Florida Gators trending to land 2025 TE Caden Piening

Florida has closed the 2025 recruiting cycle just about as strong as any program in the nation, flipping myriad blue-chip prospects since head coach Billy Napier was retained toward the end of the season.

The Gators now have the nation’s No. 11 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. UF is trending to add another recruit to the mix, too.

Gators Online’s Keith Niebuhr broke the news on National Signing Day that four-star tight end Tae’shaun Gelsey would not be signing with Florida, the school he’d been committed to since June. Gelsey is looking to play wide receiver at the college level and instead signed with Florida State, leaving UF with just one tight end in its class.

Napier, tight ends coach Russ Callaway and Co. are still looking to sign a second player at the position this cycle, however. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), Cincinnati Anderson three-star Caden Piening could fill that gap.

The 6-foot-4.5, 245-pounder was committed to UCF since April, but reopened his recruitment on Dec. 1 following the news that Knights head coach Gus Malzahn was leaving Orlando to become the new offensive coordinator at FSU. On Thursday, UF recruiting insider Corey Bender logged a pick in the On3 RPM in favor of the Gators landing Piening’s commitment.

He took an official visit to Gainesville in June. That came after logging a trip in the spring, so the Buckeye State native is familiar with The Swamp. Sights were setting on playing in Orlando next season, but Gainesville is just a couple hours up the road. Piening already has a relationship with Callaway, too.

“He doesn’t really show a lot of attention to me being committed,” Piening said of Callway to Gators Online after his summer OV. “We are still growing each day and building a relationship. He still wanted me to come out for the OV, see everything they have to offer and I had a really good time.”

This fall saw Piening catch 43 passes for 769 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior, according to MaxPreps. He is the No. 767 overall prospect and No. 39 TE in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Florida signed Madison (Miss.) Central three-star tight end Micah Jones on Wednesday. He is the No. 31 player at the position this cycle.