Tag: top schools

Florida football makes top-5 cut for 4-star 2025 EDGE

Florida and three other SEC school comprise this blue-chip EDGE’s top five preferred schools list.

Billy Napier and Co. made the early cut for a highly-ranked prep prospect in the 2025 recruiting class on July 4 when four-star edge [autotag]Jakaleb Faulk[/autotag] released his top five schools on his personal Twitter account.

Along with the Gators, the Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Clemson Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs rounded out the quintet of top programs for the 6-foot-3.5-inch, 225-pounder out of Highland Home (Alabama).

The rising high school junior has made the trek to campus a few times already, stopping by the Swamp twice in 2022 as well as attending a spring practice in March 2023. OVer that stretch, he has managed to establish some open channels of communication with the Orange and Blue’s staff.

“I’ve been liking Florida ever since they offered me,” Faulk told Jeremy Johnson of On3 Sports.

“The people down there are cool, chill and they kept it straight with you. The environment and where they are, it’s a great place to be. The staff up there is great. I love the staff over there. I have a good relationship with a couple of people over there.”

Faulk is ranked No. 118 overall and No. 12 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 150 and 22, respectively.

Auburn currently holds two 247Sports crystal ball predictions for the coveted defender while On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine agrees, giving them a 20.5% chance of landing him. The Tigers are followed by Clemson (17.9%), Florida (15.4%) and Alabama (8.7%) in the race for his talents so far.

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4-star LB Jakaleb Faulk names top five schools

Class of 2025 linebacker Jakaleb Faulk has named his top five schools.

Four-star linebacker recruit Jakaleb Faulk puts Georgia, Auburn, Florida, Clemson, and Alabama in his top five.

Who is Jakaleb Faulk?

Faulk is an elite recruit in the class of 2025. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker plays high school football for Highland Home in Highland Home, Alabama.

Jakaleb Faulk is ranked as the No. 118 recruit in the class of 2025. Faulk is the No. 12 edge rusher in the rising junior class and the No. 11 recruit in Alabama, per 247Sports.

The four-star is currently projected to commit to the Auburn Tigers, per 247Sports. Why would Jakaleb Faulk commit to Auburn? His brother, Keldric Faulk, just signed to play with with Auburn as a member of the class of 2023. Keldric Faulk was rated as a four-star recruit.

Jakaleb Faulk recently has visited a trio of his top schools in Georgia, Auburn, and Alabama.

The Highland Home standout shows good explosiveness and versatility on tape. He plays both as an off ball linebacker and an edge rusher. Faulk is capable of dropping into cover.

Jakaleb does a good job of reading diagnosing opposing plays. Faulk plays wide receiver, but is primarily considered a linebacker or edge recruit. Faulk has a spectacular special teams play from his freshman season where he kicks off the football and delivers a big hit to the opposing return man.

Jakaleb Faulk announced his top schools via social media:

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Elite OL Jonathan Daniels names top three schools

Four-star offensive line recruit Jonathan Daniels has UGA football in his top three.

Four-star offensive line recruit Jonathan Daniels has named his top three schools. Daniels’ top schools are Georgia, Kentucky, and Florida State.

Jonathan Daniels went on June official visits to all three of this top schools. The elite offensive line prospect additionally visited the LSU Tigers, but did not put LSU among his contenders.

The 6-foot-4, 280-pound offensive lineman is considered both an offensive tackle and offensive guard recruit. Jonathan Daniels plays high school football for Pine Forest High School in Pensacola, Florida.

Daniels is ranked as the No. 101 recruit in the nation and the No. 5 interior offensive lineman, per 247Sports. ON3 ranks the Pine Forest standout as a five-star recruit.

Georgia offensive line coach Stacy Searels is a key recruiter for the four-star offensive lineman.

Georgia recently solidified its class of 2024 with a commitment from four-star offensive tackle Michael Uini. Kirby Smart and Georgia have the top rated class of 2024 in the country. The Dawgs are still looking for a few more commitments along the offensive front in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Jonathan Daniels announced his top three schools via social media:

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Florida football makes top 3 for blue-chip 2024 cornerback

The Gators have surged over the past few months for this talented defensive backfield recruit.

Florida football made the latest cut for four-star cornerback Jameer Grimsley out of Tampa (Florida) Catholic, who announced his top three schools on Thursday via On3’s Hayes Fawcett. Also included on the list were the Alabama Crimson Tide and Michigan Wolverines.

The blue-chip defender also revealed when he plans on announcing the program he wants to play college ball for, which he set for Saturday, July 1.

“Florida is close to home, and has been my dream school since I was a kid,”  he told Fawcett. “I like the direction they’re going in with their rebuild and the weather is great here in Florida.  Historically they’ve been a great school, especially on defense and have had multiple first-round DBs. It may be a school that if I want to be part of a rebuild we could bring Florida back into national championship contention.”

The 6-foot-3-inch, 185-pound cornerback traveled to Gainesville for an unofficial visit following five OVs in June. Florida extended an offer to Grimsley back in March, after which he paid a visit to the Swamp in April while also having the Orange and Blue among his top eight preferred destinations at the time.

Grimsley is ranked No. 233 overall and No. 18 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 198 and 22, respectively. Interestingly, On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has the Florida State Seminoles in the lead for his commitment with an 18.6% chance of landing him, followed by Alabama (16.3%), the Penn State Nittany Lions (14.0%) and North Carolina Tar Heels (8.8%).

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Florida football named top 5 for blue-chip TE, commitment date set

This blue-chip tight end has been warming up with Florida as thee su

Billy Napier and Co. made some more headway on the recruiting trail on Wednesday when four-star tight end Caleb Odom out of Carrollton (Georgia) included the Gators among his top five preferred collegiate destinations, according to an announcement made on Twitter. Further, the coveted blue chipper also set a date for his final decision, which he plans on revealing July 15.

The other schools mentioned were the Alabama Crimson Tide, Ole Miss Rebels, Miami Hurricanes and Texas A&M Aggies.

The 6-foot-5-inch, 215-pound student-athlete last visited Gainesville during the second weekend of June, which has apparently sparked renewed interest in the Orange and Blue. Odom omitted UF from his preferred schools list earlier in the year but less than two months ago made an about-face, released an updated list about a month ago, releasing a list that consisted of Alabama, Ole Miss, Miami, the Georgia Bulldogs, Colorado Buffaloes, Penn State Nittany Lions as well as Florida.

Part of the reason Odom delayed his interest in the Gators was the changing of the guards on the coaching staff, with his former lead recruiter and tight ends coach William Peagler departing for the NFL while the arrival of wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales and tight ends coach Russ Callaway put Florida back in the running for the coveted prospect.

Odom is ranked No. 68 overall and No. 4 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 65 and 4, respectively. Alabama holds three crystal ball predictions from 247Sports while On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine also has the Tide in the lead with a 61.1% chance of landing him; Florida is fourth at 1.5%.

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Coveted cornerback recruit has Florida in top 5, sets commitment date

This New England standout appears to be high on the Gators after his official visit earlier in June.

Everything has been coming up Milhouse for Florida football’s recruiting efforts of late, and following a week that saw the Gators rise meteorically in the recruiting rankings, Billy Napier and Co. are still hard at work.

The latest name to hit the headlines is three-star defensive back [autotag]Justin Denson[/autotag] out of Providence (Rhode Island) La Salle Academy in the 2024 cycle. The 6-foot-2-inch, 185-pound defender released a list of his top-five preferred collegiate destinations on his personal Twitter account Tuesday evening, which included Florida. The tweet also included his commitment date, which is set for July 1.

The other schools on his list are the Oklahoma Sooners, Alabama Crimson Tide, Michigan State Spartans and Texas A&M Aggies.

The coveted New England standout made his official visit to Gainesville a couple of weekends ago and came away very impressed with what the Orange and Blue have to offer — particularly, what secondary coach Corey Raymond brings to the table.

“I learned so much, so so much. My little time with (Raymond), my meetings with him, it was amazing,” he told All Gators following his OV. “Just being around him, he’s such a real guy, such a smart man. The legend. Just really love him as a coach and as a person.

“I feel like I became a better DB after this weekend. Matter of fact, just 20 minutes speaking with him briefly before my real long meeting, I learned so much. I learned different techniques, different stances, different plays. It was just amazing. Loved it. Learned a lot.”

Denson is ranked No. 614 overall and No. 59 at cornerback nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 656 and 68 at safety, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine currently has the Spartans in the lead for his commitment with a 32.4% chance of landing him, followed by the Penn State Nittany Lions (23.7%), Florida (16.3%) and Oklahoma (10.3%).

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Five-star OT Brandon Baker names top schools

Five-star OT Brandon Baker puts UGA football in his list of top schools

Five-star offensive tackle recruit Brandon Baker has named his top 10 schools. Baker’s top schools are Georgia, Washington, Michigan, Tennessee, Florida State, Miami, Texas, Oregon, Nebraska, and Ohio State.

Baker is the top ranked offensive tackle recruit in the class of 2024, per 247Sports. Baker plays high school football for Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. Mater Dei is one of the top high school football programs in the nation.

The elite offensive tackle is ranked as the No. 26 player in the class of 2024 and the second-ranked recruit in California. Brandon Baker went on spring visits with Georgia, Florida State, Tennessee, Michigan, Texas, and Nebraska. The 6-foot-5, 285-pound offensive tackle has over 30 scholarship offers.

Kirby Smart and Georgia are off to the nation’s best start with the 2024 recruiting cycle. The Bulldogs have 19 commitments in the country’s top ranked recruiting class. Georgia holds a commitment from in-state offensive tackle recruit Malachi Toliver.

Brandon Baker announced his top 10 schools via Twitter:

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Blue-chip wide receiver impressed with official visit, has Florida among top schools

It looks like the Gators and Nittany Lions are duking it out for this coveted prospect.

Billy Napier’s Florida football program emerged as one of the top two schools in the running for four-star wide receiver [autotag]Jerrae Hawkins [/autotag]out of Sarasota (Florida) IMG Academy after his official visit to Gainesville this weekend.

The 5-foot-9-inch, 165-pound pass-catcher told Swamp247’s Blake Alderman that the Gators are now “top two” in his recruitment following his official visit last weekend. Despite the revelation coming after OVs with both the Miami Hurricanes and Gators, it appears that it is actually the Penn State Nittany Lions who represent the other member of the pair.

“I’d say Penn State,” Hawkins responded when asked which team leads his recruitment. “It’s mainly just the accolades and, like, me playing on the biggest stage, honestly. Like, get me to the league, really.”

Nonetheless, his recent stop in Hogtown went well, as the university and city made the rising high school senior feel welcomed.

“It was a good time. My parents got to come out and see what I was telling them about, things like that,” Hawkins said. “We went to Dave & Busters, chilled with the coaches. Went to the pool area, ate, stuff like that. The pictures was nice.”

Hawkins is ranked No. 228 overall and No. 33 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 230 and 38, respectively. Penn State leads the pack in On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine with a 41.1% chance of signing him, while Florida (20.8%), Miami (17.8%) and the West Virginia Mountaineers (4.0%) follow behind.

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4-star DB Ondre Evans names top 5 schools

UGA makes the top schools for speedy 4-star DB Ondre Evans shortly after offering him a scholarship

Elite defensive back recruit Ondre Evans has named his top five schools. Evans, who recently received a scholarship offer from the University of Georgia, includes the Bulldogs in his top five.

Ondre Evans is ranked as a four-star cornerback recruit. His top five schools are Alabama, Michigan, NC State, Georgia, and LSU.

The four-star prospect plays high school football for Christ Presbyterian Academy in Nashville, Georgia. Evans is ranked as the No. 341 recruit in the class of 2024. Evans is rated as the No. 30 cornerback and the eighth-ranked recruit in Tennessee.

The 6-foot, 180-pound cornerback also runs track and field at a very high level. Ondre Evans holds numerous scholarship offers and is an explosive athlete.

Georgia football has the best class of 2024 in the country. The Bulldogs hold commitments from 17 total prospects. However, five-star cornerback Ellis Robinson is the only cornerback commitment that Georgia has in the 2024 cycle. Head coach Kirby Smart and defensive backs coach Fran Brown are looking to add a few more commitments to Georgia’s 2024 cornerback room.

Ondre Evans has outstanding speed. In fact, he set the Christ Presbyterian Academy school record with a 10.55 second 100-meter dash.

The elite defensive back recruit announced his top schools via Twitter:

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4-star CB out of Orlando includes Florida in top 10

The Florida Gators are one of 10 schools left in the race for four-star cornerback Cai Bates out of Orlando.

The recruiting race for Edgewater (Orlando, Florida) cornerback [autotag]Cai Bates[/autotag] has narrowed down to 10 programs. The rising senior named a top 10 of Florida, Alabama, Colorado, Florida State, LSU, Maryland, Ohio State, Tennesee, Texas A&M and UCF.

Once again, it’s Florida’s defensive backs coach, Corey Raymond, that has Bates so interested in the program. Raymond’s reputation for developing future NFL talent is one of the reasons Billy Napier made him a key piece of the coaching/recruiting staff.

“Coach Raymond at UF has a great track record with DBs and the culture of UF being close to home is a big factor for me,” Bates said to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

There are no plans for Florida to host Bates over the summer yet, which suggests that Florida falls in the bottom half of this top 10. Bates is hoping to be committed by the end of the summer, so the clock is ticking.

Right now, LSU is on top of the On3 recruiting prediction machine with 28.0% odds to land Bates. Alabama is a close second (18.5%), Tennessee is in third (15.9%) and Kentucky (9.0%) rounds out the top four.

Bates is a four-star talent by 247Sports, ESPN and On3’s measure. Rivals.com is the only recruiting service that thinks he’s a three-star recruit and fails to rank him nationally. The On3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted average of all four major services, puts Bates at No. 161 overall and No. 19 among cornerbacks in the class of 2024.

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