247Sports issues Florida prediction for blue-chip defensive lineman Vodney Cleveland

USA Today

8 hours ago

247Sports issues Florida prediction for blue-chip defensive lineman Vodney Cleveland
The summer heat is quickly rising, and Florida football's recruiting efforts have followed the mercury on its upward trajectory on the recruiting front, having now logged 10 hard commits as of the third weekend in June.
Amidst the action, the Gators received a crystal ball prediction from 247Sports for four-star defensive lineman Vodney Cleveland out of Birmingham (Alabama) Parker in the 2026 cycle. The 6-foot-3-inch, 3005-pound trench warrior currently holds offers from 38 different schools and is wrapping up the fourth of his five official visits.
It was Swamp247's Tyler Harden who submitted the crystal ball prediction for the Orange and Blue on Friday. Following Cleveland's OV in Gainesville at the end of May, the prep prospect told him that "Florida's still on top."
What Vodney Cleveland has said about Florida
During his official visit, the Cotton State product got an intimate view of the program, which presumably strengthened Billy Napier and Co.'s case to bring him to the Swamp.
"Being around the locker room with these guys, just feels at home," he offered. Note that the home-like family atmosphere he described follows the staff's philosophy for building relationships with prep prospects and current players alike.
As far as the coaching staff is concerned, defensive line coach Gerald Chatman has spearheaded the recruiting effort for Florida, while co-defensive coordinator Ron Roberts has also offered some assistance in mapping out how the young talent would fare in the Gators' scheme.
"(Chatman) says I'm a great fit, and a guy like Caleb Banks, Cam Jackson, all those guys," Cleveland noted.
Vodney Cleveland's official visit schedule
Cleveland has completed four of his five official visits scheduled for this summer, starting with the Auburn Tigers on May 16, Florida on May 30, the Georgia Bulldogs on June 6 and the Texas Longhorns this past weekend. He still has a stop set with the Miami Hurricanes coming up on June 20.
Vodney Cleveland's commitment date
"I would say (in) two weeks," Cleveland said after the visit over two weeks ago. So while there is no firm date currently set, we can expect an announcement in the very near future from Cleveland. It is quite possible that he will wait until after his visit to Coral Gables as well.
Will Harden's prediction prove correct? We will see soon enough.
Vodney Cleveland's Recruiting Summary
Cleveland is ranked No. 141 overall and No. 18 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 120 and 11, respectively. Along with 247Sports' medium crystal ball prediction, On3's recruiting prediction machine gives the Gators a 76.2% chance of landing the defensive lineman, followed by Auburn (9.5%) and Alabama (5.7%), respectively.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.