Florida Gators LB Target Raylen Wilson Commits to Georgia

Florida's off-ball linebacker board is starting to dry up — will the Gators manage to land one?

Photo: Raylen Wilson; Credit: Zach Goodall

The Florida Gators are hoping to add a top-tier off-ball linebacker to their 2023 recruiting class, and might need to make a move soon to acquire one as candidates are starting to fly off of the board.

The latest was Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln's Raylen Wilson, as the No. 5 linebacker in the class of 2023 per the On3 Sports consensus rankings committed to Georgia over Florida and Michigan on Sunday.

BREAKING: Four-Star LB Raylen Wilson (@WilsonRaylen) has Committed to Georgia!

The 6’2 220 LB from Tallahassee, FL was previously committed to Michigan.

More Here (FREE): https://t.co/rYELdyNE6I pic.twitter.com/48NDK2ayYV

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 10, 2022

Amid his previous pledge to the Wolverines, Wilson opted to officially visit Florida and Georgia to survey his options as they pertain to playing football in the SEC. At the time, Wilson told AllGators that the two programs were the biggest threats to his Michigan vow.

And in the end, Georgia was able to prevail by flipping his commitment. 

Perhaps it should have been expected, as Wilson acknowledged during that interview that he intended to unofficially visit Georgia during the season once his recruitment was officially finalized.

Wilson is the fifth off-ball linebacker to pledge elsewhere after officially visiting UF this summer, following in the footsteps of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy's Jordan Hall (committed to Michigan State), Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson's Grayson Howard (South Carolina), Crandall (Texas) High's Samuel Omosigho (Oklahoma) and Pearl River C.C. JUCO prospect Justin Jefferson (Alabama).

Florida remains in the mix for several intriguing talents at the position, however. That group of recruits includes fellow summer official visitors in Orlando (Fla.) Jones' Malik Bryant and Fayetteville (Ga.) Whitewater's Raul Aguirre, who are both scheduled to make their college commitments in July. 

Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.