Top 2026 RB Names Florida as Finalist

Four-star Jae Lamar included the Florida Gators in his top 10 schools.

Florida Gators running backs coach Jabbar Juluke coaches his unit. The fourth-year coach is coming off a season in which he was nominated for the Broyles Award. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

The Florida Gators are a step closer to landing one of the nation’s top running backs, as four-star prospect class of 2026 prospect Jae Lamar has narrowed his list down to 10 schools with the Gators in the mix.

Four-star running back Jae Lamar has cut his list to 10 schools with some big visits scheduled and a commitment date set.

The latest: https://t.co/Yzdbq50hu9 (On3+) pic.twitter.com/b3h16BssoY

— ChadSimmons (@ChadSimmons_) March 12, 2025

Lamar, a standout from Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County High School, holds a 95.55/100 247Sports composite ranking, making him the No. 7 running back and a top 100 player in the 2026 class. His junior campaign showcased his explosive playmaking ability, averaging a remarkable 7.9 yards per carry while finishing with 885 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

The competition for Lamar is stiff, as he is also considering Georgia, Ohio State, Auburn, Miami, Florida State, North Carolina, Clemson, Tennessee and Alabama. While he has yet to set up an official visit to Florida, he has scheduled trips to Auburn, Miami, Florida State and Georgia in the coming months.

Florida continues to evaluate its options at running back in the 2026 cycle. The Gators have extended offers to 14 other backs and are a finalist for four-star Jonaz Walton but have yet to secure a commitment at the position. Florida does have the benefit, though a relatively young running backs room with sophomore Jadan Baugh, redshirt freshman KD Daniels and three true freshmen in Waltez Clark, walk-on Chad Gasper and Bryon Louis.

 If Lamar ended up committing to Florida, he would be the Gators second offensive commitment from the 2026 recruiting cycle. As he keeps Florida in contention, expect Billy Napier and his staff to strengthen their pursuit and push for a visit to Gainesville.

Gators 2026 Recruiting

As it stands the Gators are finalists for 19 other recruits in the class of 2026.

Rounding out the extensive group of recruits to list Florida as a finalist are running back Jonaz Walton; receivers Mason James, Cederian Morgan and Calvin Russell; offensive linemen Edward Baker, Zyon Guiles, Immanuel Iheanacho, Heze Kent, Felix Ojo, Canon Pickett and Sam Rosenborough; defensive linemen Vodney Cleveland, James Johnson and Darryus McKinley; edge rushers Zavion Griffin-Hayes, Trent Henderson and Jake Kreul; and defensive backs Tyriq Green and Bralan Womack.

The Gators currently have three commits in its 2026 recruiting class in four-star quarterback Will Griffin, four-star safety Devin Jackson and most-recently four-star linebacker Izayia Williams. Florida also recently received a crystal ball to land four-star linebacker Malik Morris.