Grading the class: A look at the Florida Gators' 2024 commitment list

The Florida Gators have been on a recruiting roll since mid-June and the results are impressive. They have 21 commitments. Two of them are On3 Industry 5-stars. Thirteen are 4-stars. And, the class is rated No. 4 class overall in the country.

Today, we’re going to grade how Florida has done thus far by position group on both sides of the ball, then give an overall class grade.

Lets get started.

***QUARTERBACK COMMITS

–DJ Lagway, Willis (Texas)

-411: Lagway is the No. 3 quarterback and No. 30 overall recruit in the On3 Industry. He’s listed at 6-foot-2.5 and 230 pounds. He might have the highest overall upside among any quarterback in the class. Lagway has a big frame, a big arm and is extremely athletic. The feeling in Gainesville is that he’ll be a perfect fit for Billy Napier’s offense. He will enroll in Gainesville next January. Lagway could push for early playing time if he becomes more consistent with his throws. Longterm, he projects as a multi-year starter.

-GRADE: A

***RUNNING BACK COMMITS

–Kahnen Daniels, West Point (Miss.)

-411: Daniels is the No. 26 back in the country. Three of the four services used for the On3 Industry have him as a 4-star, including On3. He’s ranked as the 10th-best prospect in Mississippi and was a huge target for Mississippi State. A second 4-star back, Chauncey Bowens, de-committed from Florida in June. It’s now possible the Gators might only sign one back.

-GRADE: B

Seven UF offensive commits are rated 4-stars or better

***TIGHT END COMMITS

–Amir Jackson, Portal (Ga.)

-411: The Florida Gators had a handful of tight ends at the top of the board and Jackson was one of them. At one time, Florida toyed with the idea of taking two tight ends in the class, but at last check it seemed likely to stick with one. Jackson, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, is the No. 12 tight end in the country. He’s still considered fairly raw, but we love the ceiling. Jackson is a terrific rebounder in basketball and those skills translate well to the field.

-GRADE: B+

***RECEIVER COMMITS

–Jerrae Hawkins, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy

–Tawaski Abrams, Fort Myers (Fla.) Dunbar

–Izaiah Williams, Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day

-411: All three commits hold 4-star ratings. Hawkins is the smallest of the group (he’s listed at 5-foot-8.5) but also is the fastest with 100-meter times under 10.5 seconds. He hopes to also run track in Gainesville. Abrams has excellent speed and plays even faster than his recorded times would indicate. He’s hard to tackle in the open field. Williams missed much of his junior season with an injury but was productive the previous year. All three commits are under 6-feet. This is an extremely solid group but is missing that big, elite weapon. If the Gators can add one of those (they’re trying to flip 5-star Jeremiah Smith from Ohio State), this grade will surge.

-GRADE: B

All 4 Gators offensive line commits are from out of state

***OFFENSIVE LINE COMMITS

–Fletcher Westphal, Leesburg (Va.) Tuscarora

–Marcus Mascoll, Snellville (Ga.) South Gwinnett

–Noel Portnjagin, Schwäbisch Hall (Germany)

–Mike Williams, Baltimore (Md.) Charles Herbert Flowers

-411: Of the four commitments, only Westphal is a 4-star. The Gators beat out Arkansas and Clemson to land him earlier this month and the 6-foot-8 prospect is the No. 19 tackle in the country. His commitment arguably was one of the three or four most important for Florida this cycle. The other three commits range in size from 6-4.5 (Mascoll) to 6-7 (Williams). Outside of Westphal, we believe Mascoll probably has the highest upside. Florida won out over LSU to get his verbal. Williams is a former South Carolina commit. Florida could take one more in this position group.

-GRADE: B

***OVERALL OFFENSE

-411: If you’re a Florida Gators fan, there’s certainly not much to complain about. You have an high-level quarterback prospect and multiple 4-stars with some potential difference-makers scattered across the offensive class. That said, adding an elite receiver and one more offensive lineman would be ideal and put this group in an even better standing.

-GRADE: B+

The Gators’ front-7 recruiting on defense has been elite

***DEFENSIVE LINE COMMITS

–Nasir Johnson, Dublin (Ga.)

–Michai Boireau, Fairburn (Ga.) Creekside

–Kendall Jackson, DL/Edge, Gainesville (Fla.) Buchholz

-411: You must have size and power up front on the defensive line in the SEC. And Johnson (6-foot-4, 300 pounds) and Boireau (6-7, 350-plus) will give Florida that. Johnson is a 4-star Florida beat out Florida State and others to land. Boireau came down to Florida and Georgia before picking the Gators. He’s only a 3-star, but has an extremely high value to the staff. He was considered a priority target. Jackson, another 4-star, chose Florida over Miami, among others. He’s probably the most versatile in this group. He’s capable of playing inside or at the edge/jack and being effective at both. How much he grows could factor into how much he’s used here. We weren’t really sure where to list him in this article so we essentially flipped a coin. Florida will try to take one more defensive lineman.

-GRADE: B+

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UF has arguably the most talented group of linebacker commits in the country

***EDGE/LINEBACKER COMMITS

–Myles Graham, LB, College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy

–Adarius Hayes, LB, Largo (Fla.)

–Jamonta Waller, LB/edge, Picayune Memorial (Miss.)

–Aaron Chiles, LB, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel

–Amaris Williams, Edge, Clinton (N.C.)

-411:  Every player listed here is a 4-star and that’s impressive. Graham, Hayes and Waller are each in the top-75 for the On3 Industry. Chiles sits just outside the top 100. Williams is the No. 2 player in the state of North Carolina. He is rated as a defensive lineman, but the Gators project him at edge. Waller has been listed as an edge during his recruitment, but will be an inside backer/jack for defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong’s defense. There is a belief in Gainesville that he has skills similar to LSU superstar Harold Perkins. Graham is a Gators legacy who will bring a high talent level and high IQ to town. Hayes and Chiles are long backers who both stand 6-foot-3. This is an ultra-talented group. And you should be excited about that.

-GRADE: A

The Gators’ defensive class could use one more high-level DB

***SECONDARY COMMITS

–Xavier Filsaime, S, McKinney (Texas)

–Josiah Davis, S, Nashville (Ga.) Berrien

–Teddy Foster, CB, Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney 

-411: Filsaime is the highest-rated member of the defensive class. He’s a 5-star ranked as the No. 28 prospect in the county. Davis is a big safety with speed. Foster, like Davis, is a 3-star but someone we think has a high upside. He only started to take football serious two years ago, but has the length (he’s listed at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds), speed and overall athleticism secondary coach Corey Raymond loves. Although Davis and Foster aren’t highly ranked, they’re prospects Florida coveted. You could see the Gators add one or two more players in the secondary.

-GRADE: B

***OVERALL DEFENSE

-411: We really like this group. You’ve got two large and powerful players up front who can stuff the run and free things up for the linebackers to make plays. You’ve added multiple prospects who can get to the quarterback from a variety of spots. There are talented players to man the middle of the field. Florida has two extremely athletic safeties and a promising corner. All that’s really missing right now is that elite corner and one more dominant player along the defensive line. Florida hopes to take care of that by adding Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland teammates Zay Mincey, a defensive back, and LJ McCray, a lineman. Land those two and his grade rises.

-GRADE: B+

This Florida Gators’ class is solid and ultimately could end up getting an ‘A’ grade

***GRADING THE ENTIRE CLASS

-411: This group has quality. It has quantity. Many needs have been filled. There are several potential difference-makers on board. It’s an excellent class overall, but to get to an ‘A’ the Gators still would need that elite receiver, lockdown corner and one more elite defensive lineman. And they might just do it. The staff has been outstanding this cycle. And we continue to hear good things about Florida’s NIL, too. Things seem to be in alignment and when that’s the case, good things always happen for the Florida Gators.

-GRADE: B+