Gators Among Top-10 Teams in Running for 2027 Recruit

The 2027 recruit decommitted from Florida's archrival, Florida State, over the summer

Lake Wales wide receiver Kaneilius Purdy still has the Gators on his radar | Scott Wheeler | Photo / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Florida Gators are still in the running for an in-state product. Kaneilius Purdy, a 2027 recruit, posted his final 10 schools he's choosing from, and the Gators are one of them.

Among the final 10 include rivals Florida State, Miami, Tennessee and Auburn. Fellow Florida school UCF is vying for his services as well. Texas A&M, Louisville, Michigan and Colorado round out the remaining schools.

Where’s home? @polk_way @CountyPolk @CoachAG_3 @xmarcthespott @Hayesfawcett3 @H2_Recruiting @CoachGrant_LW pic.twitter.com/NgaZECkckK

— Kaneilius Purdy4⭐️ATH (@KaneiliusPurdy) January 7, 2026

He's a recruit that is generating heavy power conference interest that includes multiple top programs in the country.

Purdy is ranked as a three-star recruit out of Lake Wales, Fla. He’s a top-40 player out of the state and is a top-25 player at his position, according to 247 Sports. He’s classified solely as an “athlete,” but according to his X (formerly Twitter) bio, he plays wide receiver, running back and safety. 

He initially committed to Florida State on March 31, but he didn’t stick with the Seminoles for long. He decommitted in mid-June and has been fair game ever since. Florida offered him back in June 2024, but he has yet to visit the campus. The only campuses he has visited are Florida State’s and Tennessee’s. Neither was official.

The Gators look to jump-start the recruiting trail for the 2027 cycle. Right now, the recruiting class is nameless. They had one commit, four-star wide receiver Tramond Collins, but he decommitted last month. Regardless of who they're after, it would be auspicious to get the ball rolling early and lock a recruit down when they can.

During the 2026 recruiting cycle, the Gators signed 19 players out of high school during the early signing period. That recruiting class was ranked 15th in the country. It was a dip from the top-10 classes they had the previous couple of years, but given the situation, it's rock solid.

Those recruits chose to stay on after a head coaching changed occured, with Billy Napier giving way to Jon Sumrall. This next recruiting class will be the first to truly be the next man's players.