Gators Predicted to Steal A Commit From LSU '26 Class

The Florida Gators could be in position to nab a rival recruit ahead of the early signing period

The Florida Gators could have a chance to build their recruiting class further | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Newly hired Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall is already putting in work on the recruiting trail, looking to flip a four-star prospect from a conference rival despite only being hired just two days ago. 

Going toe-to-toe with the LSU Tigers, 247Sports’ Tyler Harden placed a prediction on Tuesday for the Gators to win out in the recruitment of Booker T. Washington (Ala.) 2026 four-star safety Dylan Purter. 

Purter ranks as the No. 207 overall recruit in the 2026 class and the No. 20 safety prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite ranking. He has been committed to LSU since March. 

This is the first head-to-head recruiting battle with LSU’s Lane Kiffin since both coaches were hired. 

This move from Sumrall could also be an anticipatory one. There have been murmurs recently about the level of commitment from current four-star safety pledge Kaiden Hall. The Milton (Fla.) product recently visited both Ole Miss and Georgia Tech, with the Yellow Jackets creating more noise than the Rebels. 

Hall is not the only commit on flip watch, though. 

For starters, four-star defensive back CJ Bronaugh is one to watch as Early Signing Day commences. He recently visited Ohio State, giving the Buckeyes serious consideration. 

However, he was in town last weekend to watch the Gators take down Florida State, which seems to have cooled down the talk about him switching his pledge to the Buckeyes. 

On3’s Corey Bender switched his prediction back to Florida on Tuesday afternoon, albeit just at a 55 percent confidence level. 

Another Gators commit to keep an eye on is Duncanville (Texas) four-star edge KJ Ford. Ford initially committed to Florida over the summer. Unfortunately for the Gators, Napier’s firing has left the door open for other schools to creep in. 

The school generating the most buzz around Ford is Texas A&M. On3’s Sam Spiegelman has placed a prediction for Ford to land with the Aggies come signing day. 

Although he has placed a prediction in favor of the Aggies, Ford posted on his Instagram that he intends to sign with the Gators during the early signing period. 

Despite these players giving their commitments second thoughts, Sumrall has made it clear he wants them to be in the class and that he still wants to coach them.

“I think we've got a lot of great players, and I think we've really got high character in that class,” Sumrall said at his introductory press conference. “I'm going to fight like heck to hold on to them. I can't wait to coach them. I'd love to coach them.”