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Boom! 5-star recruit LJ McCray commits to Florida Gators

On3 imageby:Keith Niebuhr•10/21/23•

On3Keith

LJ
(Chad Simmons/On3)

Touted recruit LJ McCray will be a Florida Gator.

The 5-star defensive lineman from Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland committed to Billy Napier & Co. on Saturday over Florida State, Georgia, Miami and Auburn after a long and intense recruiting battle.

With his addition, an already solid Gators recruiting class just got a whole lot better.

Florida now has 22 commitments and the No. 3 class ranking for On3. The Gators claim three 5-star pledges — McCray, quarterback DJ Lagway and safety Xavier Filsaime. Seven Florida commits are top-100 recruits.

For the Gators, this win is sweet — and significant.

Georgia, which has a strong track record of producing NFL defensive linemen, has had great success recruiting that position recently in the Sunshine State. Meanwhile, the Seminoles have a top-10 team this season.

 McCray, listed at 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, is the No. 4 defensive lineman and No. 24 overall recruit nationally for the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He holds a 96.68 rating in the On3 Industry and is a 98 with On3, which has him as the No. 1 defensive lineman and No. 8 overall player in the class.

The Gators offered McCray a scholarship in June of 2022, just a few weeks after FSU. Since then, he has visited Florida multiple times, including at least five times alone this calendar year. McCray most recently was on campus for the Florida-Tennessee game at The Swamp in September.

“It was definitely a great experience,” McCray said. “The fans were crazy. I don’t think there’s any more of a college game day atmosphere than that.”

During his recruitment, multiple Florida coaches have been heavily involved, starting with Billy Napier. Additionally, McCray has built strong relationships with defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong, defensive line coach Sean Spencer and edge/outside linebackers coach Mike Peterson.

According to McCray, he also gets along well with multiple Florida pledges, notably Lagway.  McCray officially visited the Gators in June the same weekend as Lagway and the touted QB has been in his ear ever since.

“I mean, it’s definitely a good thing that Florida has. I already have relationships with guys coming in my class,” LJ McCray said. “Of course, I talk to DJ probably more often than you would think. Probably every couple weeks. … I feel like I know a lot of those guys well.”

McCray plans to sign in December. He will graduate that month and enroll in college in January.

It’s possible he could arrive in Gainesville in late December and participate in bowl practices.

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