Josiah Davis – Syndication Server

Florida safety commit recruiting top-100 LSU-leaning CB

The Gators are still going after cornerback Wardell Mack, who is a top-100 recruit, and Florida safety commit Josiah Davis likes UF’s chances.

The Florida Gators already have 20 players under commitment from the class of 2024, but there is still room for an elite piece or two to be added to the class.

[autotag]Josiah Davis[/autotag], a safety out of Berrien in Nashville, Georgia that is committed to Florida, was in Gainesville this weekend for Florida’s Grill in the Ville cookout, according to Gators Online. He thinks that Florida has a decent chance at landing top-100 recruit [autotag]Wardell Mack[/autotag] despite LSU making a strong push for the Louisiana native.

“We are trying to get him to commit,” Davis said. “I think he’s going to choose us, choose the Gators.”

Mack is a consensus four-star recruit, ranked highest by On3 at No. 19 overall and No. 3 among cornerbacks in the class of 2024. He lands at No. 71 nationally and No. 7 at his position on the On3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted average of all four major recruiting services.

Davis also recruiting class of 2025 top-100 athlete Darrell Johnson, who is from the same area.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1739]

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

3-star 2024 safety commit to stop by for Grill in the Ville

Add another name to the list of visitors this weekend for Napier and Co.’s summer cookout.

Florida football’s first edition of its midsummer Grill in the Ville event, which welcomes prep prospects from a range of recruiting classes into the Swamp to build a closer relationship with Billy Napier and the Gators’ staff, is set to take place on Saturday, July 29, in Gainesville.

Among the many members of the 2024 recruiting class who will be eating high on the hog this weekend is three-star safety [autotag]Josiah Davis[/autotag] out of Nashville (Georgia) Berrien. The 6-foot-1-inch, 185-pound defensive back committed to the Gators on March 27, choosing the Orange and Blue over the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, NC State Wolfpack and Tennessee Volunteers.

“Florida is just a great school overall, football and academic-wise,” Davis told On3’s Hayes Fawcett. “The bond I have with the coaches, especially coach CJ, coach Bateman, and Coach Armstrong. They treat me very special every time I visit up there.”

The high school senior made an official visit to the Swamp at the beginning of June and appears to be locked in with the program so far.

Davis is ranked No. 529 overall and No. 52 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 480 and 45, respectively.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1368]

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

Florida 5-star QB commit DJ Lagway sets official visit date

Quarterback DJ Lagway has been a relentless recruiter for Florida as the top prospect in UF’s 2024 class, and he’s ready to put in more work during his upcoming official visit.

Florida’s top commitment from the class of 2024 comes from five-star quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] and the Willis, Texas, native made the decision before even taking an official visit to the Swamp.

Lagway will still get his chance to make that trip, according to Swamp247. He’s planning on taking an official visit June 2-4, which just so happens to be the same weekend that a good chunk of uncommitted recruits will be rolling into town.

One of the reasons Lagway committed early to UF was to get a jump on recruiting other top players in the class. He’s been a vocal presence on social media and at camps throughout the year, and he’s no stranger to the University of Florida’s campus.

Lagway regularly stops by campus during big recruiting weekends to help get others on board. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to see other recruits schedule official visits for that weekend now that Lagway’s schedule is public.

Four-star linebacker commit [autotag]Adarius Hayes[/autotag] and three-star safety [autotag]Josiah Davis[/autotag] are also expected in Gainesville that weekend for official visits.

Lagway is ranked No. 21 overall on the 247Sports composite and is No. 3 among quarterbacks in the class of 2024. The On3 industry rankings agree with that evaluation, ranking him at No. 23 nationally and No. 3 at his position.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1739]

[mm-video type=video id=01gx94pxqe03mfq0zz2n playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gx94pxqe03mfq0zz2n/01gx94pxqe03mfq0zz2n-0df03c73eac23f1e2c6c21c1e45ca027.jpg]

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

Florida official visit date set for this 2024 safety commit

Another 2024 commit plans on making their official visit this summer.

The third of a trio of Florida football commits to set their official visits recently is three-star safety [autotag]Josiah Davis[/autotag] out of Nashville (Georgia) Berrien, who will make the journey down south to Gainesville presumably in June when the others are making their stops, according to Swamp247. No specific date was given.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 185-pound defensive back announced his verbal commitment to the Gators back in late March after a visit with Billy Napier. The high school junior chose the Orange and Blue over the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, North Carolina State Wolfpack and Tennessee Volunteers to become the fifth commitment in Florida’s 2024 recruiting class.

The standout safety has made a few trips to Florida’s campus already and currently does not have plans set to see any other schools.

Davis is ranked No. 485 overall and No. 47 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 463 and 45, respectively.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1368]

[mm-video type=video id=01gxns8fgjn5kq7ea913 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gxns8fgjn5kq7ea913/01gxns8fgjn5kq7ea913-1b90f7c9e8fffc76f4739f6ed4c5b26f.jpg]

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

Gators earn crystal ball predictions for recent FSU decommit

The Gators are pushing hard for four-star safety Jordan Pride after his commitment from FSU, and recruiting experts think UF has a good chance to land him.

In a delightful turn of events for Gators fans, the University of Florida has emerged as the new favorite to land four-star safety [autotag]Jordan Pride[/autotag], who backed off his commitment to Florida State University Wednesday night.

Swamp247 recruiting expert and Florida insider Blake Alderman submitted a crystal prediction in favor of the Gators for Pride Thursday morning and was quickly followed by two more from ‘Noles insiders. All three predictions came in with a confidence grade of six out of 10.

Florida’s position coaches have made the difference for Pride, according to Alderman. Pride says he knows the assistant coaches in Gainesville much better than he does the ones in Tallahassee, and that’s even after the departure of former defensive coordinator/safeties coach Patrick Toney.

Pride got to meet UF’s new defensive coordinator, Austin Armstrong, during his most recent trip to the Swamp, and he’s getting closer with Corey Raymond, who is coaching all defensive backs this season. He’ll be on campus for the spring game, and Alderman says it’s worth putting Pride on “commitment watch” at this point.

Adding Pride to the class of 2024 would be huge for the Gators, who already have a trio of top 50 recruits under commitment. Pride is ranked No. 88 overall on the 247Sports composite and is No. 6 among safeties in the class. He’d abe a strong addition to a secondary class that has just one player under commitment, three-star Berrien (Nashville, Georgia) safety [autotag]Josiah Davis[/autotag].

On3’s recruiting prediction machine agrees with 247sports, giving the Gators 91.5% odds to land Pride.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1739]

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

Gators add fifth commitment to 2024 recruiting class

Florida’s recruiting class of 2024 is beginning to take shape with five commitments in the books after Monday’s announcement from Peach State safety Josiah Davis.

Berrien High (Nashville, Georgia) safety Josiah Davis announced his commitment to the University of Florida on Monday.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 185-pound defensive back picked Florida over Kentucky, Louisville, NC State and Tennessee to become the fifth commitment in Florida’s 2024 recruiting class.

Davis was in town on Saturday and let head coach Billy Napier know that he was going to announce his decision in the following days. Quickly bonding with the team’s new defensive coordinator, [autotag]Austin Armstrong[/autotag], among other coaches on the staff, played a large role in his decision.

“Florida is just a great school overall, football and academic-wise,” Davis said to On3’s Hayes Fawcett. “The bond I have with the coaches, especially coach CJ, coach Bateman, and Coach Armstrong. They treat me very special every time I visit up there.”

Davis is a three-star recruit, according to both 247Sports and On3. He comes in at No. 461 overall on the On3 industry ranking’s national list and at No. 39 among safeties in the class.

He joins five-star quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag], four-star linebackers [autotag]Myles Graham[/autotag] and [autotag]Adarius Hayes[/autotag] and four-star running back [autotag]Chauncey Bowens[/autotag] in the class of 2024.

Florida is now up to No. 3 in the national recruiting rankings, according to On3, but there’s still plenty of time for things to change in either direction.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1739]

[mm-video type=video id=01gwm85jb2b4asy3ntsp playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gwm85jb2b4asy3ntsp/01gwm85jb2b4asy3ntsp-52d1861305e83287029956218ee16282.jpg]

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

Gators getting 2024 safety target back on campus for second March visit

Florida is getting one of their defensive back targets from the class of 2024 back on campus for a second visit this month.

Berrien (Nashville, Georgia) safety [autotag]Josiah Davis[/autotag] visited the University of Florida on March 4 and immediately moved the Gators to the top of his list. Now, he’s set to make a second visit to the Swamp in the month as Swamp247 is reporting a March 25 return date.

On his last visit, Davis observed practice and met with coaches, including the team’s new defensive coordinator, Austin Armstrong. Davis is most familiar with Florida inside linebacker coach Jay Bateman. Although he coaches a different position, Bateman is the area recruiter for Davis and has been in touch with him for a few months.

Meeting everyone in person and seeing Florida’s state-of-the-art facilities helped the Gators jump to the top for Davis, and the quick turnaround suggests that not much has changed since.

“Florida is really my number 1 right now and it got even stronger. Really the visit helped move them up even more,” following his first visit to Swamp 247. “I like NC State and Kentucky too, but Florida is my No. 1 school. It’s just the environment and how it seems really great to me down there. I really love their program, the defense, and the coaches.”

Davis isn’t ranked by any major recruiting service yet, which is odd for a player being recruited by an SEC team. He should get some more eyes on him now that Florida is considered a major player in his recruitment, but there are no grades to go off right now. The hope is that this is another of Billy Napier’s diamond-in-the-rough finds.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1739]

[mm-video type=video id=01gvdq8eqdb03x5mg83v playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gvdq8eqdb03x5mg83v/01gvdq8eqdb03x5mg83v-ce81f56192edd4f52d0b1f3b0a471855.jpg]

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

Florida football gets On3’s RPM pick for this 2024 safety

Gators get an RPM pick for this Peach State defensive back.

Florida football got an On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine pick on Wednesday from recruiting analyst Corey Bender, who submitted his prediction in favor of the Gators for safety [autotag]Josiah Davis[/autotag] out of Nashville (Georgia) Berrien with a confidence level of 65%.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 185-pound defensive back received an offer from the Orange and Blue recently, after which Davis named Florida as the leader for his talents. Following another visit to Gainesville last weekend, he reaffirmed his opinion.

“Florida is still my top school right now,” Davis told Gators Online last Sunday. “It’s just the environment. The environment is just great around there. Everything on the visit was great, like, talking to the coaches and visiting the academic center.

The high school junior amassed 70 tackles (51 solo), two pass deflections, one sack and an interception last fall while also racking up over 1,000 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns — including seven as a kickoff returner, 12 on the ground and two receiving, according to MaxPreps. He also threw the ball 22 times with 12 completions for 84 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Neither the 247Sports composite nor the On3 industry ranking have any rankings or ratings data for Davis, however, the Gators do hold a crystal ball projection from 247Sports for the young recruit along with his On3 RPM pick.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1368]

[mm-video type=video id=01gv1faq9apf1m96g59b playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gv1faq9apf1m96g59b/01gv1faq9apf1m96g59b-e6b296b0440225d1cbb68929658c50fe.jpg]

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

Four crystal balls cast in favor of Florida by 247Sports

The Gators could be adding some more commitments to its recruiting class of 2024 soon after Florida recently earned four crystal ball projections from 247Sports’ experts.

The Florida Gators were pegged as the favorites to land four different recruits from the class of 2024 on Wednesday.

Swamp247’s Blake Alderman cast four different crystal ball projections in favor of Florida. Alderman believes that Florida is in the driver’s seat for four-star safety [autotag]Jarvis Boatwright[/autotag], three-star defensive lineman [autotag]Kendall Jackson[/autotag], three-star athlete [autotag]Kevin Levy[/autotag] and unranked safety [autotag]Josiah Davis[/autotag]. Jackson previously had a crystal ball cast for him in favor of Florida by 247Sports area recruiting analyst Andrew Ivins.

Boatwright and Davis keeping interested in Florida after Patrick Toney’s departure is a good sign for the program. Cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond will coach all UF defensive backs in 2023, and he’s clearly not losing a step in the recruiting realm after taking on more on-field responsibility. Boatwright, who is the highest-ranked of the quarter at No. 401 overall on the 247Sports composite, could still end up with another of his top five programs (FSU, Tennessee, South Carolina and UCF), but Alderman thinks Florida is in the “best spot for him.”

Levy is listed as a wide receiver on 247Sports’ position rankings, but the Gators are looking at him as a cornerback, making him the third defensive back to pick up a crystal ball to Florida on Wednesday. Raymond’s been recruiting him and is a big reason Levy is considering UF, but FSU is also invested in this race.

Jackson is a local kid from F. W. Bucholz that could end up staying in Gainesville. He has family ties to the program and is a regular visitor on campus. All signs point to Florida here.

Alderman’s crystal ball projections all came in with a six out of 10 confidence rating. There is still plenty of time for the class of 2024 to figure out what they want to do, but these guys might be the closest to committing.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1739]

[mm-video type=video id=01gse5agk1vyyxhvp4h1 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gse5agk1vyyxhvp4h1/01gse5agk1vyyxhvp4h1-2c138d7bb2195f064f6a8b073f8e58c5.jpg]

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