Florida remaining optimistic in charge for 2025 4-star QB Ryan Montgomery

After taking a trio of visits to kick off 2024, Findlay (Ohio) four-star quarterback Ryan Montgomery continues to edge closer to making a decision.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder told On3’s Chad Simmons at the beginning of February that he would “like to be decided before the spring” regarding his commitment. The past few weeks have seen Montgomery on the road, as he visited South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

“Those are the only three schools we visited in this open period and those three are definitely on top of the list,” Montgomery told Simmons. “Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are the schools I am looking at the hardest right now.”

While many would point toward the Bulldogs as the favorite for any prospect they are a potential finalist for, signs may be leaning more in favor of the Gators and Gamecocks, according to Florida recruiting insider Keith Niebuhr.

“It feels like it’s down to really two teams, he’s got the three that he’s mentioning — Florida, South Carolina and Georgia, but anyone that’s following recruiting closely knows that Georgia is also working on trying to flip Juju (Lewis) from USC,” Niebuhr said on The Inside Scoop.

UGA is one of the programs pushing the hardest for Lewis, the in-state five-star who recently reclassified to the 2025 cycle. Kirby Smart and his staff may have some tough decisions to make on the recruiting trail in the coming months as they look for their next pledge under center. That will likely favor the other two SEC schools pursuing Montgomery.

“So the question is, if you’re Georgia, do you ride that out? How long are you willing to wait for him? Would you take Montgomery now? When you add it all up, it just feels like based off Montgomery’s timeline of wanting to commit maybe in the next month or two, that probably favors Florida and South Carolina,” Niebuhr said.

Montgomery developing solid relationships with the Florida staff

It’s no secret that Montgomery and the Gators have a sincere mutual interest. Head coach Billy Napier made his way to Ohio last month to visit the signal-caller ahead of his recent trip to The Swamp. Montgomery also visited last fall to watch UF defeat Tennessee in front of a raucous home crowd.

Whether it be via Napier, Ryan O’Hara or other members of the Florida staff, Montgomery has certainly been made a priority by the Sunshine State program. The Gators just signed Five-Star Plus+ QB DJ Lagway to headline the 2024 class and are now looking to lock down their next QB on the recruiting trail.

“I feel like there’s some optimism in Gainesville. He visited this past weekend, had another outstanding visit,” Niebuhr said. “He likes it down there, he connects well with the staff — not only Billy Napier but with Ryan O’Hara, who’s an offensive analyst but for all intents and purposes is the QB coach at Florida, they get along great. They like the development of the QBs, they like the whole situation.”

“It feels like a toss-up at this time between Florida and South Carolina. Probably could go either way.”

Montgomery is the No. 243 overall prospect and No. 19 QB 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. 9 player in Ohio.