Florida Revealed as Finalist for Elite EDGE
The Florida Gators have one player committed to them from the 2026 recruiting class and are trying to make it two.
On3's Hayes Fawcett revealed Florida as one of five finalists for four-star edge rusher Luke Wafle on Friday. Wafle is also considering the Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas Longhorns, USC Trojans and Penn State Nittany Lions.
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Wafle attends Hun School in Middletown, New Jersey, and is 6-foot-5.5, 245 pounds.
Florida broke through and had a winning season under head coach Billy Napier. In his first year on the job, 2022, Florida went 6-7 and then 5-7 in 2023.
The Gators ended the 2024 campaign at 8-5 after beating Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier celebrates a fourth-down stop. Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Wafle is the No. 53 overall prospect, No. 10 edge rusher and No. 1 recruit from New Jersey in the On3 Industry Rankings.
The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine is not confident that Florida can land Wafle. The Gators are given the fourth-best odds at 7.2% and are tied with USC.
Penn State is the leader at 25.4%, followed by Texas (17.3%) and Ohio State (10.7%).
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Florida had an important weekend visit with Wafle, having him in Gainesville on Friday for an official visit. The Gators previously met with him on April 1 for an unofficial visit.
The Gators' only commit from the 2026 class is four-star quarterback Will Griffin. Florida recently had four-star linebacker Izayia Williams and four-star safety Devin Jackson de-commit.
Florida is trying to make a good impression with multiple top recruits from the 2026 class. The Gators were inside the top eight for four-star defensive lineman Valdin Sone from PPI Recruits in Malmö, Sweden.
The program has also impressed five-star receiver Cederian Morgan, who felt that the relationship with the team is real.
Florida's 2025 season opener is with Long Island on Aug. 30.
Related: Florida Transfer and Top Available Player in Portal Reveals Commitment
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