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4-star DB Jaelen Waters commits to Florida

On3 imageby:Keith Niebuhr•06/15/24•

On3Keith

Jaelen Waters
Jaelen Waters (From Jaelen Waters's account on X)

The Florida Gators have their second pledge for the 2026 class and it’s a good one as 4-star cornerback Jaelen Waters of Seffner (Fla.) Armwood has committed to Billy Napier’s program.

He is the No. 12 corner and No. 153 overall recruit nationally in the On3 Industry Rankings. Waters is listed at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds.

He visited the Gators on Thursday.

Waters has developed a great relationship with Florida secondary coach Will Harris.

“We get on the phone with him almost every other day,” Waters said. “Talk about football and stuff. He comes around my school during that time period when you can visit schools — him and Coach (Austin) Armstrong too. He always worries about me. He loves me in the 2026 class. So I’m very appreciative of that.”

Waters de-committed from Florida State on May 30 and wrote the following message on X: “I would like to thank FSU for the opportunity to further my education & football career. But after much reflection & consideration, I’ve decided to re-open my recruitment.”

Now, he plans to be a Gator.

He joins 4-star quarterback Will Griffin of Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit on the 2026 Gators commitment list. He committed to Florida on June 1.

Waters’ recruitment already has had a few twists and turns. Florida offered him a scholarship in January and soon after he called the Gators his leader.

“To start off, I love me and (secondary) coach Will (Harris‘) relationship. I kind of get a father-figure vibe from him,” Waters told Gators Online at the time of the offer. “Also, I love the facilities and etc. I love that it’s not just football there. They also are going to help with school, tutors and stuff in that sort. All in all, I love the school.”

Jaelen Waters was committed to FSU for less than 2 months

But just three months later, Waters committed to the Seminoles.

“I wanna stay in Florida and Florida State is the right fit for me,” Waters told On3 when he picked the ‘Noles in April. “Coach (Mike) Norvell is my guy! I also committed (because) FSU showed a different love no other school showed me before. It’s more than just football there, it’s a brotherhood. I love that off the field, he is gonna treat me like a son and on the field he coaches me to my fullest potential. He told me this once, ‘It’s gonna be days where you’re gonna like me and there are gonna be days when you don’t.’”

As a sophomore, Waters recorded 20 tackles (17 solo), six pass deflections and one forced fumble.

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