Gators Sign 7-Foot Center to 2026 Recruiting Class

The Florida Gators officially have its first signee of the 2026 recruiting class.

Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden has his first signee of the 2026 recruiting class. | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Florida Gators officially have its first signee in the men's basketball 2026 recruiting class.

Three-star center Jones Lay out of Tabor City (N.C.) Moravian Prep signed with the Gators on Tuesday. At 7-foot and 230 pounds, Lay is a top-300 recruit and No. 24 center in the class of 2026, according to Rivals.

welcome to Gator Nation, jones 🐊@joneswlay | #GoGators
ℹ️https://t.co/ab0k0e78vu pic.twitter.com/d02RsCpJKi

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 12, 2025

"We are really excited to welcome Jones to our program here at the University of Florida," head coach Todd Golden said. "Jones is a big, strong athlete, with his best basketball in front of him. He is a smart, hard worker, who already has a lot of the qualities we look for in our student-athletes. He comes from a family of coaches and athletes, and we believe he will become a valuable piece to our program."

Lay previously committed to Florida on Sept. 9 over an offer from South Carolina.

Lay will join the team for the 2026-27 season, likely when the Gators rebuild its front court after possible departures from starters Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu and depth center Micah Handlogten.

7’0” Jones Lay got what it takes to be the next unicorn 👀 @joneswlay pic.twitter.com/87hw3EefzZ

— Overtime Elite (@OvertimeElite) August 2, 2025

Condon and Chinyelu previously entered the 2025 NBA Draft but returned to Florida for their junior seasons, while Haugh continues to rise in draft boards after a strong start this season. Handlogten is in his senior season with the program.

Haugh and Chinyelu are coming off double-doubles in Florida's win over Florida State on Tuesday, with Chinyelu recording a career-high 16 rebounds. Haugh leads Florida in scoring with 19.7 points per game.

Florida's front court is currently rounded out by second-year reserves Viktor Mikic and Olivier Rioux.

Lay is also unlikely to be Florida's last commit in the class, either, with Florida previously targeting other high-profile recruits such as forward Cole Cloer (North Carolina State), guard Jasiah Jervis (Michigan State) and forward Caleb Gaskins (Miami).

Florida may also look to bolster its guard rotation, again, after this season with transfer Xaivian Lee in his final season and Boogie Fland previously entering the NBA Draft before transferring to the Gators.

The Gators are currently off to a 2-1 start in the 2025-26 season with a loss to Arizona to open the season before wins at home over North Florida and Florida State. The Gators will travel to Jacksonville on Sunday for a matchup with rival Miami in the Jacksonville Hoops Showdown.

Tipoff is at 8:30 p.m. with television coverage on ESPN.