Gators Jump Two Spots in SI's September Recruiting Class Rankings
Florida's successful Friday Night Lights and Grill in the Ville events at the end of July kept their momentum on the trail going well into August, leading Sports Illustrated to prop the Gators up two spots to No. 11 on the latest batch of its monthly top 25 recruiting class rankings.
The Gators reeled in four commitments near the beginning of the month, from three defensive linemen — a crucial unit of need in this class — in Gardendale (Ala.) High's Kelby Collins, Orlando (Fla.) Olympia's Kamran James and Camden (NJ. Woodrow Wilson's Will Norman, as well as a linebacker in Lake City (Fla.) Columbia's Jaden Robinson.
11. Florida (13)
Verbal Commitments: 20
SI99 Recruits: 2
Four new additions in the August window included some head-turners relative to who UF won out against on the trail. Kelby Collins, the Alabama defensive lineman, is the most glaring example of Billy Napier’s staff stepping it up beyond the Sunshine State footprint. The Gators added even more beef before the season kicked off with in-staters Kamran James and Will Norman committing within a day of one another. UF also flipped linebacker Jaden Robinson from fellow red-hot SEC East recruiting program South Carolina.
The Gators' class of 2024 was also kickstarted by a pledge from Atlanta (Ga.) Woodward Academy linebacker and Florida legacy prospect Myles Graham on Aug. 14.
Florida packed The Swamp with high-profile recruits for its season-opener against Utah, which resulted in an upset victory for the Gators and left the group of prospects impressed. Another deep list of visitors is aligning for Week 2's home matchup with Kentucky, and back-to-back wins over top 20 programs could very well lead to more recruiting dominoes falling in UF's favor.
SI's top 25 focuses on SI99 members, premium position prospects (quarterback, offensive tackle, pass rusher, cornerback), general quality at the top of the class and also positional units being constructed together while addressing team needs.
You can find the full top 25 rankings for September, and each program's August rank in parenthesis, below.
1. Alabama (1)
2. Texas (4)
3. Notre Dame (3)
4. Ohio State (2)
5. Georgia (5)
6. LSU (14)
7. Clemson (6)
8. Oklahoma (7)
9. Miami (8)
10. Tennessee (9)
11. Florida (13)
12. USC (12)
13. Oregon (20)
14. South Carolina (not ranked)
15. Penn State (10)
16. Baylor (16)
17. Arkansas (11)
18. North Carolina (18)
19. Louisville (21)
20. Texas Tech (19)
21. Cincinnati (15)
22. Washington (17)
23. Pittsburgh (24)
24. Duke (25)
25. Florida State (NR)
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