logo
Four-star LB Malik Morris commits to Florida

Four-star LB Malik Morris commits to Florida

Miami Herald08-07-2025
Four-star linebacker Malik Morris has committed to Florida, marking the Gators' 17th recruit in the Class of 2026.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pounder attends Lakeland High School in Lakeland, Fla., located about 120 miles from Florida's campus in Gainesville. Morris is ranked as the 12th linebacker in his class, 27th in Florida and 202nd nationally, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.
He took an official visit to Florida on June 13, after previously visiting Texas A&M and Miami. Morris also held offers from Alabama, Georgia, Texas and other powerhouse programs.
"Just the atmosphere they have at Florida is unexplainable. If you've ever been to a Florida game, it's 90,000 people just in there rocking," Morris told Gators Online in May. "It's the crib. I'm from Florida, so it's right here."
The linebacker tallied 95 tackles, nine sacks and three forced fumbles en route to winning Ledger All-County Defensive Player of the Year. Morris also tacked on five rushing touchdowns for a Lakeland squad that went 13-1 and appeared in 5A state title game.
Morris is Florida's first linebacker recruit in the 2026 class and its fifth-highest rated prospect overall in the class. The Gators now rank 15th in 247Sports' 2026 team recruiting rankings with 11 four-stars and five three-stars.
"It's going back to the old Florida. How it used to be, and how it's supposed to be," Morris said to Gators Online about the school's recruiting.
--Field Level Media
Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

He refused to wait his turn. Now Aquinas' Fitzpatrick is one of nation's best
He refused to wait his turn. Now Aquinas' Fitzpatrick is one of nation's best

Miami Herald

time2 hours ago

  • Miami Herald

He refused to wait his turn. Now Aquinas' Fitzpatrick is one of nation's best

Justice Fitzpatrick arrived at St. Thomas Aquinas in 2022 with high—but still measured—expectations about how his freshman season in Fort Lauderdale would go. He heeded warnings before he enrolled about how hard it was for freshmen to get on the field and was ready to be patient if he needed to be. At the same time, Fitzpatrick had no plan to wait his turn. 'I chose myself to be the one to step up,' said Fitzpatrick, now a senior, a three-time state champion and one of the best players in all of Florida. Fitzpatrick originally planned to keep playing wide receiver for the Raiders, but he saw a need in the secondary and stepped up. He was ready to be patient, but played so well that St. Thomas Aquinas couldn't keep him off of the field. He was always pegged as a potential future star, but his play as a freshman quickly solidified him as something truly special. Now, Fitzpatrick is a top-50 prospect in the Class of 2026, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, and the highest ranked pure defender in South Florida for the 2026 recruiting class. The four-star cornerback—and younger brother of star Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick—orally committed to Georgia in June and boasts more than 40 scholarship offers, with Miami, Florida and Texas all still pushing to flip Fitzpatrick's commitment away from the Bulldogs. As he gets set to begin his senior season with the Raiders, Fitzpatrick has a chance to finish off a historic career by guiding St. Thomas Aquinas to a record seventh straight state title and doing it as the undisputed leader of the state's most storied program. 'It's definitely been great,' said Fitzpatrick, who relocated with his family to the Miami metropolitan area after the Dolphins picked his older brother in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. 'I haven't had the traditional experience, I guess you'd say.' Playing for the Raiders, especially as an underclassmen, is different than playing at most other high schools. In any given season, St. Thomas Aquinas will feature at least a dozen future FBS-level players in their starting lineup - there just isn't room for most freshmen and sophomores to get significant playing time, even if those freshmen and sophomores are future D-I players, too. Fitzpatrick knew this—and embraced it. He quickly realized he wouldn't get on to the field as a receiver, but saw openings in the secondary. Finally, he decided to make the shift and the Raiders rewarded him—Fitzpatrick never played a single game on junior varsity. Although playing time was sporadic as a freshman, Fitzpatrick still made a mark. In the Class 3M championship, Fitzpatrick grabbed his first interception and helped St. Thomas Aquinas beat Homestead for a fourth straight state title. 'First play of the game, they saw me, a little freshman,' the 6-foot-1, 185-pound corner said. 'They tried to throw it deep.' Since then, Fitzpatrick has consistently been one of the best defensive backs in the country, earning first-team Junior All-American honors from MaxPreps last season. His final season with the Raiders could be his best yet, with his older brother now just a short drive away after he returned to the Dolphins in the offseason. Fitzpatrick has always leaned on his brother, despite the roughly 10-year age gap between the two. When Minkah was playing in high school in New Jersey and going through his recruitment, Justice got a front-row seat to learn what the process would be like. When Minkah landed with the Dolphins and the family moved to the Miami metro area, Justice got to lean on his older brother for advice and some coaching, just as he was starting to figure himself out as a football player, too. After the Dolphins traded Minkah to the Steelers in 2019, Justice had to save his training seasons with his older brother for the offseason, and move all their conversations to phone calls and FaceTime's. No more. With his brother's help and three years of championship experience already behind him, Fitzpatrick is ready to be even better in his final year of high school. 'NFL players, they've got a lot of weight on them. I've got a lot of weight on me,' Fitzpatrick said. 'It's a lot easier to talk to someone face to face.'

Raheem Morris says Falcons want to model Lions' toughness
Raheem Morris says Falcons want to model Lions' toughness

USA Today

time3 hours ago

  • USA Today

Raheem Morris says Falcons want to model Lions' toughness

Falcons head coach says he wants the team to model the Detroit Lions' culture. Raheem Morris and Dan Campbell recently went head-to-head during the preseason matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions in which the latter team got the 17-10 win. Despite the competition, there's a real sense of respect between the two head coaches. In fact, Morris says he took a Dan Campbell type of approach when he became the Falcons head coach. That's meant from both a cultural and schematic perspective. "I have so much respect for Dan (Campbell) and what Detroit did and I watched," Morris told Chris Long on the Green Light podcast. "I remember 2020 when they won a small amount of games. Then they came out and started off the season and they started off (poorly), and finished strong and got to that middle range." In a way, Morris feels he was in a better position than Campbell was in with the Lions in relation to that time period because of the situation he walked into from a talent perspective. While he and his staff have had some big wins themselves, there's even more to consider outside of that. "I always felt like that last year, we could skipped a couple steps that Detroit had to go through because of some of the talent that was acquired here before I even got here. So, whether you're crediting Arthur Smith or you're crediting Terry Fontenot... and all of our guys, our staff, the guys who brought the players here like Bijan Robinson, Drake London, that provide that ultimate toughness." The idea of building the team up like Detroit seemed like a no-brainer to Morris. "So, when you got here and saw the two backs, you saw the toughness of the team, you saw some of the things that you can build on. There's no secret you would tailor it to a Detroit-like model, when you talk about how to build it and how to go win football games. How Morris and the Falcons continue their journey in hopes of becoming a consistent contender will be something to watch in 2025 after the flashes the team showed in 2024.

Notre Dame football offers 2027 4-star Georgia running back Caden Wayne on Monday night
Notre Dame football offers 2027 4-star Georgia running back Caden Wayne on Monday night

USA Today

time4 hours ago

  • USA Today

Notre Dame football offers 2027 4-star Georgia running back Caden Wayne on Monday night

There are only a few teams that have the luxury that Notre Dame football has with recruiting at the moment, as its 2026 class is virtually complete and they have been able to really put their focus on the 2027 cycle. Multiple offers have been sent out already, and with three commitments, the Irish are off to a great start. On Monday evening, they offered yet another potential star in 2027 Georgia running back Caden Wayne. The 5-foot, 11-inch and 185-pounder is ranked as the No. 140 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite. Notre Dame has joined schools like Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and USC in their pursuit of Wayne. It is a bit interesting that the states top school, Georgia, has yet to pull the trigger with an offer, but maybe they now that he doesn't want to stay home to play at the next level. During his sophomore year, Wayne was a monster on both sides of the ball, accounting for 1,397 all-purpose yards with 18 touchdowns and 51 tackles with 4 interceptions. Notre Dame loves these kind of athletes, one that show that they'll do whatever it takes to help their team win. Wayne has yet to make a visit to South Bend, as he took trips to see the Bulldogs, Buckeyes, Ducks and South Carolina during the spring. If the Irish are able to get him on campus this fall, theres a good chance that Notre Dame can win out in his recruitment. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store