State over the summer.

“Florida, that’s still my school,” Waters recently told Gaby Urrutia of 247Sports. “I still represent that school 100 percent, but other schools are impacting my recruitment. I love Florida. I love the city. That’s my school. My parents love it.”

Florida only has one more player under commitment from the class of 2026, three-star safety Devin Jackson out of First Academy in Windermere. ESPN has not formally ranked Jackson just yet.

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Florida football’s Grill in the Ville event visitor’s list

Here’s a look at many of the names expected to be in Gainesville on Saturday for Grill in the Ville.

Florida football’s annual summer recruiting event, Grill in the Ville, is set to kick off on Saturday with a plethora of prep prospects from the 2025 and 2025 classes set to arrive in Gainesville.

The function offers an opportunity to spend more time around the coaches and staff while also getting some personal time in a more casual setting in comparison to a typical unofficial visit.

Among the uncommitted names from the 2025 cycle expected to be in attendance are four-star linebacker [autotag]Ty Jackson[/autotag], three-star [autotag]Derry Norris[/autotag], three-star defensive lineman [autotag]Jarquez Carter[/autotag], defensive lineman [autotag]Joseph Mbatchou[/autotag], three-star wide receiver [autotag]Naeshaun Montgomer[/autotag]y. Defensive linemen [autotag]Zavion Hardy[/autotag] and [autotag]Rashod Bradley[/autotag] represent a pair of JUCO prospects who will also be present.

The Gators are also expected to host a handful of 2025 commitments, including four-star [autotag]Vernell Brown III[/autotag], four-star [autotag]Waltez Clark[/autotag], four-star [autotag]Jalen Wiggins[/autotag], four-star [autotag]Myles Johnson[/autotag], three-star [autotag]Chad Gasper[/autotag], three-star [autotag]Tae’shaun Gelsey[/autotag] and three-star [autotag]Jeramiah McCloud[/autotag].

Targets for the 2026 cycle who have submitted an RSVP are tight end [autotag]JC Anderson[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Camden Jensen[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Landen Miree[/autotag], offensive lineman Samuel Roseborough, offensive lineman [autotag]Parker Pritchett[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Chancellor Barclay[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Chancellor Campbell[/autotag], defensive lineman [autotag]Kendall Guervil[/autotag], defensive lineman [autotag]James Johnson[/autotag], safety [autotag]Demetres Samuel[/autotag], defensive back [autotag]J’Zavien Currence[/autotag], defensive back [autotag]Jorden Edmonds[/autotag] and athlete [autotag]Devonte Anderson[/autotag].

One of Florida’s two current commitments in the 2026 class, four-star defensive back [autotag]Jaelen Waters[/autotag], is also expected to be present.

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Gators crack top 10 in ESPN’s 2026 college football recruiting rankings

There are a lot of familiar names on ESPN’s top 2026 recruiting classes, with the Florida Gators sneaking into the top 10.

The focus of late has been college football’s 2025 recruiting class, which wrapped up its summer official visit schedule last month. Now, they are preparing for the upcoming fall, when those who have not made their commitment yet will make a few more OVs ahead of their final decision.

But beyond that cohort is the 2026 class, which is slowly growing in the background as rising high school juniors begin to make their verbal pledges. One of the programs that have had a hot start to the cycle is the Florida Gators, who rank No. 10 in ESPN’s recent top recruiting class rankings.

“Coming off the key signing of five-star quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] this past cycle, the Gators don’t currently have a passing prospect in their 2025 class but have struck early in the 2026 cycle by landing ESPN Junior 300 QB [autotag]Will Griffin[/autotag]. A passer with a sturdy build and big hands, he has a strong arm and can drive the ball downfield and into tight windows.

“On defense, rangy cornerback prospect [autotag]Jaelen Waters[/autotag] was a one-time commit to in-state rival Florida State.”

Other notable teams in ESPN’s top 10

Speaking of FSU, the Seminoles are the top-ranked program in Haubert’s rankings, followed by newly-added Southeastern Conference foe, the Oklahoma Sooners. The Texas Longhorns, another recent addition to the SEC, rounds out the top five.

The Miami Hurricanes, LSU Tigers and Mississippi State Bulldogs are ranked seventh through ninth, respectively, and are all on Florida’s fall schedule.

Florida’s 2024 season opener

The Florida and the Miami Hurricanes open their schedule on Aug. 31 in Gainesville, Florida. Kickoff time is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

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Florida earns commitment from 2026 blue-chip in-state cornerback

Make it two for the Florida Gators when it comes to the 2026 college football recruiting class.

Florida football earned its second commitment in the 2026 cycle on Saturday with a pledge from four-star cornerback Jaelen Waters out of Seffner (Florida) Armwood. The Gators had the in-state recruiting target on campus this past Thursday and appear to have sealed the deal with the coveted prep prospect.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 180-pound defensive back was offered back in January and has been back a few times before his most recent visit. Waters has had the Gators as his top destination since his first junior day visit but the Florida State Seminoles had been battling for his talents as well.

Waters’ Connection with Florida

“Me and Coach (Will) Harris have a really close relationship,” Waters told Swamp247. “He’s been on me heavy since he’s gotten there, and he was always coming by the school when he first got hired. He’s making sure to show a lot of love, and we get along good.”

The love extends beyond the rising high school senior and the staff.

“My dad got a Gator tattoo on his arm,” Waters mentioned. “My dad was very happy I got that offer. I been waiting for it for a long time when Corey Raymond was there. I’ve been waiting for it for a long time. When I got it, it was very good.”

Recruiting Summary

Waters is ranked No. 188 overall and No. 14 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 143 and 11, respectively.

Florida had two 247Sports two crystal balls predictions prior but trailed FSU in On3’s recruiting prediction machine with a 44.9% chance of landing him against FSU’s 54.4% chance. The Orange and Blue clearly triumphed in this battle.

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Gators grab pair of crystal balls for 4-star in-state 2026 CB recruit

Florida’s is looking pretty good in the 2026 cycle with the latest predictions for a top in-state talent.

Florida football’s recruiting efforts continue to roll along as [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and Co. take on the tireless task of rebuilding the Gators’ once-proud program.

The Orange and Blue got some good news on Thursday when 247Sports submitted a pair of crystal ball predictions for four-star cornerback [autotag]Jaelen Waters[/autotag] out of Seffner (Florida) Armwood in the 2026 cycle. The 6-foot-2-inch, 180-pound defensive back was offered back in January and has been back a few times since then.

“His main contact at UF has been secondary coach Will Harris, and even since his arrival, he and Waters have forged a strong bond,” 247Sports’ Blake Alderman begins. “Mix that bond with the fact that Waters has grown up following Florida, and his father is a big fan of the program as well. Florida has also had plenty of success in the Tampa area in recent years, so there are plenty of names on the roster currently that Waters is familiar with.”

Recruiting Summary

Waters is ranked No. 188 overall and No. 14 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 143 and 11, respectively.

Despite 247Sports’ two crystal balls, Florida trails the Florida State Seminoles in On3’s recruiting prediction machine with a 44.9% chance of landing him against FSU’s 54.4% chance.

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Gators making early impressions on blue-chip defensive back

The Gators got this four-star in-state DB on campus recently, and he enjoyed what he saw.

The Florida Gators are preparing for the upcoming Orange and Blue game on April 13 and during the team’s spring practice sessions there’s usually a plethora of highly touted recruits from the 2025 recruiting cycle.

Although there’s actually one member in the class of 2026 who’s doing his best to make an early impression with the Gators while the program is also making early strides in recruiting the young prospect.

Four-star defensive back Jaelen Waters out of Seffner (Florida) Armwood paid a visit to Gainesville this past Monday and spoke with Swamp247 about his most recent trip to the Swamp on Monday.

“I got to see how they do some drills and how they take certain angles, and what some of the coverages look like in their defense,” Waters said. “Just seeing some of the things they work on was good to see. I couldn’t get to see their actual practice, so it was good to see some of the things they had been working on.”

Recruiting profile

Waters is ranked No. 166 overall and No. 14 at his position nationally according to the On3 industry ranking while Rivals has him at Nos. 196 and 17, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Gators a 68.7% chance of signing him, followed by the South Florida Bulls (1.9%), Central Florida Knights (1.7%) and Florida State Seminoles (1.4%).

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Tennessee offers 2026 cornerback Jaelen Waters

Tennessee offers 2026 cornerback Jaelen Waters.

Tennessee offered a scholarship to 2026 cornerback Jaelen Waters.

“Extremely blessed to receive an offer from the University of Tennessee,” Waters said.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound cornerback prospect is from Armwood High School in Seffner, Florida.

There are not recruiting rankings currently for Waters from Rivals, 247Sports, On3 or ESPN.

The Vols are the fifth Southeastern Conference school to offer Waters. Ole Miss was the first SEC school to offer a scholarship on Dec. 15, 2023.

Waters has scholarship offers from Tennessee, Notre Dame, USC, Colorado, Texas, West Virginia, UCF, South Carolina, Florida, Ole Miss, Michigan State, Iowa State, Penn State, USF, Toledo, Jackson State and Western Michigan.

Western Michigan was the first school to offer a scholarship to Waters on Oct. 10, 2023.

In-state 2026 DB recruit strongly favors Florida after recent visit

It’s still early for this 2026 defensive back prospect but he certainly has eyes for the Gators.

Billy Napier and Co. were busy last weekend for the opening of the college football recruiting contact period. The first junior day of the calendar year was an important one for Florida as the program continues to search for the best prop prospects to fit in the Swamp’s scheme – even when the recruit is in a different class.

One of the emerging student-athletes that paid a visit to Gainesville was 2026 defensive back [autotag]Jaelen Waters[/autotag] out of Seffner (Florida) Armwood. The 6-foot-2-inch, 170-pound high school sophomore has made the trek up I-75 in the past but his most recent stop gave him a better opportunity to get intimate with the school.

“My time was good,” Waters told Swamp247. “I talked with Coach Will [Harris] and talked to most of the other coaches there actually. I got to sit down with Coach Napier, and have a long conversation with him and Coach Harris.

“They were both just telling me to stay humble though the process,” he added. “They were amazed at the things I did this past year, and me going from having no film to where I am now in a year.”

His relationship with Harris has been a very positive one thanks to the coach’s hard work on the road. The nascent defensive backs coach paid a visit to Waters’ high school the first chance he got and it appears to be paying off after meeting again on campus.

“He gives me like a father figure type of vibe,” Waters noted. “He is going to keep me on track, and he said he’s going to be back by my school again this week coming up. He’s going to keep me on track, and always check in on me.”

But there is more to the relationship than just sports.

“It’s not all about football with him,” he continued. “Outside of football, he wants to be there for me to prepare me as a man. He’s going to take care of me and be that father figure type on top of being a coach. He would be my position coach, so I would need that if I do end up going there.”

The University of Florida also has the edge on the family side as well.

“My dad is like a big Florida fan, so I have been catching up on Florida since I was young. I ain’t going to lie,” Waters admitted.

“Since I just got home from the visit, they are looking like the first school for me. Like they are number one. I am feeling the school, and feeling the coaches. I know I am not going to be someone who commits to a coach. I am someone who is going to commit to a school.”

Water is unrated and unranked by all of the major scouting outlets. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Gators a commanding 67.2% chance of signing him early on, followed by the USF Bulls (5.3%), Jackson State Tigers (4.6%) and Ole Miss Rebels (3.8%).

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