Florida Gators recruiting chat

Let’s talk Florida Gators football recruiting!

Midway through the late-summer recruiting dead period, Florida has 12 commitments and the No. 29 class ranking from On3. Who are the top targets and where do the Gators sit with them? Which prospects are realistic flip candidates and why? What are the biggest concerns? What’s the general vibe in Gainesville?

In Monday’s Florida Gators recruiting chat, Gators Online answered all recruiting-related questions from subscribers right HERE. Here are some highlights.

GussChiggins123 said: Do you think Gators running back commit Chad Gasper has the potential to rise in the rankings?
GATORS ONLINE: I do. The Florida staff is higher on him than the recruiting sites. But thus far, his video and stats suggest he’s where he should be in the rankings. His stats don’t overwhelm you. In his defense, he plays in a passing offense. That said, 4.9 yards per carry in high school won’t get you a high ranking. Are the holes there for him to run through? Not always with his team. But that’s sort of life in high school football. It’s just kind of the luck of the draw. Still, for him to have a shot at moving up, he’s going to need to produce more long runs (his career best in high school is 55 yards), break more tackles and outrun more defenders. If he can put that on film, he can open some eyes this fall. As for his frame, there are no concerns there.

GatorNate said: Any updates on 4-star corner target Ben Hanks Jr.?
GATORS ONLINE: Not really. In recruitments, there often aren’t as many swings day to day as people sometimes think. Most of our sources still consider Florida the team to beat. Most still think Miami is the main competition. But if there is one relatively new piece of intel it’s that Louisville is pushing really hard and it sounds like the Cardinals still think they have a fighting chance. Hanks and his father really like that staff, particularly John Herron, Dir. of Recruiting.

He announces his commit Friday. I still like the Gators here.

Ashevillegator said: If we pull off n 8-9 win season, how high would you anticipate our class ends up ranked?
GATORS ONLINE: Will it help? Sure. But how much is the question. Some questions that make this difficult to answer.

-How many spots will Florida have available? If UF plans to sign, let’s says 22-23 for argument sake, and it has 16 commitments, that would leave six or seven spots. Even if all new additions down the stretch were 4-stars, would that be enough to get UF into the top 10? Maybe.

-How many spots will Florida reserve for the transfer portal? Based on what happens this season, will the Gators need more immediate help for 2025 — or less? If it’s the former, it might put more focus into that than into high school recruits late in the year. My guess is, it would probably be a good mix of both.

-Would eight or nine wins get people with money to open up their checkbooks and donate to Florida’s NIL? That certainly would help.

-How many prospects could Florida realistically flip late? Since most top recruits already will be committed by mid-fall, that’s something to note. Sometimes once a prospect commits somewhere, it’s not easy to pull them away. All these big programs have money, too. And the elite schools recruiting against Florida themselves are likely to have solid win totals, too.

I think it definitely would help with an uncommitted elite prospect such as linebacker Ty Jackson. He’s not expected to commit until late in the year. And it certainly will give Florida new life with several players committed elsewhere. Five-star corner DJ Pickett comes to mind. What we don’t know is this: Are recruits who claim all they need to see is Florida win being honest with us? I mean, it’s an easy thing to say. Do people really keep receipts on that?

I don’t know for certain the floodgates will open. It’s not a given. Billy Napier was not on the hot seat in his first few recruiting classes — and that’s when it’s often the best time to sell your program and vision. The Gators finished 13th (2023) and 10th (2024) in those cycles.

To me, an eight or nine-win season would get Florida into the top-12 range. But it’s way too early to tell how much higher is realistic.

Moneygreen said: We’ve missed on every O-Line recruit. Do you think that we’re still recruiting some of those players? Or look to use Coach Prime’s strategy in the portal?
GATORS ONLINE: I do think Florida will continues to recruit 5-star FSU interior offensive line commit Solomon Thomas. He’s been fairly cold on Florida of late, but let’s see if he makes it to a game at The Swamp — and let’s see if the Gators have a good season. He seems to be somewhat impressionable.

I also believe Florida will continue to recruit 5-star tackle Michael Fasusi, who visited the Gators in July. He’ll announce his commitment next week — Texas and Oklahoma are the two schools to watch. But he has left open the door to returning to Gainesville this season.

Four-star Auburn tackle/guard commit Tavaris Dice is another to watch. It’d expect him at a Florida game this season. The Gators won’t go away.

Meanwhile, I’d expect Florida to circle back on some other guys while also keeping track of which offensive linemen have breakout senior seasons. There still is value out there. Florida is supposed to have some great evaluators. This is where they’ll earn their salaries. After this season, the staff will be able to full access what it may or may not need from the portal. But there’s no certainty there will be elite talent there if we’re being honest.

Heart said: Is Gators coach Billy Napier really an elite recruiter? We all were told that he was and that was the reason he has this job.
GATORS ONLINE: Well, at least you’re not putting me on the spot.

His classes at Florida have been solid, but I don’t know anyone who would call them elite — at least based on the rankings. But in his defense, he arrived in Gainesville just as NIL was getting underway and that created a whole new layer to recruiting. It’s easily the biggest single factor now with elite recruits. Is Florida’s NIL comparable with the elite programs? I don’t have the answer to that. 

Since Florida hasn’t been winning, all we can really do is use the recruiting team rankings. Those suggest he’s good. Whether the results on the field come or not will determine the rest.

BuckyGator said: What does the defensive tackle board look like? Gonna need some dudes next year.
GATORS ONLINE: Well, you’ve already got two commits in Jeramiah McCloud and Joseph Mbatchou. Florida probably would like to add a couple more. Four-star Auburn commit Malik Autry probably is the main target. But my gut tells me a flip isn’t likely unless the Tigers struggle and Florida rises. Not sure one or the other does it. Think it might take both. Next up, there’s Ohio State commit Jarquez Carter of Newberry (Fla.). To me, he’s a guy who could realistically land in the class if Florida has a respectable season. After that, Florida continues to recruit Oklahoma commit Floyd Boucard and Georgia Tech commit Derry Norris. I’d be somewhat surprised if both don’t attend at least one game in Gainesville. Meanwhile, the Gators continue to evaluate a few junior college guys who might be more suited to play early. Also, if Florida has a strong season, it’s possible some new highly rated targets emerge.

Lucas da Gator Mann said: If and when Naeshaun Montgomery commits are we done at receiver?
GATORS ONLINE:I think Florida will try to sign a fourth receiver. They’ll use that final spot to target someone they think is elite — such as Dallas Wilson, the 5-star Oregon commit. With three commits on board, you’ll be playing with house money. You can afford to be selective so I’d expect the Gators to aim high. And if the passing numbers are strong and the wins are up, they could make some noise down the stretch. Especially if people get a glimpse of DJ Lagway — and he looks good.

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