3-star defensive lineman Francois Nolton decommits from Florida

Miami (Fla.) Edison defensive lineman Francois Nolton has decommitted from Florida, he announced Wednesday on his Instagram.

Nolton is the No. 584 prospect in the 2022 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He ranks as the nation’s No. 69 defensive lineman and the No. 80 prospect in Florida.

“I want to thank the Florida coaches, especially Coach Mullen and Coach [Hova] for giving me a opportunity to play at the next level,” Nolton wrote. “That being said after a long talk with my family I would like to decommit from the University of Florida and open up my recruitment 100% open.”

Three-star defensive end Francois Nolton Jr. has decomitted from the Gators, via his Instagram. pic.twitter.com/OOenSGQGg6

— 𝙳𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚗 (@KeiserDonavon) December 8, 2021

The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder committed to the Gators in February over offers from Mississippi State, Auburn, Florida State, LSU and others. Prior to this, he planned to take an official visit to Gainesville this weekend.

Francois Nolton is Florida’s fourth decommit in the past two days

The Gators had a handful of decommitments in the aftermath of Dan Mullen’s firing on Nov. 21, but the Gators recently hired Louisiana head coach Billy Napier to replace him. But whether they were told to look elsewhere or simply wanted to explore other options, a number of Gators commits have backed off their pledges.

In the past 24 hours, four-star quarterback Nick Evers, four-star wide receiver Jayden Gibson and four-star wideout Chandler Smith have all announced their decommitments.

Florida now has just seven prospects committed for the 2022 class with a week until the Early Signing Period beings. Following Nolton’s decommitment, the Gators have the No. 48 class nationally and the No. 14 class in the SEC in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings.