Florida rockets up ESPN college football recruiting rankings

USA Today

15 hours ago

The Florida Gators are one of four new teams on the ESPN college football recruiting rankings after a strong summer filled with commitments.
Florida ranks No. 14 in ESPN's end-of-June update, according to national recruiting analyst Craig Haubert. Thirteen of the class's 14 players committed this month, with eight ESPN 300 commits now under a verbal pledge to the university. A top-10 overall recruit at defensive end and one of the best pocket passers in the class highlight both sides of the ball, but there's plenty of talent to drool over throughout the class.
"Landing one of the top defenders in the country is the fastest way to climb the recruiting rankings, and that's exactly what Billy Napier did by securing five-star defensive end JaReylan McCoy. Ranked No. 9 overall and the second-best defender in the ESPN 300, McCoy would be Florida's highest-rated defensive signee in more than a decade. The 6-foot-7, 260-pound Mississippi native brings elite length, explosive traits and a relentless motor that was on full display at the Under Armour All-America week in January."
Reeling in McCoy is another "major recruiting win for Napier" over the likes of LSU and Texas, and there's now another player with game-changing potential in the mix. Florida is also loading up on linemen, "adding critical depth as Florida looks to reassert itself in the SEC."
As anyone who follows college football recruiting knows, nothing is guaranteed these days. Florida could lose its entire class in a split second. Key fixtures of the class can bounce for a bigger NIL check. Napier prides himself on recruiting high-character athletes, but he's been burned a few times while figuring out this new age of recruiting as it changes.
For now, a top-15 class is a feather in the cap and another recruiting pitch Florida can use to land the big names, however many are left out there.
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