Give Me Five: In-state 2024 prospects the Florida Gators have best chances at landing

Another edition of Give Me Five is here, Gators fans.

Below, Gators Online highlights five 2024 prospects from the Sunshine State who I believe Florida has the best chance at landing. This features targets who are uncommitted and committed to other programs.

Let’s get started…

Top-100 safety Zay Mincey

Schools such as Alabama, Tennessee, Notre Dame, LSU and Michigan have offered the Daytona Beach native, but most of the buzz is centered on the in-state programs. Those include Florida, Florida State and UCF. Miami recently played host, but other in-state programs are likely positioned better right now.

Mincey has not hinted at making an early decision, but I believe Florida would be the choice today. I’m keeping a close eye on the Seminoles as well, but I believe the overall familiarity in Gainesville and Mincey being able to learn from Raymond is what separates UF at the top. That personal relationship with the star-studded Gators assistant is very strong.

All in all, the Gators have received the most visits and already hosted the defensive back multiple times this year. An official visit will be taking place at some point as well. Mincey is laid back and does not speak with the media often, but I’m still comfortable with my recent On3 RPM pick for the Orange and Blue.

According to On3’s 2024 rankings, Mincey is the No. 4 safety and No. 64 prospect overall.

Michigan State cornerback commit Jamari Howard

This is one who might be trending toward the Gators right now, but man, it is extremely close.

Back in the fall, the top-50 prospect made a commitment to Michigan State. He continues to say all the right things about the Spartans and has a very strong relationship with Mel Tucker’s staff, but Florida and Florida State have been surging in recent months. From talking to multiple sources in recent weeks, staying put in the Sunshine State seems like the most-likely scenario right now.

Howard grew up a huge Seminoles fan and has been in Tallahassee quite a bit. They could very much flip him as well, but I’m giving the Gators the slight edge due to them receiving the most recent visit. He has been to campus several times over the past month and will return for an official visit. A date, however, it not scheduled.

Corey Raymond is also turning up the heat and has the full respect of Howard. His resume is something other DB coaches do not have, while the 2024 prospect is intrigued by the program’s overall history in the secondary as well.

The South Florida native is well reserved when discussing his recruitment, but I believe it’s an extremely close battle between Michigan State, Florida and Florida State. I am giving UF the slight edge though and was told safety commit Xavier Filsaime is in Howard’s ear as well.

With Howard, this is not just one of the Gators’ top flip targets; he is a top target overall.

On300 safety Jordan Pride

Over a week ago, I submitted an On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine pick in favor of the Gators for Pride. My confidence level for the pick is at 75 percent. That was in response to the four-star safety’s de-commitment from Florida State.

According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, Florida is trending heavily with odds of 96.8 percent.

The On300 prospect was offered last summer and then attended Friday Night Lights and multiple home games. He was present for one of UF’s junior days in January and the Orange and Blue Game as well, so he has already visited multiple times this year and will return in the summer for an official visit.

Even before Pride de-committed though, the Gators were generating much of the buzz in his recruitment. He was in Gainesville more than he was in Tallahassee, at least for a good portion of his junior year, and is feeling like a top priority for several UF staff members.

Overall, Pride was one of UF’s top flip targets and someone I included in several trending up stories. Now that he is back on the market, I am comfortable with including him in this story.

According to the On3 Industry Ranking, Pride is the No. 8 safety and No. 103 prospect overall. Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Auburn and Texas A&M are some schools that previously offered as well.

On300 wide receiver Terrance Moore

Including the Tampa native on this list was a no-brainer.

Why? Earlier this week, Moore told GO’s Keith Niebuhr that Florida is his No. 1 school. Clemson and Tennessee are schools to monitor as well. The in-state Gators, however, are positioned best for the 6-foot-4 pass catcher. All in all, 40-plus schools have offered and Moore is only a junior with one year of football experience.

Moore has been a priority for the Gators for much of this year though. It started when Keary Colbert was still in Gainesville; now, Billy Gonzales and Billy Napier are heavily involved as well.

The proximity advantage is also huge for UF. That will allow Moore to visit several times over the summer, during the season, or even both; however, that obviously benefits additional Sunshine State programs as well, as Miami, Florida State and UCF have played host in recent months too.

But as of today, the Gators are leading the way for Moore. He boasts one of the better offer sheets at the position and would be a big-time addition. It took just one visit for UF make a dent in his recruitment, so you can expect Napier’s staff to ramp up their efforts even more when Moore returns for his official visit.

Four-star defensive lineman Kendall Jackson

The 2024 prospect has already set foot on campus nearly a dozen times and most recently visited for the Orange and Blue Game. Additional schools are getting a fair shake though, as the likes of Miami, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas, Florida State, Kentucky and Georgia Tech were included in Jackson’s spring visit schedule. He is expected to take several official visits as well.

Jackson has yet to name a clear-cut leader, but there is no doubt the Gators are trending. Those odds, according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, are sitting at 96.5 percent. Sean Spencer, Kali James and Billy Napier are among those in communication with the hometown star.

So, not a whole lot has changed with Jackson; however, with Austin Armstrong running the defense, the Gators are now recruiting Jackson for UF’s edge-rushing position of JACK.

Jackson recorded 12.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss as a junior, so that is a natural fit for him. And depending on how much he grows, he could likely play several roles along the d-line.

In addition to his mother and uncle having graduated from UF, Jackson is former teammates with Gators signee Gavin Hill. There are just too many boxes the Gators check here. Anything can happen in recruiting, but I still view Florida as the heavy favorite for Jackson.

Stay tuned to Gators Online.

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