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Gators land commitment from 4-star safety Gregory Smith

79417-removebg-preview (1)by:Corey Bender•12/20/23•

Corey_Bender

Gregory-Smith-Florida-Gators-Xavier-Filsaime
Florida safety target Gregory Smith.

One of the top remaining safeties in the On300 is staying put in the Sunshine State.

Gregory Smith, a 4-star prospect from Riverview (Fla.) Sumner, just announced his commitment to Florida.

Ole Miss, Virginia, Vanderbilt, South Florida and Toledo were the additional finalists.

Prior to his decision, the Gators had been trending in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. Those odds were north of 95 percent too, so Smith landing at UF was the expectation entering Wednesday.

According to On3’s rankings, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound Smith is the No. 28 safety and No. 286 prospect overall.

“When Florida first was interested in me, they started showing love quick and I love that about them. I got to know the staff really quick. And it’s not really that far (from home),” Smith previously told GO.

“Every chance they get they invite me up and I take the opportunity to come up here.”

Although Xavier Filsaime flipped to Texas on Monday, UF is still bringing in several safeties this cycle.

In addition to Smith, the Gators also added Oregon transfer Trikweze Bridges and 3-star Josiah Davis of Nashville (Ga.) Berrien. Bridges could very well earn a starting job for the 2024 season.

With Smith, however, defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong is not limiting him to just one role.

The Gators are intrigued by his mixture of athleticism and size and believe he is nowhere near his ceiling as a defender. This is a late bloomer who could certainly outplay his high-school ranking.

“Coach Armstrong, me and him came along and finally got on the same page,” Smith said. “They showed me where I’m going to be, what positions I can be at. I can be at free, weak, STAR … I really can play around the whole defense, even corner a little bit. I’ll be able to know the whole defense.”

Stay tuned to Gators Online.

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