Gators Commit Among Players Facing Violation for Under Armour Game Participation

2026 Gators quarterback commit Will Griffin won’t face consequences, although FHSAA rules prohibit players with remaining high school eligibility to participate

One Florida Gators commit is in trouble for participating in an All-Star game / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Some participants in the Under Armour All-America Game could face violation, including one committed to the Florida Gators. 

This year’s game featured a major rule change, allowing junior recruits to participate in the post-season all-star game for the first time. 

While Under Armour may have changed its rules, the Florida High School Athletic Association did not change their rules to allow juniors to go to this game. 

Junior athletes still must adhere to the standards of the governing body from their respective states. 

According to FHSAA bylaw 26.1.1.2, “the student-athlete has exhausted his/her eligibility in the sport in which the all-star contest is to be conducted.”

The decision to participate, based on the rules, would have been costly. 

The bylaw states that players from Florida would lose their high school eligibility after 

Participating. However, those consequences reportedly will not apply this time. The FHSAA will only require the schools of these players to self-report the violation, likely in an attempt to address how to handle this in the future.

The issue could have been avoided if the game was played in another state. The FHSAA bylaws state that the only exception to the rule would be if the all-star game was played outside of Florida. 

Griffin is the only junior who participated and is currently committed to the Gators. Every participant from the state of Florida holds an offer from the University of Florida, according to On3. 

Based on On3’s predictions, two players (Bolles wide receiver Naeem Burroughs, Tavares linebacker Izayia Williams) are expected to eventually commit to Florida at some point.

While the Under Armour All-America Game made recent adjustments to its rules, the upcoming U.S. Navy All-American Game, Saturday, Jan. 11, has not, so this will no be an issue again.