Florida Gators Add Second DB Commit on Wednesday

The Florida Gators are closing out July with a flurry of commitments including a former Syracuse pledge.

New Florida Gators secondary coach Will Harris has been busy adding commitments to close out July. / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

Less than two hours after the Florida Gators added four-star safety Devin Jackson to its 2026 recruiting class, the Gators now have its first defensive back commit of the 2025 class. 

Four-star athlete Demetres Samuel Jr. (Palm Bay, Fla). has flipped his commitment from Syracuse to Florida and will reclassify from the 2026 class to the 2025 class, he announced Wednesday. He had been committed to Syracuse since March. 

BREAKING: Four-Star ATH Demetres Samuel Jr. has Flipped his Commitment from Syracuse to Florida, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’1 190 ATH from Palm Bay, FL had been Committed to the Orange since March

Will also reclassify to the 2025 Class 🐊https://t.co/G6iugVfd9y pic.twitter.com/wzLblyd8Md

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 31, 2024

Ranked as a top-20 safety across all major recruiting sites, Samuel Jr.’s ranking is expected to dip once his reclassification is made official. Should he have a strong senior season, the 6'2, 180-pound safety is expected to be one of the top defensive back recruits in the country. 

During his sophomore season at Palm Bay (Fla.) Heritage, Samuel Jr. 19 total tackles to go with five interceptions. A varsity contributor as a freshman, he recorded 35 total tackles and seven pass breakups in 2022. 

Samuel Jr.’s high school highlights can be viewed here. 

Samuel Jr.’s commitment adds to a recent trend of the Billy Napier-era of building a roster around legacy recruits. He is the cousin of former UF safety Marcus Maye.

The Gators recently added five-star double legacy receiver Vernell Brown III to its 2025 class and are considered the favorites to land four-star legacy corner Ben Hanks Jr., as well. 

Once Samuel Jr.’s reclassification is official, the Gators will have 11 total commits in its 2025 recruiting class. Defensive lineman Joseph Mbatchou (Loganville, Ga.) announced his pledge to Florida almost immediately after Samuel Jr.’s announcement.

Florida’s 2025 class ranks No. 59 in the country, according to 247 Sports, but is trending upward following Wednesday’s two commitments and the expectation that more will come in August.