Florida offers trio of IMG Academy defensive backs

Billy Napier’s recruiting staff is always looking for talent out of IMG Academy, and the new secondary coach has caught on to the trend quickly.

A day after Christmas, the Florida Gators presented an offer to IMG Academy cornerback Major Preston.

The class of 2025 defensive back took to Twitter after receiving the offer, tagging Florida’s new defensive backs coach Will Harris as well as head coach Bill Napier.

Florida isn’t the first SEC team to offer Preston, though. Ole Miss has already thrown its hat in the ring alongside Florida A&M, Georgia Tech, Liberty, Marshall and Virginia Tech, according to Swamp247.

“Coach Will, he had hit me up on messages, asking to get on the phone,” Preston said. “He called me, we had a great conversation, and he offered me.”

Harris has looked to establish a relationship with IMG Academy since touching down in Gainesville. He also offered two rising stars from the class of 2026 — Zechariah Fort and Ksani Jiles.

Preston and Jiles are both unranked right now on 247Sports, but Fort checks in at No. 20 nationally on the composite rankings. Harris is clearly looking to keep the in-state powerhouse as a pipeline for the Gators. Getting Preston on campus is the next step.

The plan is to get Preston in town during the spring, so he can get a feel for the program and school. It will be his first time in Gainesville and meeting the staff in person. No dates are penciled in just yet.

Preston has only made two visits so far during his recruitment — a trip to Blacksburg, Virginia to see Tech beat Pitt and a stop in Miami during the fall.

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LSU offers 2026 cornerback from Florida

Zechariah Fort started as a freshman at IMG Academy, one of the nation’s top high school teams.

[autotag]Zechariah Fort[/autotag] is a 5-foot-10, 170-pound cornerback from the class of 2026. He is from Bradenton, Florida, where he plays for IMG Academy, one of the country’s most well-renowned high school football teams.

Every year some of the best athletes in the country choose to go to IMG and train under former NFL players and coaches. IMG Academy finished the 2022 season 8-1 with their only loss coming from the Central Rockets in Miami.

Film Analysis: Playing for IMG Academy as a freshman is a big feat. Fort is a talented corner that does a great job of diagnosing plays and making open-field tackles.

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