Tag: junior day

Former IMG Academy OL picks up offer from Gators, visits for Junior Day

Florida is ramping things up for the class of 2026 recruiting cycle, and one of the early offensive line targets is Picayune’s Mitchell Smith.

Picayune Memorial (Mississippi) offensive tackle [autotag]Mitchell Smith[/autotag] is one of the more recent offers for Florida, and the Gators got a chance to host him for their first junior day of January.

Smith already had plans to visit Florida, but he locked in the date once offensive line coach Jonathan Decoster extended a scholarship in the week leading up to the trip. The two spent time together with Florida’s other offensive line coach, Rob Sale, last Saturday, according to Swamp247.

“Getting to put a name to a face. That was a big thing for me, personally,” Smith said to 247Sports. “We sat down in the offensive line meeting room and we went over some basic stuff. Got to see the way they teach and whatnot. I like how they do things. They have like three or four offensive line coaches to teach and help you.”

Smith left impressed with Florida’s developmental ability and might still be raving about the facilities available in Gainesville.

“I’d definitely say (Florida’s) high up there now,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’m a diehard Florida fan, but I’ve always followed the program and whatnot. Started following and learning about Tim Tebow when he was there, so they’re definitely up there when it comes to my recruiting path.”

Florida isn’t the only Power Four team hosting Smith during the winter. He was at Florida State in December for a junior day, made his way to Ole Miss earlier this month and hit LSU after Florida. Auburn and Mississippi State are other programs looking to get him on campus in February.

Smith’s recruitment picked up during the fall of 2023 when his sophomore tape began circulating. Louisiana-Lafayette was the only team to host him for a camp between ninth and 10th grade, but the in-state trio of Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Southern Miss joined the race before the year got out. Alabama was another early player in his recruitment.

Then, he transferred to IMG Academy for his junior year and his offer sheet filled up with SEC programs. Florida offered him most recently ahead of his junior day visit. Now set to finish his high school career back in Mississippi, Smith looks like a rising star in the offensive line market.

Florida is recruiting him as an interior lineman but he’ll get a shot to play tackle too because of his size. Where he ends up depends on how he looks, but the flexibility is part of the Gators’ pitch.

Recruiting Summary
Service Star Rating Natl. Rank Pos. Rank State Rank
247Sports Composite ⭐⭐⭐ 462 35 15
On3 Industry Ranking ⭐⭐⭐ 497 30 15
Top247 ⭐⭐⭐ N/A 51 22
On300 ⭐⭐⭐ N/A 147 19
ESPN N/A N/A N/A N/A
Rivals ⭐⭐⭐⭐ N/A 32 51

Scouting Report

“There’s already plenty of buzz inside IMG Academy’s football facilities about Smith, and it’s easy to see why,” 247Sports scouting director Andrew Ivings wrote in a March report. “He punished defenders as a sophomore at Mississippi’s Picayune Memorial and carries his weight well. We really liked what we saw out of Smith during drive-blocking drills as he shot out of his stance.

Height: 6-4.5

Weight: 325

Visit History

Ole Miss gameday visit in 2023. Alabama, LSU and Mississippi State camp visits in June 2024. Florida (Jan. 18) and Florida State (Dec. 21) Junior Day.

2024 Gameday visits:

Crystal Ball/Predictions

With no official predictions submitted, the On3 recruiting prediction machine favors LSU with 29.2% odds, closely followed by Ole Miss (25.6%) and Florida (21.9%). There are 14 other programs tied for fourth place with 1.7% apiece.

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Florida hosts 4-star safety from Pouncey family on Junior Day visit

Florida is recruiting another member of the Pouncey family, four-star safety Ayden, who visited The Swamp this weekend.

Winter Park safety [autotag]Ayden Pouncey[/autotag] is the most recent member of the legendary Gators family to develop a relationship with Florida.

The younger brother of former Gators Ethan and Jordan Pouncey, Ayden picked up an offer from the Orange and Blue in September and visited campus for Florida’s second junior day on Saturday, according to Swamp247.

“It’s gonna be hard to say no to them,” Pouncey said following the visit. “Just, it’s like my second home. I’ve been here so many times. So I think they’ll definitely end up being in the final race of one of the top schools.”At one point considered a freshman phenom, Pouncey racked up more than a dozen offers before 10th grade and eclipsed 30 heading into his junior year. Florida waited until September to officially offer, coaches visited him in earlier this month and Pouncey included the Gators on his top-10 list on Thursday.Miami and Georgia have both put in the effort to be considered frontrunners for the consensus four-star recruit, but Pouncey’s family ties to Florida are going to be hard to break, especially as the Gators ramp things up.With the class of 2026 moving into the spotlight, Florida should be pushing hard for Pouncey over the next few months. He wants to take official visits over the summer and commit before his senior year. He’s planning a stop at nearby UCF next week.

“A chance to play early, how good the relationships with coaches are and how I feel on the visits will be big in my decision,” Pouncey said to On3’s Chad Simmons. “Those official visits will tell me a lot. I want to have that feeling and feel at home.”

Florida has been home to Pouncey’s family for nearly two decades.

Recruiting Summary
Service Star Rating Natl. Rank Pos. Rank State Rank
247Sports Composite ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 150 11 23
On3 Industry Ranking ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 132 12 21
Top247 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 131 13 16
On300 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 135 11 23
ESPN ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 144 8 27
Rivals ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 231 23 41

Scouting Report

“A 6-foot-2, 160-pound cornerback that was out there holding it down for the DBs. He knows how to use his wingspan to his advantage,” 247Sports Mississippi State recruiting analyst Rion Young wrote in a February report. “Those long arms are very important to have in the secondary. He is not out there making too many mistakes while trying to cover a route. I love how polished he is at his position. He holds multiple power five offers and probably will see more come his way.”

2022 Stats: 13 total tackles, three passes blocked and an interception at Winter Park.

2023 Stats: 370 yards and three touchdowns on 23 receptions; 72 yards on 11 carries; 21 total tackles, four interceptions and a fumble recovery.

2024 Stats: 202 yards and four touchdowns on 12 receptions; five yards on one carry; 20 tackles, three pass deflections, two interceptions and a quarterback hurry.

Height: 6-2.5

Weight: 160

Visit History

2024: January visit to Miami with South Florida Express 7-on-7. April visit to Florida State’s spring practices. He also attended Georgia spring practices. June visits to UCF (June 1) and Rutgers. July visits to Oregon (July 26), USC and UCLA and Syracuse (July 28).

Gameday visits:

  • Sept. 7; Miami vs. Florida A&M
  • Sept. 28; UCF vs. Colorado
  • Oct. 26; Miami vs. Florida State
  • Nov. 9; LSU vs. Alabama

Camp visits: Miami (June 2023), Georgia (June 2024)

Miami 7-on-7 tournament earlier this month.

Crystal Ball/Predictions

With no official predictions submitted, the On3 recruiting prediction machine favors Miami with 23.7% odds, closely followed by Florida State (20.8%) and Oregon (17.8%). Florida is among 28 other programs tied in fourth place at 1.6% apiece.

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Florida gets in-state OL target on campus after extending offer

Florida got in-state offensive line target Rhys Woodward on campus over the weekend after extending an offer earlier this month.

Florida offered Boone (Orlando) offensive lineman [autotag]Rhys Woodrow[/autotag] on Jan. 6 and wasted no time getting him on campus over the weekend for the Gators’ second junior day.

Recruiting has picked up in general for Woodrow over the last month. More than half of his offers 14 have come in since the Gators offered, and he should be one of the more watched linemen in the state come the fall season.

Marshall offered him first nearly a year ago, and the trio of Georgia Tech, Miami and UCF followed suit in May. Coastal Carolina waited until June when he was on campus for a training camp, and eight more offers came in this month. Florida had hosted Woodrow before for a training camp, which is when offensive line coach John Decoster noticed him.

“The first time I met Coach Decoster was at a camp (last June), and he picked me out to be in the main camp group,” Woodrow said to 247Sports. “I haven’t really had a ton of contact with him since then until he called me to offer me earlier this month. It was good to see him again for the visit.”

Decoster is a fan of the aggressive nature Woodrow plays with and Florida views him as a center at the next level. The Gators made sure to get him some time with All-American first-team center Jake Slaughter.

“(Slaughter) said it’s great, that they developed him into who he is now,” Woodrow said to Gators Online. “That’s one of the most important things in my eyes — probably the most important thing. Florida looks great with development.”

Woodrow also got to tour the facilities and get a good look at the academic resources available in Gainesville. He ran through concepts with the coaches, including Florida’s other offensive line coach, Rob Sale, who is also recruiting Woodrow and plans to visit his school next week.

While there is no official list of top schools just yet, Woodrow sees Florida, Florida State and Miami as the standout programs. Much of that opinion is based on visits to local programs, but he should get more out-of-state opportunities in the coming months. He has an official visit planned to Miami in June and expects to make one to Florida.

Recruiting Summary

Woodrow is not ranked by any major recruiting service, but he should get a few looks after being hosted by two of the big three in Florida. Boone has produced Division I talent in the past and Woodrow has been an area standout since his freshman year.

An injury that ended his sophomore year early might have slowed down his recruitment, but things picked up in full force once the focus turned to the class of 2026.

Vitals

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 280 pounds

Visit History

Woodrow has visited Florida twice, once last summer (June 17) and the junior day visit (Jan. 25). Florida State also got him on campus last weekend for a junior day, and he was at Miami’s 7-on-7 tournament earlier this month.

He made four gameday visits last season:

  • Aug. 30; UCF vs. New Hampshire
  • Oct. 11; UCF vs. Cincinnati
  • Oct. 28; Miami vs. Florida State
  • Nov. 23; Coastal Carolina vs. Georgia Southern
  • Nov. 30; Penn State vs. Maryland

The closest Division I program to Boone is UCF, and the Knights have hosted Woodrow a few times. in addition to the game day trip, he attended spring practice in March and camped there over the summer.

Woodrow also camped at Coastal Carolina, Florida, Florida State, Penn State and Wake Forest this summer.

Crystal Ball/Predictions

With no official predictions submitted, the On3 recruiting prediction machine favors Florida with 54.9% odds, followed by Florida State (25.2%) and UCF (2.0%). There are 11 other teams tied for fourth place with 1.6%, including Arkansas, Miami and Vanderbilt.

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Five-star 2026 OL talks Billy Napier, junior day visit with Florida football

Five-star offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho details his conversation with Billy Napier and the Gators on his junior day visit.

On Saturday, Florida football welcomed one of the elite talents of the 2026 recruiting class, five-star offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho, for junior day.

Junior day is an event where the Gators host a number of high-profile recruits to visit the campus and facilities, and to talk with coaches and players.

Traveling from Rockville, Maryland’s Georgetown Preparatory School, Iheanacho, ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the nation by 247Sports, revisited Gainesville for the first time since receiving his initial SEC offer from the Gators in November 2023.

His latest visit provided a fresh look at the campus and a chance to reconnect with the Florida Gators coaching staff, who made sure he felt valued from the moment he arrived.

Iheanacho talked with Swamp247 after his visit and this was everything he had to say about Florida.

Overall thoughts on the visit

“I was able to see the actual facility. Last time I was down was Florida vs. Florida State (2023), so it’s been some time, and there’s been a lot of change since. I was able to see some of the smaller intricate things like GatorMade, got a presentation on how the NIL stuff works, and meet the whole staff that’s over here.

“(I) talked with the strength and conditioning staff. Lot of love I received from these guys, and I appreciate all the coaches here. Just finished talking with coach (Billy) Napier, and see and understand how he is as a coach. I’ve only texted him since I didn’t get to talk to him after the Florida State game.

“I was very pleased with this visit. I intend on coming up for a spring practice, and see if I end up locking an OV up. This was a crucial visit, and I’m happy with what I got out of it.”

What his conversation with Napier was about

“Telling me how I am as a player, and not sugarcoating anything. It’s a great joy to me to be honest, when coaches don’t tell me what I want to hear, because that doesn’t get me any better or give me any progress.

“He (Napier) told me what the real was. Told me I was a good player, and told me how I can get developed. With my skillset I can play early, and that’s one of my goals. I determine my playing time, so it’s not like they said, ‘here you’re going to start’, I have to go in the lab, get the weights and stuff.”

On the relationship he has with the Florida coaching staff

“Eventually for me, it will boil down to relationships with most schools. I feel like I have a pretty good relationship with coach (Jonathan) Decoster, and now with coach (Billy) Napier is getting a lot better since I’ve talked to him today, and through text.

“Development where I believe, because everyone has a product, but where I can be developed. Coach (Rob) Sale has products, and I don’t think it’s too far off. This was the first SEC offer back early in the process, and now I’m getting into the later times, and bout to lock in OV’s. So these relationships will be important.”

On the chance to play early

“They showed me through film, and showed me a lot of technical things. I also go back to when I was here myself, I saw (the need) myself. Obviously, there’s been a lot of improvement since that time I’ve been up here, but I know I will bet on myself.

“It’s not too far off for me (to play early). You have to outwork guys for years. It’s not always going to be all freshmen, there are going to be some upperclassmen there. I make sure I bet on myself, put the work in, and not feel sorry for myself. I am going to be a mid-year enrollee, so I need to make sure I defeat that as early as I can.”

Florida included in his top 10

“Being honest, I have my top 16 out, and I would say Florida is top 10. I am going to come back up in the spring, and then get a clear vision. I want to say right now they’re around number six (on my list). It’s getting clearer of a vision for me.”

On witnessing the coaching style first-hand

“Just seeing how the coaches coach. The products are there, but everyone gets and receives coaching differently. Some guys can take the yelling in the face, then some guys don’t think that helps them.”I believe being able to see the coaching style for myself, see that in person, and see how the players react and are moving in practice. Seeing if they are sluggish or attentive and seeing how the whole practice is run and not just the o-line. Seeing if I realistically can see myself playing here. I would say the development is there for sure, so that’s not a question.”

Recruiting Summary

Iheanacho is a five-star prospect out of Georgetown Preparatory School in Rockville, Maryland. He is 6 feet 6.5 inches tall and 345 pounds and a part of the 2026 recruiting class.

247Sports has Iheanacho as the No. 2 OT, No. 2-ranked recruit in the country and the top recruit in the state of Maryland. According to the On3 recruiting prediction machine, the offensive tackle is favored to go to Penn State (23.4%) followed by Auburn (13.9%) and Florida (11.9%).

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Florida football a ‘top school’ for 4-star EDGE after junior day visit

Four-star EDGE Anthony Jones was impressed by the Gators on his Junior Day visit.

Florida football hosted its first junior day of the year on Saturday, welcoming a number of high-profile recruits, including four-star edge rusher Anthony Jones from St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Mobile, Alabama.

For Jones, this was a return trip to Gainesville, having last visited during a game day when the Gators defeated the UCF Knights in October.

Unlike his game day visit, the quieter weekend provided Jones with ample opportunity to engage more deeply with the coaching staff and explore the university environment.

“It was good and it was more hand on talking to all the coaches and stuff,” Jones shared, according to Swamp247. “Just being with all the people and the staff. Like Ms. Savannah (Bailey), I love being with her. She talks about different stuff, personal stuff. It meant a lot to me.”

Jones spent a significant portion of his visit with Florida edge coach Mike Peterson. Their time together included not just football talk but personal interactions as well.

“I played him (Peterson) on NCAA earlier, and I had lost, so I’m kind of mad about that,” Jones said. “Other than that, it was good. We got a good relationship. He was talking to me about my basketball. How I’ve been hooping and stuff. Talking about his family, talking about my family. Personal life stuff like that.”

Jones engaged with defensive lineman Caleb Banks during a panel discussion between the recruits and active players on the Florida football roster.

“He (Banks) talked about how to not rush the process, and how Florida is a good place,” Jones said. “It was good to get actual knowledge from the players who have been through it.”

Following his visit to Florida, Jones plans to visit other programs. But the Gators have certainly made a strong impression.

“They’re (Florida) one of the top schools, like top 10 for sure,” Jones stated, including other notable programs like Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Auburn, Miami and Oregon in his current preferences.

Recruiting Summary

Jones is a four-star edge rusher out of St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Mobile, Alabama. Standing at 6 feet 3.5 inches tall and weighing 240 pounds, he is a member of the 2026 class.

According to 247Sports, Jones is the No. 2 edge, No. 11-ranked recruit in the nation and the top recruit in the state of Alabama for the 2026 recruiting class. On3 ranked him 12th nationally and the No. 2 edge rusher.

The Auburn Tigers show a strong interest in Jones, with a 100% Crystal Ball prediction for his commitment, according to 247Sports expert Tom Loy.

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Here are the 2026 and 2027 prospects visiting Texas A&M on Saturday

Here are the recruiting prospects currently visiting Texas A&M on Saturday

This offseason is a busy one for Texas A&M coach Mike Elko. The Aggies are looking to make headway with the 2026 and 2027 recruiting cycles, and he and his coaching staff are currently hosting a talented list of prospects and several transfer portal veterans.

When Mike Elko took over the program, some questioned if the long-time defensive coordinator could match former head coach Jimbo Fisher’s recruiting success. Still, after landing the 7th-ranked 2025 class, doubts about his ability to sell the program have been squashed.

After hosting the No. 1 and 2-ranked offensive tackles during the program’s first junior day of the offseason last weekend, a handful of five-star prospects from the 2026 and 2027 classes have descended on College Station for Saturday’s second junior day.

From the transfer portal, former Texas tight end Amari Niblack and former Penn State wide receiver Harrison “Trey” Wallace are also visiting today.

Here is a complete list of recruits visiting on Saturday:

2026 recruiting class:

  • 2026 four-star DL (Texas A&M commit) Trashawn Ruffin
  • 2026 five-star OT John Turntine
  • 2026 four-star edge Titan Davis
  • 2026 four-star edge Jamarion Carlton
  • 2026 four-star DL Jaimeon Winfield
  • 2026 four-star OT Grant Wise
  • 2026 LB Malik Morris
  • 2026 four-star CB Jordan Thomas
  • 2026 four-star WR Jabari Mack
  • 2026 four-star LB Nick Abrams
  • 2026 four-star WR Jalen Lott
  • 2026 four-star WR Jayden Warren
  • 2026 four-star edge Tristian Givens
  • 2026 four-star DL Jermaine Kinsler
  • 2026 OT Avery Morcho
  • 2026 TE Braden Bach

2027 recruiting class:

  • 2027 five-star edge Richard Wesley
  • 2027 four-star OT Kennedy Brown
  • 2027 four-star DL Zane Rowe
  • 2027 CB John Meredith
  • 2027 four-star WR Deshawn Dillon
  • 2027 DL Seth Tillman
  • 2027 ATH JayQuan Snell
  • 2027 QB Jayce Johnson
  • 2027 OT Kaeden Scott

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Texas A&M has offered 2027 wide receiver who visited during junior day

Texas A&M has offered rising 2027 wide receiver Tre Moore, who visited on Saturday

Texas A&M’s recent recruiting class under coach Mike Elko and his staff, but Saturday’s junior day posed a solid opportunity to gain traction in the 2026 and 2027 recruiting cycles, as preparing the future is vital to competing in the SEC for years to come.

While the news that 2026 five-star offensive tackles Jackson Cantwell and Immanuel Iheanacho attending junior day was undoubtedly an exciting development, among the handful of 2027 prospects who visited, rising wide receiver Tre Moore stuck out while Elko officially offered the incoming junior.

Returning to the Jimbo Fisher era, seeping into the Mike Elko regime, recruiting and utilizing wide receiver talent has been an issue, as the days of Mike Evans, Christian Kirk, and Josh Reynolds catching eye-popping touchdowns seem like a lifetime ago.

However, Elko deserves credit for (hopefully) fixing the issue going into the 2025 season after landing three receiver commitments from the transfer portal, including former NC State WR KC Concepcion.

Offering Tre Moore was a no-brainer, as the Pflugerville, Texas native is coming off an impressive sophomore campaign, recording 38 receptions, 562 yards, and six touchdowns in 2024.

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Here are the 2026 and 2027 recruits visting Texas A&M during junior day

Here are the 2026 and 2027 prospects who will visit Texas A&M for Saturday’s first junior day

On Saturday, Texas A&M will host its first junior day of the offseason. Coach Mike Elko and his staff are prepared to welcome a number of highly-rated recruits from the classes of 2026 and 2027 to build relationships and enhance their recruiting efforts.

Over the last two weeks, Elko and his staff, especially O-line coach Adam Cushing, have been hard at work. They have traveled all around the country to visit several 2026 prospects. The news that the Aggies will host the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked players in the 2026 cycle was undoubtedly a positive development.

However, the purpose of the first junior day is to lay the land for the future of Texas A&M football, as Elko is entering his second season after ending his inaugural year with an 8-5 record after finishing 1-4 with consecutive losses to Texas and USC in the Las Vegas Bowl.

While Saturday’s event is just the start of the offseason recruiting efforts, Elko has a chance to make significant headway with nearly every visiting prospect.

Here is the current list of 2026 and 2027 prospects who will attend Texas A&M’s first junior day:

2026 Prospects

Five-star OT Jackson Cantwell

Five-star OT Immanuel Iheanacho

Four-star CB Dorian Barney

Four-star safety Chace Calicut

Four-star DL Trashawn Ruffin – Texas A&M commit

Four-star WR Madden Williams – Texas A&M commit

OL Nicolas Robertson

Four-star LB Tank King

2027 Prospects

DL Amari Vickerson

DL K’Adrian Redmond

CB Davontrae Kirkland

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Nation’s 2nd-ranked 2026 TE plans Junior Day visit to Florida

After visiting the Swamp for a gameday in October, blue-chip tight end Kaiden Prothro plans a return to Gainesville for Florida’s upcoming Junior Day.

Bowdon (Georgia) tight end [autotag]Kaiden Prothro[/autotag] is one of the class of 2026’s top tight ends, and Florida continues to push for the Peach State product with all eyes in the recruiting world turning to the juniors.

Approaching 6 feet 7 inches and a sturdy 210 pounds that’s leaned down through high school, Prothro could be the next great pass-catching tight end in the Southeastern Conference. Florida is pitching the [autotag]Kyle Pitts[/autotag] comparison, and Georgia is likely invoking Brock Bowers in its own pitch to Prothro.

After standing out as an underclassman during the Under Armour All-American Bowl practices, Prothro’s next trip will be to Gainesville for a second look at the Florida Gators on Jan. 11.

“(Tight ends) Coach (Russ) Callaway actually called me the other day,” Prothro said to Gators Online. “He texts me about every other day, just talking to me, seeing what I’m up to and when I’m coming back down. I think I’m going down there on the 11th for junior day, so I’ll be down there with them just building relationships.”

Prothro doesn’t have any other visits set up, but he’s already been to Georgia six times and Auburn and Ole Miss four times each. Florida will now own two of his four most recent trips, but Georgia and Auburn are much closer drives for him. Prothro says schools outside a four-hour radius are battling a potential dealbreaker.

He last visited The Swamp in October for Florida’s Week 8 win over Kentucky. It was DJ Lagway’s first game as the full-time starter and Florida has become a prominent landing spot for pass catchers since.

“DJ Lagway is playing well for them and they have some recruits coming in,” Prothro said to On3’s Chad Simmons after the visit. “Florida, they’re a football team that plays hard and produces tight ends like Kyle Pitts, who plays for the Falcons. That makes them a top contender for me.”

Recruiting Summary

Star Ratings

Prothro is a consensus four-star recruit ranked inside the top 75 nationally by every major service. ESPN is the highest on him at No. 17 overall.

The 247Sports composite has him at No. 22 overall and No. 2 among tight ends in the class of 2026, while the On3 industry ranking puts him at Nos. 41 and 2, respectively.

Predictions

Georgia is the favorite to land Prothro with 28.1% odds on the On3 recruiting prediction machine, followed by Auburn (16.5%), Ole Miss (14.2%) and five other teams with 6.0%, including Florida State and Miami. Florida has the worst chance of nine schools in the race with 3.2%, but that could change with the upcoming visit.

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Florida hosting 4-star EDGE committed to FSU over weekend

Javion Hilson was interested in Florida before he committed to Alabama and flipped to Florida State. Now he’s returning to Gainesville for another visit.

Cocoa edge defender [autotag]Javion Hilson[/autotag] was one of Florida’s top targets toward the end of 2024, but he committed to Alabama in December and flipped to Florida State.

But the Gators aren’t out of the race for Hilson just yet.

He’ll be in town on Saturday for Florida’s final junior day of the contact period, according to On3. He’ll also stop by Miami over the weekend.

Hilson last visited The Swamp for Florida’s upset win over Tennessee. At the time, he said UF was near the top of his recruitment. Getting some more one-on-one time with Gators head coach Billy Napier could help Florida’s chances immensely, but flipping him is no easy task.

Hilson is a consensus four-star recruit ranked the highest by On3 at No. 37, but even ESPN has him inside its top 100. As a result, Hilson checks in at No. 33 nationally on the On3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted average of all four major recruiting services. He’s also ranked No. 3 among edge defenders in the class.

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