2024 LB Adarius Hayes Includes Florida Gators in Top 8

Florida linebacker target Adarius Hayes includes the Gators in his newly released top eight schools list.

Largo (Fla.) 2024 linebacker Adarius Hayes announced an update to his recruitment process on Thursday afternoon, releasing his list of top schools. 

Despite having over a year remaining in his recruitment, Hayes cut his illustrious offer sheet of 17 schools down to eight on Thursday afternoon. He includes the Gators alongside Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and UCF as the programs that will move forward vying for his services.

According to On3 Consensus Rankings, Hayes is the No. 6 LB, 15th ranked player in Florida and 55th-ranked nationally. As a result, obtaining his commitment is a priority for the Gators to bolster a thin linebacker corps.

After a not-too-hot start for linebacker recruiting in the first complete cycle of the new staff in 2023, off-ball linebacker coach Jay Bateman is wasting no time in turning his attention to the current juniors in high school after first flipping 2023 Lake City (Fla.) Columbia 'backer Jaden Robinson from South Carolina. 

Bateman has already reeled in a commitment from highly regarded Woodward Academy (Atlanta, Ga.) LB Myles Graham, a legacy at the University of Florida as the son of former Gators running back Earnest Graham, and looks at Hayes as the next best option to spearhead the cycle at his position.

Florida's pursuit of Hayes currently positions them as a strong contender in his recruitment. 

However, Bateman and Co. will have to continue applying the pressure over the next year-plus to ensure they land the talented prospect over the powerhouse programs they're battling against.

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