Florida Gators trending for 4-star LB Kris Jones

Fairfax (Va.) four-star linebacker Kris Jones has locked in multiple official visits for next month. One of them will be to Florida on June 2.

Following industry updates, the Gators have a 75.7% chance to land Jones, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound recruit last went to Gainesville on March 31.

“Florida is the school Jones has the best relationship with,” Corey Bender of Gators Online said. “Much of that can be credited to inside linebackers coach Jay Bateman, who is also a Virginia native. He has constructed several strong relationships though. All in all, there is a lot of familiarity in Gainesville. Three trips to campus have already taken place and now an official visit is set for this weekend.

“The Gators are near the very top for Jones, if not at the top, and will have the opportunity to make the biggest splash later this week.”

Jones is the No. 149 overall prospect and No. 15 linebacker in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 1 player in Virginia.

“I don’t need to experience anything else in Gainesville to be honest,” Jones told Keith Niebuhr of Gators Online on April 30. “I love it down there and love spending time with coach (Billy) Napier and coach Bateman and the staff. It’s really a family feel down there.”

“There’s a lot, but to me it’s the staff and just the potential the Gators have,” he added about what stands out to him most. “They’re building something in Gainesville and who wouldn’t want to be apart of it?”

For more Florida recruiting intel, check out Gators Online.

Jones would mark the latest recruiting win for Florida

Landing Jones would be a massive recruiting win for Napier and the Gators’ staff. At the moment, Florida has a commitment from two linebackers in Atlanta (Ga.) Woodward Academy four-star linebacker Myles Graham and Largo (Fla.) four-star linebacker Adarius Hayes.

The Gators’ 2024 recruiting class contains eight players. Florida’s group ranks No. 4 in the 2024 On3 Industry Recruiting Rankings and No. 3 in the SEC.

Four Florida pledges are currently top-100 recruits. They are Graham, Hayes, Willis (Texas) five-star quarterback DJ Lagway and McKinney (Texas) four-star safety Xavier Filsaime.

“… I’m trying to get the best guys in the class with me,” Lagway told On3’s Chad Simmonson March 13. “Without the players around me, I can’t do anything. I’m trying to get the best receivers, best running backs, best linemen, best linebackers, all of it. I’m really just trying to bring that success back that the fans deserve.”