Four-Star Defensive Lineman Signs With Gators

The Florida Gators are getting the early signing period underway, and they've officially signed a blue-chip commit

The Gators are getting signing day underway | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Tupelo (Miss.) four-star defensive lineman JaReylan McCoy completed his recruiting process on Wednesday, signing the necessary paperwork with the Florida Gators. 

McCoy ranks as the No. 176 overall prospect and No. 20 overall defensive lineman in the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite ranking. He reported offers from Ole Miss, Alabama and LSU, among other schools. 

The Gators had to work hard for his commitment after missing it the first time around. 

The Mississippi product had initially committed to the LSU Tigers at the start of January. It lasted only one month, though, as he backed off his pledge in February. 

Florida quickly moved into his sights, and he took an official visit to Gainesville at the end of May. Then, he returned to Florida less than a month later for an unofficial visit. 

That second visit closed the deal for him, as he committed shortly after. The Gators beat out Texas and LSU for his verbal, and he has been solid ever since. 

Although he maintained that he was firmly committed to Florida, he did take a surprise visit to Mississippi State during September. It amounted to nothing, though, and had little impact on his final decision. 

His new head coach also quickly reached out after being hired to share his enthusiasm for having the highly talented recruit in this 2026 class. 

“His message to me was he can’t believe how athletic I am for my size... He’s very excited about how he is going to play me, and I’m excited to see how it goes,” McCoy told On3’s Corey Bender on Tuesday. 

New Gators HC Jon Sumrall impressed 4-star JaReylan McCoy right out the gate.

“His message to me was he can’t believe how athletic I am for my size... He’s very excited about how he is going to play me and I’m excited to see how it goes."

STORY: https://t.co/W1s8jUHXOy (On3+) pic.twitter.com/iQdEg8lDnk

— Corey Bender (@Corey_Bender) December 2, 2025

Gators head coach Jon Sumrall also shared that he is pumped to coach the rest of the guys in the 2026 class, too. 

“I think we've got a lot of great players, and I think we've really got high character in that class,” Sumrall said on Monday. “Man, I can't wait to coach them. I'd love to coach them.”

McCoy is one of two defensive linemen committed to the Gators' 2026 class. The other is four-star Kendall Guervil. 

According to 247Sports’ Director of Scouting, Andrew Ivins, he believes McCoy has upside but is more of a long-term prospect. 

“Should be viewed as a developmental prospect that’s going to need to get in the squat rack and buy into the process, but one with a higher ceiling given the frame and lateral movement skills,” Ivins wrote. 

The Florida 2026 class is sitting at No. 16 in 247Sports’ 2026 Overall Football Team Rankings. It contains 18 total commitments.