Tag: top schools

Four-star safety sets commitment date, Gators in top 3

One of the elite defensive backs in the recruiting class of 2025, Bryce Fitzgerald, says Florida is among his top choices.

The Florida Gators are among three teams standing out for Columbus (Miami) safety [autotag]Bryce Fitzgerald[/autotag] as he approaches a decision, according to Swamp247’s Blake Alderman.

Fitzgerald said that he plans to announce a commitment on May 24, his mother’s birthday.

“Right now I have Florida, USC and Miami,” Fitzgerald said to Alderman. “I like Florida State too, but things were switching around. I like them, but they kind of dropped.”

Fitzgerald’s top three are in no particular order, which means Florida still has work to do to finish on top. The Gators expect to get him back on campus for a visit on Thursday after last hosting him in January for one of the team’s junior days, and he’ll return on June 14 for an official visit, post-commitment.

Florida is in the middle of spring camp, so Fitzgerald will get a chance to see his potential future position coaches in action, as well as head coach Billy Napier. UF’s secondary is under new direction with Will Harris replacing Corey Raymond as the team’s defensive backs coach.

Miami and Southern California will also host Fitzgerald on official visits after his planned announcement date. Like Florida, Miami will get him during spring camp. So will Florida State.

Fitzgerald is a four-star recruit, according to the On3 industry ranking which considers all four major services. He’s ranked No. 216 nationally and No. 18 among safeties in the class of 2025.

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Florida makes first cut for priority in-state WR recruit

The Florida Gators made the first cut for four-star wide receiver Vernell Brown III, who held over 40 Division scholarship offers. Here’s his top 11.

Jones High (Orlando) wide receiver [autotag]Vernell Brown III[/autotag] narrowed down his recruitment on Thursday, cutting a list of more than 40 schools that offered him down to just 11.

The Florida Gators survived the first cut for Brown, but the battle is really just beginning. Billy Napier’s recruiting staff will have to beat out Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, Ohio State, Stanford, Syracuse, Tennessee and UCF.

“These 11 schools have done a great job showing me that I am a priority to them,” Brown said to 247Sports. “They have been thorough with their approach to get to know me and my family. Three of the things that are most important to me in this process are the people inside of the building at the schools, my relationship with them, and their plan for my development to help me accomplish my goal of playing on Sundays.”

Of course, Brown is a legacy recruit. His dad played cornerback for UF from 2001-05 and worked on staff for parts of six seasons before leaving to manage Anthony Richardson in the pros. The Gators aren’t playing that angle, though. Florida wide receivers coach Billy Gonzalez has received mention from Brown in the past when discussing his top schools.

Brown is a four-star everywhere but 247Sports, where he holds three-star status. The On3 industry ranking, which considers all four major recruiting services, puts him at No. 310 overall and No. 42 among receivers from the class of 2025.

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Wisconsin makes the final schools for one of 2025’s top edge rushers

Wisconsin makes the final schools for one of 2025’s top edge rushers

Wisconsin made the final 13 schools for class of 2025 edge rusher Jayden Woods on Monday night.

Woods is 247Sports’ No. 84 player in the class of 2025, No. 11 edge rusher and No. 3 player from his home state of Kansas.

Related: Which Big Ten football team has the toughest conference schedule in 2024?

The Badgers made the final schools alongside Alabama, Baylor, Florida, Kansas State, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Tennessee and Texas A&M — quite the competition for a recruit as highly touted as Woods.

Wisconsin’s class of 2025 currently ranks No. 9 in the nation with seven commitments. Luke Fickell’s class is without a blue-chip recruit at the moment, that after finishing the 2024 cycle with a blue-chip ratio of 50% (11 four-stars of 22 total commitments).

The possible addition of Woods would certainly be a gigantic signing for Fickell in his second full recruiting class. Given the competition, it’s hard to expect the Badgers to win the battle.

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Florida among top schools for 5-star 2026 in-state wide receiver

This five-star South Florida talent would look great wearing orange and Blue.

Things have been a bit quiet on the college football recruiting front as of late but Billy Napier and the Florida Gators continue their never-ending grind at the prep prospect millstone.

Back in January when the program was holding one of its junior day events, one of the top pass-catching prospects in the 2026 cycle paid a visit to the Swamp. Five-star wide receiver [autotag]Jabari Brady[/autotag] out of Hollywood (Florida) Chaminade-Madonna stopped in to see what the Orange and Blue is currently cooking in one of many trips to Gainesville during the young student-athlete’s recruitment.

It appears that the 6-foot-12-inch, 190-pound high school sophomore is happy with what Napier and Co. have to offer based on his most recent visit.

“It was good going back there,” Brady told Swamp247. “Especially being around Coach (Billy) Gonzales, Coach Doek (David Doeker) and Coach (Billy) Napier. They show a lot of love to me, especially me being from Florida. They are showing a lot of love, and trying to get me to stay down here.”

As far as where the Orange and Blue stands in his recruitment, he has the school ranked high based on what it has to offer on and off the field.

“My interest is they are one of the schools at the top of my list. They really talk about things outside of football. Talk about the degree you get, scholarships you can get and things you can get away from football,” he noted.

“They are really up there for sure. I know the football side will be taken care of, but making sure that you can get all you want to get out of a school, and not just all you can get from a football team.”

Brady is ranked No. 14 overall and No. 2 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 19 and 2, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has the Florida State Seminoles out front with a 25.2% chance of signing him, followed by the Ohio State Buckeyes (22.1%), Miami Hurricanes (9.9%) and Florida (8.3%).

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Georgia in top schools for 4-star Darren Ikinnagbon

The Georgia Bulldogs are in the top schools for four-star New Jersey pass rusher Darren Ikinnagbon

The Georgia Bulldogs are among the top schools for four-star edge rusher Darren Ikinnagbon. The four-star pass rusher plays high school football for Hillside High School in Hillside, New Jersey.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound pass rusher is one of the best players at his position in the class of 2025. Ikinnagbon’s top eight schools are Georgia, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Oklahoma, Duke, Tennessee, Ohio State, and Penn State.

The Hillside star is ranked as the nation’s No. 334 recruit and the No. 24 edge rusher. Darren Ikinnagbon is the No. 11 player in New Jersey, per 247Sports.

Georgia lost defensive backs coach Fran Brown, who is now the head coach at Syracuse. Brown was Georgia’s best recruiter in the Northeast, so it is good to see that the Bulldogs are still competitive at recruiting in that region of the country following Brown’s departure.

The four-star announced his top schools via social media:

Georgia football currently has commitments from five recruits in the class of 2025. Ikinnagbon visited Georgia the first weekend of Feb. 2024.

Florida football remains on top for blue-chip Jacksonville safety

The Gators are in the lead for this Sunshine State defensive back… for now.

The college football contact period has come and gone but Billy Napier and the Florida football program are still reaping the fruits of their labors from their recent efforts.

One of the prep prospects the Gators have been pressing hard for is four-star safety Hylton Stubbs out of Jacksonville (Florida) Mandarin in the 2025 recruiting cycle. The 6-foot-1-inch, 180-pound defensive back paid a visit to Gainesville during the recent window and left with a very positive impression of the Orange and Blue.

Now several weeks separated from his stop in Hogtown and following visits with the Miami Hurricanes and USC Trojans, his sentiments remain unwavering.

“I feel like (the Gators) are still my frontrunner,” Stubbs told Swamp247. “There are some schools still shooting for that spot still.”

Co-defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong spearheaded the recruiting efforts early on and other members of the staff have also joined in the fray for the coveted high school junior.

“Just showing me that I am a priority, and recruiting me very heavy,” he said of what he kept Florida on top. “I talk to Coach Will Harris, Coach CJ (Wilford), or Coach (Austin) Armstrong like every single day. I talk to those guys a lot.”

The biggest name joining Armstrong in the blue-chipper’s recruitment is Harris, the newly-acquired secondary coach who has wasted no time since taking over his role.

“He’s definitely recruiting me hard. I really like Coach Harris. I love what he’s doing. He just came from the Chargers, and he’s recruiting me really heavily. He hit the ground running with me. I am loving what he’s doing right now.”

Of course, head coach Billy Napier always has his fingers on the pulse as well.

“He’s really involved,” he noted. “I talk to Coach Napier probably every week or so. Head coaches are very busy, but I talk to Coach Napier personally every week or so. He’s probably the head coach I am the closest with.”

As far as setting up his future itinerary, Stubbs still has a bit of work left to do.

“I would think everything will be figured out in the next week or so. Right now, I am definitely going to get to Tennessee again, Penn State and Georgia. Definitely Florida. I definitely want to take my official visit to Florida. FSU and Miami. USC is another one.”

Stubbs is ranked No. 49 overall and No. 4 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 50 and 4, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has Florida out front with a 46.3% chance of signing him, followed by FSU (12.0%), Miami (10.3%) and UGA (4.5%).

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Nation’s No. 1 athlete Cameron Sparks names top schools

The nation’s top-ranked athlete, Cameron Sparks, has named his top six schools.

Four-star athlete Cameron Sparks has named his top schools. Sparks plays high school football for Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Sparks is considered an athlete, but he is built in the mold of a wide receiver or defensive back. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound athlete is ranked as the No. 42 recruit in the class of 2025, per 247Sports. Sparks is the nation’s top-ranked athlete and the second-ranked recruit in Tennessee.

Sparks has more than 20 scholarship offers from elite college football programs. The four-star recruit primarily plays wide receiver for the Baylor School.

Who are Sparks’ top six schools?

Florida ‘a top option’ for Lone Star State wide receiver recruit

The Gators continue to make a strong impression on this coveted 2025 wide receiver.

The recruiting trail continues for Billy Napier and Florida football as the program has turned its attention to the 2025 cycle.

Among the recent visitors to Gainesville during the contact period is three-star wide receiver [autotag]Dane Jones[/autotag] out of Pearland (Texas) Ridge Point, who stopped by the Swamp last weekend for the third time during his recruitment.

The 5-foot-11-inch, 174-pound pass-catcher, who caught 50 receptions for 825 yards and 13 touchdowns last fall, came away from his time on campus with a bright outlook on the Orange and Blue.

“The visit went great,” Jones told Gators Online. “I got to build a relationship with the coaches and see the coaches more. I saw the facilities a couple of months back. This time, I got to see the whole campus — all the buildings. It’s a nice campus. It’s really big.”

The Lone Star State product received his offer from the Gators last year, and despite some turnover in Florida’s staff, the high school junior is still connected with the team’s coaches.

“Coach Billy (Gonzales) and Coach (David) Doeker of course, and Coach (Jabbar) Juluke. He’s a cool dude,” Jones noted. “Coach Gonzales is a great receivers coach. When I camped with them, he was one of the most informative receiver coaches I’ve been around. He had so much stuff to say to really improve your game.”

The experience was positive enough to earn a prospective official visit. Presumably, that would come in June, but he was non-commital in his outlook.

“They don’t really have the dates figured out yet.”

Jones is ranked No. 471 overall and No. 64 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 463 and 71, respectively.

The Southern Methodist Mustangs hold the lead in On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine with a 37.5% chance of landing him, followed by the Baylor Bears (22.2%), Florida (19.1%) and TCU Horned Frogs (8.3%).

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Florida football still ‘No. 1’ for 2025 blue-chip DB after junior day visit

This Sunshine State product remains firm in his desire to play for the Gators.

The Florida football program was busy this past weekend hosting prep prospects after the opening of the recruiting contact period. Billy Napier and Co. were busy catching up with some of their top targets with many hailing from the 2025 cycle during the first junior day of the calendar year.

One of those student-athletes was four-star defensive back [autotag]Chris McCorkle[/autotag] III out of Sarasota (Florida) Cardinal Mooney, who has been in the team’s sights for quite some time. The 6-foot-1, 172-pound defender made visits to Gainesville for game days last fall and returned last weekend to get another gander at what the Gators have to offer.

“It went great,” McCorkle told Swamp247. “I had a good time here.”

The high school junior appears to be jibing well with new defensive backs coach Will Harris, who was brought in to replace Corey Raymond — the person who originally offered McCorkle.

“(Harris is) a good person, I just met him not too long ago. I was in the defensive backs room with him and he was teaching us stuff. That’s great. I’m just now getting to meet him, but it was all good,” he offered.

“He’s energetic, and he means what he means,” McCorkle continued. “He means business. He’s going to get you where you need to be.”

As far as where the Orange and Blue stand among his preferred destinations, McCorkle offered a simple answer.

“They’re still where they were before: No. 1.”

McCorkle is rated at four stars and ranked No. 360 overall and No. 37 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite, while the On3 industry ranking rates him at three stars and ranked at Nos. 466 and 51, respectively.

On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Gators a 79.8% chance of landing him, followed by the UCF Knights (1.7%), Florida Atlantic Owls (1.5%) and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1.2%).

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Gators land in top 8 for elite class of 2024 cornerback

Four-star West Coast cornerback Dijon Lee has narrowed his options down to eight colleges, and the University of Florida is one of them.

One of the nation’s top prep cornerbacks from the class of 2025 included the Florida Gators in his top eight on Friday when On3’s Hayes Fawcett announced his top schools with a graphic.

Mission Viejo cornerback [autotag]Dijon Lee[/autotag] named Florida, Arizona, Georgia, LSU, Oregon, Penn State, USC and Washington as the eight schools still standing in his recruitment. With Lee being from the West Coast, most view USC and Washington as the two biggest horses in the race, but he’s clearly keeping the door to the SEC open.

Florida offered Lee back in October, which means Corey Raymond was likely involved in his recruitment. Former Los Angeles Chargers assistant Will Harris has since been hired as Florida’s new secondary coach,

“I’m talking with Will Harris a lot and he’s a good guy and knows what he’s doing,” Lee said to 247Sports’ Greg Biggins. “It’s cool, he already giving me pointers and coaching me up like I’m already on the team. I know he’s a SoCal guy so I’m excited to visit and see how I fit in there.”

Although Lee hasn’t had the chance to visit The Swamp just yet, he plans to travel east at some point this year. The goal is to announce a commitment before his senior year, but official visits need to come and go first.

“I know four schools I will visit for sure are Washington, Georgia, Florida and Arizona,” he said. “I’m going to take a lot of unofficial visits to the other schools as well… The biggest thing for me is development and relationships.

“I want a school where I fit in well and have a good comfort level and then a place that can make me better and help me grow as a player.”

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