Florida Gators flip targets of note

It hasn’t been the summer fans hoped to see the Florida Gators have on the recruiting trail. As of Saturday, the program has only eight commitments and is No. 55 in the On3 recruiting team rankings. Meanwhile, several of Florida’s top targets committed elsewhere. But alas, all is’t lost. In recruiting, nothing is final until signing day and that’s in December. With that in mind, here are some notable recruits committed to other schools we’re continuing to track:

*Hylton Stubbs, S, Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin — Miami Hurricanes: In our previous update on flip targets published in late June, Stubbs was committed to Southern California. Now, he’s a ‘Canes pledge. Will it stick this time around? Given Miami’s NIL prowess it’s certainly possible. But the Gators nonetheless will try to chip away and hope a few trips to The Swamp by Stubbs this season will keep them in the game. To have any chance, Florida probably needs to have a strong season.

The Florida Gators continue to battle with an Auburn Tigers commit

*Malik Autry, DL, Opelika (Ala.) — AUBURN: Autry has made more visits to other schools than just about any committed recruit we can recall, and that includes seven or eight trips to Gainesville. On the one hand, it might mean he’s truly looking around. But on the other, if he was really having doubts about his commitment to Auburn it seems like perhaps he would have de-committed by now. In any event, following Autry’s official visit to Florida in June the Gators continue to feel like they’re a player. But apparently, he also enjoyed an official to Ohio State and now that program has optimism, too. While Auburn continues to like its chances of keeping Autry in the class, some other programs think he’s gettable. Which is true?

*Solomon Thomas, IOL, Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines — FSU: After officially visiting LSU and Florida in early June, Thomas said those two programs weren’t far behind the ‘Noles. Yet following his trip to Tallahassee this past weekend, Thomas said he was locked in with FSU. Is that really the case? There are some who think LSU remains in the hunt. Meanwhile, the Florida chatter has died down for now. Could an eye-opening season give the Gators a boost?

*Tavaris Dice, OT, Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes — AUBURN: Dice is near the top of Florida’s flip target wishlist. And, as of Saturday there continues to be some optimism from the Florida side. In a nutshell, the Gators are battling and continue to think they’re a contender. It’s been a roller coaster ride of late. Dice visited Auburn in June and the Tigers seemed to strengthen their grip during that official. Then, he officially visited the Gators and Florida climbed back into it. However, now there is chatter Auburn once again thinks it’s in a strong spot to hold on. This recruitment probably will continue to have some fluidity to it — and we don’t expect Florida to go away unless Dice shuts things down, which he has not done.

Will a strong season help UF get some flips down the stretch?

*Tramell Jones, QB, Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin — FSU: Jones re-affirmed his commitment to Florida State last weekend. Game over? Maybe. But the reality is, prospects have shut down recruitments before and still continued to talk with and visit other programs. For now, we believe Jones is locked in with the ‘Noles. But let’s see if he ends up at The Swamp for a game this season.

*Dallas Wilson, WR, Tampa Bay Tech (Fla.) — OREGON: The 5-star recruit was supposed to officially visit the Gators on June 14, but he cancelled and went to Miami instead. Most view the ‘Canes and FSU as bigger threats to Oregon than Florida at this time. Meanwhile, there is growing confidence in Eugene, Ore., that the Ducks will keep him in the class.

*Bryce Baker, QB, Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth — NORTH CAROLINA: The Gators recently offered the 4-star recruit and will look to get him on campus this season. At one time, he was flirting with Alabama so the hope in Gainesville is that he might be a little bit open. But on the other hand, the Tar Heels are said to be confident in holding on. Working in their favor, he’s an in-state kid. Meanwhile, North Carolina just had quarterback Drake Maye go No. 3 in the draft. Another recent North Carolina QB product, Sam Howell, is an NFL starter.

The Florida Gators could circle back to some in-state prospects

*Kaylib Singleton S, Fleming Island (Fla.) — RUTGERS: Singleton, who officially visited the Gators on May 31-June 2, committed to Rutgers two weeks later. Prior to that, Florida was the perceived leader and seemed to want him in the class. Will the Gators target Singleton again? That’s unclear. He told Gators Online recently he hadn’t talked to Florida since he committed to Rutgers. But given that Florida lost Stubbs to Miami and is hardly a lock to land other top safety targets such as Bryce Fitzgerald and Lagonza Hayward, it’s reasonable to think the Gators might circle back to Singleton.

*Ziyare Addison, OT, Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day — OREGON: The 4-star recruit committed to the Ducks in June — one week after he visited the Gators. Although he has given no indication he is anything but solid, we expect Florida to keep pursuing him.

*Javion Hilson, Edge, Cocoa (Fla.) — FSU: After Hilson officially visited the Gators on May 31, he said they were right behind the ‘Noles and had given him something to think about. But then, he visited Texas and said that program had opened his eyes. Finally, Hilson was in Tallahassee in late June and now he claims he’s shutting things down. Many of our sources doubt that’s actually the case. In other words, we wouldn’t close the door on this recruitment just yet.

*Ivan Taylor, S, Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange — NOTRE DAME: Taylor competed in a 7-on-7 camp at Florida in June, then returned recently for an unofficial visit. Alabama also apparently is very much in the mix. There’s some chatter that Taylor might not be 100 percent locked in with the Irish.

*Myles Johnson, LB, Brewton (Ala.) Miller: Johnson de-committed from Alabama this week and the Gators are thought by many to be the favorites. He told Gators Online there should be some finality to his recruitment sometime this month.

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