Gators offer class of 2026 ATH committed to Florida State

The latest class of 2026 recruit to pick up an offer from Florida is four-star athlete Darryon Williams, who is committed to Florida State.

Florida hosted Gaither (Tampa) athlete Darryon Williams on a visit earlier this month and extended an offer to the Florida State commit, according to Swamp247.

“I had gotten up there for a visit before June 15, so they offered me on the visit,” Williams said. “I’ve been talking with (Florida) a lot more since June 15. I’ve been there before for camps and with my team before, but this was more of a visit for me to spend time.”

June 15 marked the first-day coaches could reach out to the class of 2026. Contact before that isn’t explicitly barred, but it usually is in the form of a summer camp visit. Having been on campus before for tournaments, Williams looked at things with the bigger picture in mind knowing he’s entering the most critical year of his recruitment.

In 2024, a verbal commitment from high school underclassmen means very little. Flips are commonplace with name, image and likeness dominating the game, and things are only trending further in that direction.

It’s clear that Florida is very much in this race.

Recruiting Summary

Williams is a consensus four-star recruit, ranked the highest by On3 at No. 62 overall on the site’s standalone rankings.

The On3 industry ranking, which considers all four major recruiting services, puts him at No. 112 overall and No. 7 among athletes in the class of 2026, while the 247Sports composite has him at Nos. 134 and 18 (among receivers).

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Wisconsin basketball in strong pursuit of top 2025 C Tommy Ahneman

Wisconsin basketball in strong pursuit of top 2025 C Tommy Ahneman

Wisconsin basketball extended an offer to four-star 2025 center Tommy Ahneman on Tuesday.

The Badgers sent the offer immediately before Ahneman’s scheduled visit to the program. They join a growing offer list that is currently headlined by Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and Penn State.

Related: Big Ten basketball teams ranked by returning production entering 2024-25 season

Ahneman is currently ranked by 247Sports as the No. 87 overall player in the class of 2025, No. 11 center and No. 1 recruit from his home state of Minnesota. The Badgers have dominated recruiting in their rival state over the years, with the 6’10” center appearing to be the next of those top targets.

247Sports currently lists Nebraska and Minnesota as the favorites to land Ahneman’s commitment. Official visits are scheduled to those schools on September 20 and August 29 respectively.

Wisconsin is looking to join that mix and add Ahneman to a class of 2025 that currently ranks No. 7 in the nation with two players committed — three-star center Will Garlock and four-star shooting guard Zach Kinziger.

The Badgers are looking to grow their depth at center with Steven Crowl (senior), Nolan Winter (sophomore) and Andrija Vukovic (freshman) currently on the roster.

Ahneman is one of the fastest-rising names in the class of 2025, so expect the Badgers to pick up significant competition for his commitment.

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An in-state school in pursuit of Wisconsin class of 2025 commit Rukeem Stroud

An in-state school in pursuit of Wisconsin class of 2025 commit Rukeem Stroud

Wisconsin class of 2025 commit Rukeem Stroud was offered by UCF on Saturday.

Stroud committed to the Badgers back on June 2 following his official visit to the program. He did not take any other official visits after committing and has not been rumored to be searching for any other college fits. The offer is of note, however, given UCF’s presence in Stroud’s home state of Florida.

Related: Ranking all 18 Big Ten coaching staffs entering the 2024 football season

The Tampa, Florida native is 247Sports’ No. 440 player in the class of 2025, No. 36 cornerback and No. 60-ranked recruit from the state of Florida. He committed to the Badgers over other offers including USF, Colorado, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Penn State, Texas A&M and Utah.

Stroud is part of a Wisconsin class of 2025 that currently ranks No. 12 in 247Sports’ national rankings and No. 4 in the new Big Ten. The group recently added its No. 21 commitment with the addition of three-star edge rusher Nicolas Clayton.

Stroud is the sixth-highest-ranked player in the class and the highest-ranked cornerback. Wisconsin may need to work to keep his commitment with an in-state power showing interest.

UPDATE (June 24): Stroud flipped his commitment to UCF.

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Duke football extends an offer to 2025 quarterback prospect…with a twist

Kavon Simmons, a 2025 quarterback prospect, announced an offer from Duke on Sunday, but one report says the Blue Devils want him at wideout.

2025 quarterback prospect Kavon Simmons announced through social media on Sunday that he received an offer from the Duke football team.

Blue Devils fans who have kept track of the recruiting trail might be a little confused by that first sentence. After all, three-star prospect Dan Mahan from Burlington, North Carolina, already committed to the school earlier this spring.

Well, according to 247Sports’ Adam Rowe, Duke football coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] wants Simmons as a wide receiver.

Simmons, who plays for Wake Forest High School within the state of North Carolina, also plays as a point guard for the school basketball team. The 6-foot-2 prospect threw for 1,999 yards, rushed for 711 more, and stacked 34 total touchdowns for the Cougars on the football field last season.

On the basketball court last season, Simmons averaged 9.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, second on the team in both categories, and paced the Cougars with 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals.

Should Diaz lure Simmons as a wideout, he’d join Gerritt Kemp and Jaivon Solomon as Duke wide receiver commits for the 2025 class, the latter of whom committed on Sunday.

Florida football offers scholarship to 2025 punter out of California

Florida’s specialist room is running a bit thin these days and this Golden State punter might be what the corps needs.

Following an official visit with the Florida football program this weekend, the Gators extended a scholarship offer to punter Alex Asparuhov — an unrated recruit in the 2025 cycle out of Fresno (California) San Joaquin Memorial.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 190-pound specialist’s main contacts were game-changer coordinator [autotag]Chris Couch[/autotag] and senior analyst [autotag]Joe Houston[/autotag] coming into last weekend. The news was announced on Saturday morning on Asparuhov’s personal Twitter account.

With current punter Jeremy Crawshaw’s eligibility ending following the 2024 campaign and just Jack Muse on the roster as a walk-on behind him, the Orange and Blue could certainly use a boost in the specialists room.

Asparuhov’s 247Sports scouting report

“Asparuhov might be the most fundamentally sound punter in the 2025 class. He scored well at the Underclassman Challenge by accumulating 109.71 points.

“When in rhythm his control and repeatability is special. He scored over 109 points on a cold 40-degree night in December of 2023. He made a big jump at the Western Showcase Camp earlier in the year. He graded out at the 5.0-star level as a punter and 4.5-star level as a kicker.

“Asparuhov scored 110.2 points in punting, 6 of 15 points on field goals, and 103.1 points on kick-offs. His punting is very impressive and he is already a college prospect in punting!

“He competed at his first Kohl’s ranking event during the 2022 Kohl’s California Winter Showcase Camp. He finished with a 39.5-yard average throughout the punt charting. He is way ahead of his age a punter! Asparuhov has the makings of a D1 punter and will be exciting to follow this spring and summer!”

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Wisconsin becomes first Power Four school to offer QB from Georgia

Wisconsin becomes first Power Four school to offer QB from Georgia

The Wisconsin Badgers offered Teddy Jarrard, a class of 2027 quarterback from Kennesaw, Georgia, on Tuesday.

The Badgers are certainly playing the long game with the 6-foot-3, 190-pound athlete. They are one of the first programs to extend the high school freshman a scholarship offer.

Jarrard has also received offers from Bethune-Cookman University and Georgia State University, but many more offers will likely come as he grows and progresses as a quarterback.

The Kennesaw, Georgia native passed for 2,065 yards and 18 touchdowns over 12 games as the starting quarterback for North Cobb Christian this past season, operating as the signal-caller for the varsity team in his freshman year.

Wisconsin is set to operate with a new starting quarterback in 2024 after Tanner Mordecai graduated following the 2023 campaign. The frontrunner for the role is transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (Miami-FL), who only has one year of collegiate eligibility remaining.

True freshman Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, TX) is considered to be the future at the position, but it certainly doesn’t hurt for Luke Fickell and his staff to plot out what quarterback could look like a few years down the road.

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Wisconsin football working to flip Minnesota’s top class of 2025 commit

Wisconsin football working to flip Minnesota’s top class of 2025 commit

Wisconsin is working to flip top Minnesota class of 2025 commit Emmanuel Karmo. The Badgers have an official scheduled with the four-star linebacker for May 31, one week before he officially visits the Gophers.

Karmo’s four visits are Wisconsin on May 31, Minnesota on June 7, Ohio State on June 14 and Nebraska on June 21.

Related: Updated 2024 Wisconsin football game-by-game predictions after spring practice

Karmo is 247Sports’ No. 341 player in the class of 2025, No. 36 linebacker and No. 1 recruit from the state of Minnesota. He committed to the Gophers back on April 12. But the linebacker also holds notable offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Wisconsin.

The linebacker noted that he is still ‘proudly committed to the Gophers’ though will still ‘explore all options.’

The Badgers will have Karmo on campus during one of the busiest official visit weekends of the year as they work to flip his commitment.

The program’s class of 2025 currently ranks No. 16 in the nation with 11 players committed. It has commitments from three linebackers: three-star Samuel Lateju, three-star Brenden Anes and three-star Cooper Catalano.

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Wisconsin football working to flip a top Michigan class of 2025 commit

Wisconsin football working to flip a top Michigan class of 2025 commit

Wisconsin is working to flip class of 2025 Michigan Wolverines commit Bobby Kanka.

Badgers defensive line coach E.J. Whitlow traveled to Howell, Michigan last week to visit the four-star defensive lineman and extend an official offer.

Related: Big Ten football 2024 season win-loss record predictions for each team after spring practice

Kanka committed to Michigan on August 1, 2023 — back when Jim Harbaugh was the head coach. There must be a chance for a decommitment, as rival Michigan State has an official visit set for June 14 with the top prospect and also recently traveled to his high school for an in-person visit.

The defensive lineman is 247Sports’ No. 372 player in the class of 2025, No. 41 player at his position and No. 3 recruit from the state of Michigan.

Wisconsin’s class of 2025 currently ranks No. 16 in the nation with 11 players committed. It does not have a defensive lineman currently committed, that after the program finished the 2024 cycle with several top players at the position.

The Badgers seem to be making a serious run at Kanka as he works through his recruiting options.

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Gators offer 4-star 2025 offensive tackle, working on official visit date

Getting this blue-chip 2025 offensive line recruit on campus for an official visit would be huge for Napier and Co.

The college football recruiting grind continues in the month of May with programs around the nation preparing their official visit lists for the coming weeks. Scholarship offers have been handed out and plans are being made as the 2025 cycle climbs to a crescendo.

The Florida Gators have been extremely active this offseason and so far have put together a solid class for the coming year. [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s staff offered four-star offensive tackle [autotag]Mario Nash[/autotag] out of De Kalb (Mississippi) Kemper County on Tuesday following a coaching visit to his high school last Friday.

With that offer in hand, the 6-foot-4-inch, 270-pound lineman has turned his attention to the Orange and Blue. Nash’s connection to UF can be traced back through his father, who was a fan of the Head Ball Coach.

“I really got turned on by the Gators by my dad when I was young,” Nash told Gators Online. “He was a Gators fan growing up watching [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag]. The Gators have a lot of tradition and fantastic facilities.”

Official visit schedule

Nash has an official visit set with the Clemson Tigers for the weekend of May 31, followed by the Ole Miss Rebels starting on June 7, LSU Tigers on June 14 and Mississippi State Bulldogs on June 21.

As for Florida, he notes, “We haven’t set an OV just yet but will be working on it.”

Recruiting Summary

Nash is ranked No. 310 overall and No. 19 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 287 and 22 respectively.

Mississippi State holds a pair of crystal ball predictions from 247Sports while also leading the pack in On3’s recruiting prediction machine with a 79.6% chance of signing him; Ole Miss (6.5%), LSU (3.5%) and the Florida State Seminoles (2.9%) lag well behind in the race.

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Wisconsin top 2025 running back target decommits from Kentucky

Wisconsin top 2025 running back target decommits from Kentucky

Wisconsin’s top class of 2025 running back target, Isaiah West, decommitted from Kentucky on Monday.

West committed to the Wildcats on March 1. This announcement comes one day after he visited Ohio State.

Related: Post-spring Big Ten football 2024 power rankings, starting quarterback rankings

The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native is 247Sports’ No. 204 player in the class of 2025, No. 11 running back and No. 6 recruit from the state of Pennsylvania. His decorated offer sheet includes Kentucky, new front-runner Ohio State, Minnesota, Michigan State, North Carolina, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina and Wisconsin.

Badger247’s Evan Flood correctly predicted the four-star running back to choose Kentucky back at the start of March. West has received two updated crystal ball predictions since decommitting from the Wildcats; both predict Ohio State as his destination.

Luke Fickell’s class of 2025 ranks 20th in the nation with 10 players committed. The group does not have a running back committed, but the program finished the 2024 cycle with three at the position.

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