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Florida Gators Secure Pledge From 2023 WR Raymond Cottrell

Wide receiver Raymond Cottrell becomes the Florida Gators second commit of the 2023 class.

Photo: Raymond Cottrell; Credit: Brian Smith

The Florida Gators class of 2023 received its first commit on Tuesday in the form of St. Louis tight end prospect Mac Markway.

Now, the dominoes continue to fall with Milton (Fla.) wide receiver Raymond Cottrell pledging to the University of Florida after the Gators Friday Night Lights event.

Contemplating committing on his last visit to UF during on July 25, Cottrell would elect to continue his evaluation of other programs, but named the Gators atop his 11 choices.

In an interview with AllGators, Cottrell would highlight his time spent with starting wideout Jacob Copeland and growing relationship with Billy Gonzales while speak glowing about the program as a whole.

"I love the atmosphere, everything was just ... I can see myself playing here. Everything, everything I like the indoor facility, the way the coaches treat their players,” Cottrell said.

As a result, Cottrell’s interest in Florida would prove too large to continue his flirtation other programs, refusing to leave Gainesville a second time without making true on his intentions to continue his playing career at UF.

While Billy Gonzales continues to work on obtaining pass catchers in the 2022 class — namely, Texas-based wideout Evan Stewart — this weekend, the future of his recruiting efforts got off to a hot start on Friday night.

Rated as the 12th overall wide receiver in the class of 2023, the Gators add a long and athletic pass catcher at 6-foot-2, 203 pounds as a foundation piece of their 2023 class.

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.