Gators Miss Out on 5-Star Edge Rusher

Trenton Henderson committed to LSU despite the Florida Gators initially holding a lead.

Nov 23, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; A Florida Gators helmet sits on the field before a game against the Mississippi Rebels at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The Florida Gators saw another five-star prospect choose another SEC program after Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic five-star edge rusher Trenton Henderson pledged to LSU.

Henderson (6-4, 225 pounds) is rated as the No. 28 overall prospect and No. 4 edge rusher in the class of 2026, according to 247 Sports.

BREAKING: Elite 2026 EDGE Trenton Henderson has Committed to LSU, he tells me for @rivals

The 6’5 230 EDGE from Pensacola, FL chose the Tigers over Florida & Texas

“Thank you God, I’m home! Geaux Tigers 🐯”https://t.co/QhLRdk51aA pic.twitter.com/xVfOzL6rJR

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 2, 2025

Henderson's commitment to LSU comes after a sudden switch in leaders. After his visit in Gainesville, Florida received multiple predictions from On3 and 247 Sports to land Henderson, who named Florida as his leader, according to 247 Sports' Tyler Harden.

Since then, LSU emerged quickly as the favorite with On3's Steve Wiltfong leading the way with a prediction in favor of the Tigers.

With Henderson now seemingly heading to LSU, edge rusher prospects to keep an eye on for Florida moving forward are Duncanville (Tx.) four-star KJ Ford and Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star Jake Kreul, who named Florida as his dream school after his visit over the summer.

"They think I can come in here and make an impact. Not just as a player, but as a person in the locker room, as a person on campus. Just kind of be a good face around the program," he said. "They like my intangibles, like my character, how I talk to people, how I lead people. So, I think they see me being able to do those things once I earn my stripes as a player, once I put myself on the field, I have the ability to be a leader off the field, as well."

Florida is now up to 15 commits in its 2026 class after four-star defensive tackle Kendall Guervil committed on Monday. The Gators are also in a strong spot to keep adding to the class with targets such as four-star defensive back CJ Hester, four-star linebacker DQ Forkpa and four-star tight end Heze Kent all set to announce their decisions this month.

Hester will announce his decision on Thursday, while Forkpa and Kent will both commit on July 12.

Florida Gators on SI is tracking all of the Gators' major recruiting news, from commits to prospects of note to the official visit schedule, on our 2026 Recruiting Tracker.