2021 Recruit Profile: Florida Gators Target DE Keanu Koht

Keanu Koht, outside linebacker/BUCK rush end

School: Vero Beach High School, Vero Beach (Fla.)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 215 pounds

247Sports Composite Rating: Four stars, No. 17 DE, No. 34 state (Fla.), No. 239 national

Recruitment History

The Florida Gators originally recruited and offered Koht in July of 2019, one of the first teams to do so, shortly following his sophomore season at Vero Beach High School. Since then, Koht has received multiple offers from power-five schools and 42 offers total, including Miami, South Carolina, Oregon, Georgia, Florida State, Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame and many more.

Koht would go on to attend multiple events, including Florida's junior day earlier this year. Even prior to attending Florida's junior day, Koht released his initial top-nine teams' list, including the Gators, Georgia, LSU, Alabama, Oregon, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Mississippi State and Miami.

Now, Koht has narrowed his list even further with the Gators, Auburn, LSU, and Oregon as the front-runners. Thursday evening, Koht included Alabama as his "fifth" team on the list. Currently, the Gators view Koht as a target and have heavily recruited the young defensive end/outside linebacker, sending him multiple images depicting him as a future Gator, and even in an NCAA Football cover.

Where He Fits

Koht will be an intriguing prospect to watch if he is to commit to the Gators. Similar to 2021 outside linebacker commit Chief Borders, the Gators could use Koht in multiple spots, including outside linebacker, and as a defensive end. Most likely, Koht projects to play the Gators' BUCK rusher position which was played by former Gators' player Jonathan Greenard who was drafted in the third round by the Houston Texans earlier this year.

During his junior season, Koht accumulated 42 tackles (23 solos) and eight sacks, both well above the national average, according to MaxPreps.com. Earlier this year, MaxPreps listed Koht as a top-50 player in the state of Florida, which has been verified in his status on 247Sports Composite as a four-star recruit.

Koht is a natural bender who also has respectable speed-power moves considering his side at only 215 pounds. With burst, and quickness off the edge, Koht should be able to provide the Gators with an excellent bookend to their strong-side defensive end in the future.

Due to his movement skills, Koht can also provide depth at the team's outside linebacker position as an off-ball player. His skillset is reminiscent of rising sophomore BUCK rusher and outside linebacker Mohamoud Diabate who had a solid season last year as a freshman.

Overall, signing a player such as Koht will do wonders for the Gators' 2021 recruiting class which includes only one weakside defensive end currently on the docket in B