Gators DL Target Jamari Lyons Names Top 3, Leader & Commitment Date
The Florida Gators' continued effort to replenish the interior of their defensive line received encouraging news from one of their top targets of 2022, Jamari Lyons, on Friday afternoon.
Lyons, who was recently named the No. 11 IDL by SI All-American, shared with Sports Illustrated's John Garcia, Jr. a breadth of information, including his top programs, commitment date and current leader.
Stating that his schools remaining in contention moving forward are Indiana, South Carolina and Florida, Lyons effectively narrowed down his 23 team offer list to three, eliminating Miami, NC State, Nebraska and others in the process.
Planning to return to Gainesville on Saturday – one day following the Gators' Friday Night Lights event – Lyons will have visited Florida on three separate occasions, including officially during a busy June 4 weekend where DL coach David Turner and company made significant headway in his recruitment.
Considering the Gators as his leader since June, Lyons told Garcia that his strong feelings for UF remain the same for now, but a September 24-26 official visit to South Carolina will be the final factor before his pledge decision is made.
Giving himself and his family a week and a half to evaluate the choices at hand following his trip to Columbia (S.C.), Lyons will wrap up his recruitment process on Oct. 6, his Mother's Birthday, with his awaited verbal commitment.
Below you can find a brief scouting report from SI All-American's interior defensive line rankings, detailing Lyons to match the play style of a familiar face for the Gators coaching staff.
Jamari Lyons is an athletic, disruptive defensive end with a knack for sacks. He is a fantastic football player, and reminded our staff of Chris Jones, the way he uses his relative length to sidestep his blocker. Ankle mobility is worth nothing, short-area lean is very impressive. Good vision and he is a violent finisher. Long arms that he uses very well; he's developed an excellent long-arm move. Disciplined with his technique. Crosses face on down blocks, even though he could easily use his speed to backdoor those. Plays with great leverage and keeps his hands inside to control the blocker's chest plate. Very high ceiling for Lyons with his best ball well ahead of him.