REPORT: Top-20 Recruit Intends to Visit Florida Gators

The Florida Gators are expected to have a top offensive tackle recruit visit Gainesville

The Gators look to impress an OT recruit when he visits | Mike Lang / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A high-priority target for Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier and offensive line coaches Jonathan Decoster and Rob Sale said the Gators will receive one of his official visits. 

Currently rated as the No. 19 overall recruit and No. 3 overall player in the state of Florida in the class of 2026 by 247Sports, offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe will officially visit the Gators at some point, 247Sports’ Blake Alderman reported via X (formerly known as Twitter). 

Elite OT Keenyi Pepe says Florida will get an official visit from him https://t.co/ipZ2ugaFb9

— Blake Alderman (@Blake_Alderman) February 28, 2025

Pepe (6-foot-7, 320 pounds) plays his high school ball for IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), which is one of the premier high school programs in the entire country. 

This won’t be an easy battle for the Gators. Some of the best schools in the country are after his services, such as Georgia and Miami. More schools in the mix include USC, UNC and Washington. 

For Florida, though, they can pitch the potential of early playing time. After the 2025 season, they will lose some key pieces along the line, including the loss of Austin Barber, Damieon George Jr. and Jake Slaughter.  

It will also help that the Gators are working on some of his IMG Academy teammates. There is Jake Kreul, who recently scheduled a spring visit to the Gators. There’s G’Nivre Carr as well, who is an Ocala, Fla., native.

There’s still a long way to go in this one, but the Gators receiving an official visit is a really good sign of where things stand in Pepe’s recruitment. 

Right now, the Gators 2026 class holds two commitments. Those two are Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.) signal caller Will Griffin and First Academy (Orlando, Fla.) safety Devin Jackson.