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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Florida football flips blue-chip LB previously committed to Alabama

The Gators managed to steal a 4-star prospect from the big bad ‘Bama boys.

The Florida football program scored its first commitment of July on Wednesday by flipping four-star linebacker [autotag]Myles Johnson[/autotag] out of Brewton (Alabama) T.R. Miller from fellow Southeastern Conference foe, the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 220-pound defender had been committed to ‘Bama for quite some time but reopened his recruitment last week, opening the door for the Gators to swoop in. [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and Co. had been working on him even before opening things back up, bringing to fruition months of behind-the-scenes efforts.

What appeals to Johnson about UF

“Coach Roberts and Coach Armstrong said they run a lot of similar stuff as Alabama with their linebackers,” Johnson notes. “They see a lot of similarities where Alabama would use me and where they want to use me.”

He also was impressed with what the Orange and Blue have to offer him in the classroom.

“I would say the main thing was the education part about it. We went to the education facility and it was nice. I know they mentioned they are the top public school in the nation. That really was a big part in what I want to get out of college football.”

Recruiting Summary

Johnson is rated at three stars and ranked No. 491 overall and No. 50 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking also rates him at three stars and ranks him at Nos. 493 and 50, respectively.

The rising senior is rated at four stars by 247Sports own proprietary ranking system as well as ESPN.

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In-state, 2025 LB Myles Johnson decommits from Alabama

2025 three-star linebacker Myles Johnson decommitted from Alabama on Wednesday. Johnson is expected to entertain offers from Florida and Ole Miss.

Class of 2025 three-star linebacker Myles Johnson announced that he was decommitting from the Alabama Crimson Tide. The news came just hours after 2025 four-star athlete Zymear Smith decommitted from the program.

Johnson had been committed to Alabama since October. However, he had taken official visits to the Florida Gators and Ole Miss Rebels in June. Many had expected that Johnson would either decommit or flip his commitment to another school given the number of linebackers committed to the Crimson Tide in the 2025 recruiting class.

The native of Brewton, Alabama was committed to the old Alabama coaching staff. There was minimal contact between Johnson and the new coaching staff in Tuscaloosa. At this time, it is unclear if Alabama will try and re-recruit Johnson. Johnson suffered a season-ending injury and was unable to play during his junior season.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding the Alabama football program and its efforts on the recruiting trail.

Florida hosts 4-star Alabama LB commit for junior day

Although four-star linebacker Myles Johnson has been committed to Alabama since October, he stopped by The Swamp for Florida’s junior day.

A lot has changed in Tuscaloosa since blue-chip T.R. Miller High linebacker [autotag]Myles Johnson[/autotag] committed to the University of Alabama, and the Florida Gators are still pushing to flip him.

Johnson was in Gainesville this weekend for Florida’s junior day on Saturday, according to Swamp247, and it was an eye-opening experience for the Crimson Tide commit.

“I am committed to Alabama, so it’s my first visit outside of Alabama,” Johnson said. “It really opened my eyes. Definitely will have to come back sometime. This being the first place, they really set the bar high for places outside (of Alabama). I really liked it. Really enjoyed it and the people, and the relationships already.”

When Johnson committed to Alabama, Nick Saban was still the head coach, but the door could be wide open for Billy Napier and Co. to flip him with Saban retiring earlier this month. It won’t be easy, though. Johnson has remained committed through the transition at Alabama so far and hasn’t shown any signs that he’s ready to bail on the program.

Johnson is a four-star recruit everywhere but Rivals.com, where he is a three-star talent. The On3 industry ranking puts him at No. 291 overall and No. 32 among linebackers from the class of 2025.

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Alabama lands commitment from in-state, 2025 LB Myles Johnson

The Alabama football program received some good news on the recruiting trail as 2025 LB Myles Johnson announced his commitment.

Alabama got a win on the football field on Saturday afternoon against Arkansas. The Crimson Tide also got a win on the recruiting trail. 2025 linebacker Myles Johnson announced that he was committed to Alabama on Saturday afternoon via X; formerly known as Twitter.

Johnson plays for T.R. Miller High School in Brewton, Alabama. He is listed at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds. Alabama is currently recruiting Johnson to play inside linebacker at the next level.

Johnson suffered a torn ACL prior to his junior season, so he has been unable to play for the Tigers. Needless to say, he made a strong enough impression on the Alabama coaching staff for them to accept his commitment.

Johnson is the fourth player from the state of Alabama to commit to the Crimson Tide as a part of the ’25 recruiting class. He joins fellow Alabama commits Ryan Williams, Anthony Rogers, and Antonio Coleman.

Roll Tide Wire breaks down Myles Johnson’s recruiting profile.

Film

Former Scarlet Knight chosen as UCLA’s 2023 Commencement Speaker

Ex-Rutgers men’s basketball center Myles Johnson has been chosen as UCLA’s 2023 Samueli Engineering Commencement Student Speaker.

Former Rutgers men’s basketball center Myles Johnson was chosen as UCLA’s 2023 Samueli Engineering Commencement Student Speaker. 

The event is scheduled for Sunday, June 18.

Johnson received his Master of Science degree in electrical and computer engineering at the University of California in March. Johnson enrolled in UCLA’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering in 2021, finishing his degree two years later.

The 6-foot-11 255 pounds former center attended Rutgers from 2017 to 2021 and was a big part of the rebuild of the Scarlet Knights. While at Rutgers, Johnson averaged 6.8 points per game in 90 career games. He recorded 613 points, 138 blocks, 662 rebounds, and 87 assists for his career. The former Scarlet Knight entered his final season (2020-21) with a career-high field goal percentage of 58.3 percent, ranking second all-time at Rutgers.

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Johnson was a three-time Big Ten All-Academic honoree (2020-21, 2019-20, and 2018-19) and got named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court in 2020.

Johnson joined the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which traveled to Puerto Rico in the summer to benefit Soles4Souls, a global not-for-profit dedicated to fighting poverty. Also, Johnson was the student-athlete spokesperson for the RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center while attending Rutgers.

The California native from Long Beach, CA, established BLKdev, an initiative to inspire minority youths to participate in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

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A look at the Big Ten basketball block leaders in 2020-21

Last season, the Big Ten was stacked with talent at the forward and center positions, and the Wisconsin Badgers were no exception with th…

Last season, the Big Ten was stacked with talent at the forward and center positions, and the Wisconsin Badgers were no exception with the trio of Tyler Wahl, Micah Potter and Nate Reuvers. In fact, Reuvers made the top 15 in blocks per game in the Big Ten last season. Although the Lakeville, Minn. native struggled with consistency throughout last year, he provided valuable length for Wisconsin against some of the best big men in the country in the Big Ten.

Related: A look at the Big Ten basketball scoring leaders in 2020-21

Below is the ranking of the top 15 players in blocks per game from the Big Ten 2020-21 Conference season. This list includes players from Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, Maryland and Nebraska.

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Three Rutgers players Badger fans need to know

Wisconsin faces the Rutgers in Piscataway on Wednesday evening. Badger fans should be sure to know these three opposing players.

Wisconsin (5-4) will look to reverse its miserable fortunes away from the Kohl Center so far this season when it takes on Rutgers (6-3) in Piscataway on Wednesday evening.

The Badgers were able to snag a win by the skin of their teeth in last year’s matchup between these programs in Madison, taking down the Scarlet Knights 69-64 after trailing by five at halftime.

Wisconsin is coming off of a much-needed blowout victory over Indiana at home last weekend to snap a three-game losing streak, while Rutgers has lost two straight. Most recently, the Scarlet Knights dropped a 77-65 decision in East Lansing to No. 11 Michigan State on Sunday.

When you compare the personnel on these two rosters, there is no question that this is a matchup Wisconsin should come out on top of, even on the road. That being said, the Scarlet Knights have given the Badgers plenty of trouble in the last three meetings between these squads (they actually beat Bucky in 2017-18), and they have the pieces in their rotation to do so again this season.

Here are the three players on the other side who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout tomorrow’s contest.

Ron Harper Jr. – Guard/Forward

2019 stats: 12.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 0.8 apg 1.1 spg, 0.8 bpg, 49.4 FG%, 26.7 3P%

Harper has stepped into the role of Rutgers’ No. 1 scorer this season now that last year’s leading bucket-getter, Eugene Omoruyi, has transferred to Oregon.

While the sophomore guard/forward’s scoring average is up five points from his freshman season, his value to the Scarlet Knights extends far beyond his ability to knock down shots. The 6-6 Harper has exceptional size for his position and a versatile skill set that helps him make an impact inside and out, on both ends of the court. In addition to leading the team in scoring, he currently ranks second on the team in rebounds and third in blocks and steals.

Dec 3, 2019; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Geo Baker (0) handles the ball against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Geo Baker – Guard

2019 stats: 11.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.9 bpg, 41.6 FG%, 25.5 3P%

A consensus Honorable Mention All-Big Ten pick last year, Baker was head coach Steve Pikiell’s top returning scorer heading into the season, as well as a returning team captain.

While his scoring production is down a bit from a year ago, he’s certainly still served as a go-to player for Rutgers in that department this season, ranking just one point behind Harper for the team lead with an average of 11.8 points per game. Baker is also the team’s top assists man as well as a pesky defender, leading the Scarlet Knights in steals.

The 6-4 guard’s 1.6 steals per game is the No. 4 average in the Big Ten, and he trailed only Josh Reaves of Penn State in that category last season.

Baker is arguably the best player Rutgers will have at its disposal against Wisconsin, but it’s worth noting that his performances against high-major opponents this season have left much to be desired: in the Scarlet Knights’ last two games against Pitt and Michigan State, he combined for just 13 points on 22.2 percent shooting from the field.

Rutgers will probably need a stronger effort than that from Baker to beat the Badgers.

Myles Johnson – Center

2019 stats: 8.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 69.6 FG%

The 6-10, 255-pound Johnson is Rutgers’ enforcer down low, utilizing his 7-7 wingspan to lead the team in blocks and rebounds so far this season. He’s also about as efficient of a scorer near the basket as you will find in the conference, ranking third in two-point shooting percentage.

Johnson is especially solid on the offensive glass, currently sitting at No. 4 in the Big Ten in offensive rebound percentage after trailing just nine other players nationally in that category a season ago.

Nate Reuvers, the Badgers’ leading scorer right now and the only true post player in the rotation with Micah Potter still ineligible, has had some problems on both ends of the floor when matched up with physical big men in the paint throughout Wisconsin’s first nine games. Reuvers’ struggles have often coincided with the team’s as a whole, so how he fares in his matchup with Johnson will be critical to the game’s outcome.