Hylton Stubbs wants to be a Trojan but says recruitment isn’t over

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA — For about a year, 4-star safety Hylton Stubbs of Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin called Florida his leader so when he committed to Southern California on March 24 it caught many off guard.

But six weeks later, none of the other top contenders have slowed in their pursuit of the elite prospect.

“Definitely the big three (in Florida are heavily recruiting him),” Stubbs said Monday. “Probably at about the same rate. Florida probably is shooting the hardest.”

Given that Florida seemed to be in a strong spot with Stubbs before he committed to the Trojans, Stubbs speculated the Gators “probably were pretty surprised” by that pledge.

“I know that kind of shook them a little bit,” he told Gators Online. “But it’s not over. It’s definitely not over. … They were coming pretty hard before so it’s hard to up that but they’ve definitely come a little harder.”

Hylton Stubbs is a top-100 national recruit

According to Stubbs, the Gators will get an official visit in June. He also will official to Florida State, Miami and USC. Other schools also are recruiting him, but Stubbs said these four are at the top.

Two Florida coaches — defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong and secondary coach Will Harris — visited Stubbs at his school last week.  He said Monday he is close with both of them. 

Stubbs’ commitment to USC presented a unique challenge to Harris in that he now is trying to flip Stubbs from his alma mater.

“He came back awesome. He said he respected my decision because he played for USC,” Stubbs said. “But he said to just know it’s not over yet and they’re going to keep pushing for me.”

According to Stubbs, Florida has said it doesn’t intend to go away quietly.

“They say they’re going to keep shooting,” Stubbs said. “They say they’re going to do whatever it takes. Like whatever it takes to get me. I feel like that’s a big thing. Because you don’t hear that from a lot of other schools.”

Stubbs looks forward to his official visit to Florida. But the officials alone won’t determine his future.

“The official visit is going to be awesome,” Stubbs said. “I’m really going to be focused on getting a better relationship and finding a home. But really, I’m looking at the season. I want to see how everybody plays. That’s my big pitch on it. I want to see how everyone plays. I feel like anywhere you go, you’re going to have the best time. You’re going to do everything you want to do, but I want to win.”

As official visit season approaches, Stubbs made it clear everyone else is chasing USC.

“I want to be a Trojan. That’s my current plan,” Hylton Stubbs said. “But if things go different they go different. You never know what’s going to happen until you sign on that dotted line.

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