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Previewing decision day for Jerrae Hawkins, major Florida Gators target

On3 imageby:Keith Niebuhr•06/26/23•

On3Keith

Jerrae Hawkins 1 copy 1
Photo by Chad Simmons/On3

Four-star receiver Jerrae Hawkins of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy is one of the top 2024 offensive targets on the Florida recruiting board. And Monday, he will make one college program and its fan base very happy.

That’s the day Hawkins will announce his commitment decision.

Florida, Penn State and Miami all received official visits from him in June.

As his decision nears, Florida has surged to a commanding lead in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

Here’s a quick preview of Hawkins‘ commit announcement:

TIME: 2:30 p.m. ET

HOW: On Twitter (@Tankk_1k)

RANKING/RATING: Hawkins, who is 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, is the No. 38 receiver in the country for the On3 Consensus. He checks in as the No. 35 recruit in the state of Florida and is No. 233 nationally. Hawkins holds a 90.92 On3 Consensus rating and a 90 rating from On3.

THE 411: Although Miami also got an official visit from Hawkins, this essentially has been a two-horse race between Florida and Penn State for awhile.

For the Gators, receiver coaches Billy Gonzales and David Doeker have been the point men in this recruitment. In interviews, Hawkins has said he is particularly close with Doeker.

Penn State was long believed to be the favorite, but the tide began to turn during Hawkins’ official visit to Gainesville from June 9-11. On that trip, not only did Hawkins get lots of attention from the staff, but he had Florida linebacker commit Myles Graham in his ear.

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Afterward, Hawkins said Florida and Penn State were his top two. Behind the scenes, however, Florida had started getting the most buzz.

Hawkins made his final official visit over the weekend. It went to Penn State.

As of Monday morning, the optimism was far higher at Florida of the two.

RECRUITING PREDICTION MACHINE: The RPM favors Florida big (68.0%)

IF FLORIDA LANDS HIM: It would give the Gators commitment No. 17 in the 2024 class. They currently have the No. 3 class (Full class HERE). It’s unclear if a commitment from Hawkins would move Florida up in the rankings.

WHY IT COULD BE FLORIDA: Relationships with the staff, Florida’s track record of player development.

WHY IT COULD BE SOMEONE ELSE: Although he attends IMG Academy, Hawkins is from West Virginia. So Penn State is closer to home.

OUR PICK: Florida. The arrow seems to be pointing toward Gainesville at this time.

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