Florida jumps in-state rival in On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings

After a pair of commitments on Thursday, Florida has made a significant move up the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings.

With On3 four-star safety Bryce Thornton and top-100 defensive back Dijon Johnson in the fold, the Gators now hold the No. 8 class in the country, jumping over both Miami and Clemson and in the process.

Those two join a class that features 16 blue-chip commitments, all of whom rank in the top-400 nationally in the On3 Consensus Player Rankings. Eleven of those pledges are on the defensive side of the ball, where head coach Billy Napier and defensive coordinator Patrick Toney have made it a point to reload along the defensive line and in the secondary.

Thornton and Johnson are the sixth and seventh defensive back commitments for the Gators this cycle, joining four-stars Ja’Keem Jackson, Jordan Castell, Sharif Denson and Aaron Gates. Florida also holds pledges from four-star defensive linemen Kelby Collins, Kamran James, T.J. Searcy, Isaiah Nixon, Will Norman and Gavin Hill.

Massive recruiting weekend ahead for Florida

Florida had major success with its first recruiting weekend of the season when it hosted as ton of prospects as the Gators defeated then-No. 7 Utah in front of a raucous crowd. Now, they’ll look for a repeat performance — both on the field and on the recruiting side of things — with Saturday night’s game against LSU.

Multiple five-stars will be in attendance, headlined by 2023 Montgomery (Ala.) Carver teammates James Smith and Qua Russaw, who will make their long-awaited official visits. Alabama is considered the team to beat for both in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM). But Billy Napier and Co. made a big impression on the duo when they came to town in late July for an unofficial visit. Smith and Russaw are expected to play together at the next level, so to get one, you’ll have to get both on board. On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons said recently he thinks the Gators are running in third behind Alabama and Auburn, but the Gators have a chance to make a big impact with the official visits.

In the 2024 class, two elite wide receivers from the Sunshine State will on hand Saturday night: No. 1-ranked receiver Joshisa Trader, and his teammate, five-star wideout Jeremiah Smith. The Gators are very much in the mix with both early on, battling Miami, Ohio State, Alabama and a number of others. They’ll surely be spending some time with top-100 running back Stacy Gage and coveted four-star quarterback DJ Lagway, Florida’s top targets at those positions in this cycle.

One potential major visitor that hasn’t confirmed his trip is Five-Star Plus+ cornerback Cormani McClain, who the Gators are battling Alabama for. He’s yet to take an official visit to Gainesville, but is extremely familiar with Florida’s program and likes what Napier is building. Getting him on campus period would be another major win after he opted to cancel his Alabama official visit last weekend.