4-star WR Winston Watkins Jr. visiting Florida

One of the top wide receivers in The Sunshine State is in Gainesville for a visit to Florida.

Fort Myers (Fla.) First Baptist four-star wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. decommitted from Colorado in November and is now working through his recruitment once again. He’s aiming for a busy spring, which kicks off this weekend with his latest trip to The Swamp.

Watkins is the No. 93 overall prospect and No. 10 wideout in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 13 player in Florida.

Trips to Clemson (March 11), Pittsburgh (March 21), Syracuse (March 27), Indiana (April 2), Ohio State (April 9), Tennessee (April 12), Florida State (April 16), Texas (April 18) and Oregon (April 25) are all on the docket for the 5-foot-10, 175-pounder.

Watkins was committed to Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes for almost a year, but opted to back off his pledge and start fresh. In his announcement, Watkins said he would not be committing again until the December Signing Period.

“This was a tough decision to make but after long talks with my Dad I have decided to decommit from the University of Colorado and open up my recruitment. Colorado will still be one of my top schools,” Watkins told On3. “I just want to study every college that is recruiting me and continue to pray that I am making the right decision that I feel is best for me & my family on National Signing Day in December of 2024.”

At a recent Battle 7v7 event in Miami, Watkins was named one of the top performers by On3’s Chad Simmons:

“Watkins was a go-to guy for (Luke) Nickel. The former Colorado commit moved the chains, scored touchdowns and made two-point plays. Whatever Cam Newton’s team needed, Watkins made the play. He was tough to cover and showed consistent hands,” Simmons wrote.

Florida Class Breakdown

Just four prospects are committed to the Gators thus far, but three are blue-chip (four or five-star) recruits and all four hail from The Sunshine State or Georgia.

Three of the four commits have joined the fold in 2024. Headlining the quartet is Tallahassee (Fla.) James Rickards four-star defensive lineman Jalen Wiggins. The lone top-100 prospect in the class thus far, Wiggins is also a top-10 player at his position and one of the best in his home state.

Wiggins’ commitment came just one day after Atlanta Woodward three-star wide receiver Josiah Abdullah, who chose the Gators while also holding offers from the likes of Tennessee, Alabama, LSU, Texas and more.

Tampa Plant four-star running back Waltez Clark is the longest-running commit in the fold for Napier and Co. He opted to pledge in September and is just outside the top 200 in the On3 Industry Ranking overall. The newest member of the class is Fort Valley (Ga.) Houston County four-star interior offensive lineman Peyton Joseph, a top-125 recruit who committed on Feb. 18.