Gators Make Late Addition to 2026 Roster with Three-Star Safety

Florida's newest player was high school teammates with Gators receiver Dallas Wilson.

The Florida Gators have made a late addition to its 2026 roster. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The Florida Gators on Thursday made a late addition to its 2026 recruiting class, receiving a pledge from Tampa (Fla.) Bay Tech three-star safety Eric Parks.

Parks (6-0, 190 pounds) is a consensus three-star with his highest ranking coming from ESPN, which ranks him as the No. 92 safety in the class. He will join Florida as a preferred walk-on, according to On3's Corey Bender.

Blessed‼️🐊 pic.twitter.com/i7EmKk8mxI

— Eric Parks (@EricParks6__) February 5, 2026

Parks, previously committed to Florida Atlantic, recorded 115 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and two interceptions in his time at Tampa Bay Tech, where he was teammates with now-Gators receiver and former five-star Dallas Wilson.

He had his best season as a junior, recording 39 tackles, eight tackles for loss, one interception and three pass deflections in 12 games. He also held offers from schools such as South Florida, Wake Forest, Liberty and UConn, among others.

Parks is officially the fifth high school signee and 10th newcomer in the defensive backfield for 2026. Florida signed four-star corners CJ Bronaugh and CJ Hester, four-star safety Kaiden Hall and four-star star Dylan Purter in its high school class, while adding a large group of transfers in corner Jordy Lowery (ECU), safeties DJ Coleman (Baylor) and Cam Dooley (Kentucky) and Stars Kanye Clark (UCLA) and Elijah Owens (Mississippi State Gulf Coast CC).

All of the newcomers are on campus ahead of spring camp, which begins on March 3. All of the high school recruits except for Purter were committed to the program prior to Sumrall's hiring.

"If it wasn't for Katie Doeker, previously Katie Turner around here, we would not have signed anybody," Sumrall said on Wednesday. "If it wasn't for Savannah Bailey and our GatorMade program, because I asked all the parents and recruits, what made you choose Florida -- that's probably the coolest thing about this signing day press conference, if you will, is we lost two commitments, okay, two, with the coaching change. That has nothing to do with me. That has everything to do with Florida and the other people that were involved in those young men choosing Florida."

Florida also retained a large group of its defensive backfield with contributors at all three positions returning. At corner, Cormani McClain, Dijon Johnson, J'Vari Flowers, Ben Hanks III and Onis Konanbanny headline, while safeties Bryce Thornton, Drake Stubbs, Lagonza Hayward and Alfonzo Allen Jr. are expected to make up the bulk of the rotation.