Florida Gators Hosting Hat-Trick of 5-Star Recruits Committed to Other Teams

When the Florida Gators take on the Miami Hurricanes, there will be 5-Star commitments from Auburn, Oregon, and LSU in attendance.

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier will be looking to poach several high-profile recruits when the Gators host the Miami Hurricanes. / Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- When the Florida Gators face the No. 19 Miami Hurricanes inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the game on the field won’t be the only battle fought. 

The Gators will also fight the recruiting battle with possibly over 60 recruits from the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes in attendance for the game, which includes 11 of Florida’s 2025 commits and three of its 2026 commits. 

Here are three visitors from the 2025 class and one from the 2026 class that Gator fans must know. 

2025 5-Star DB DJ Pickett (LSU Commit)

To say this is a must-have recruit for Florida is an understatement. 

Pickett (6-4, 179) of Tampa (Fla.) Zephyrhills is ranked as a consensus top-three corner recruit and the No. 1 corner recruit by ESPN and Rivals. Pickett, an LSU commit, chose the Tigers over fellow finalists Miami (Fla.) and Oregon.

Although it’s big the Gators are able to get him on campus, considering they weren’t finalists, his visit this week does pose some risks. Pickett’s cousin, Booker, is a freshman defensive lineman for the Hurricanes, who are also still involved in Pickett’s recruitment. 

Not to mention, Florida only has two defensive back commits in this current cycle in 4-star corner Ben Hanks Jr. and 4-star safety Demetres Samuel Jr. A strong showing under new secondary coach Will Harris, especially with a win over Miami, and showing that the Gators’ defense is truly back on track to being a dominant force could thrust the Gators back into the running. 

It won’t happen overnight, though. 

2025 5-Star Dallas Wilson (Oregon Commit)

The second 5-star visitor currently committed to another program, Florida beats Oregon in the distance game for Wilson, a consensus top-10 receiver who hails from Tampa (Fla.). Outside of that, it’s a firm commitment to the Ducks. 

“It’s been my dream school since forever, like since I opened my eyes as a baby it’s been my dream school,” Wilson said of Oregon. “Coach Lanning, he just made it ten times better. Great support system, they love you as a person.”

Considering the Gators already have three wide receiver commits, including 5-star Vernell Brown III, it wouldn’t be the complete end of the world if Florida can’t flip Wilson, but if given the opportunity, this isn’t a recruit they shouldn’t say no to if the opportunity arises. 

2025 5-Star DL Malik Autry (Auburn Commit)

Of all the prospects committed to other programs, Autry (6-5.5, 320) seems to be the Gators’ top target for a potential flip. 

A longtime Auburn commit, his pledge hasn’t stopped him from taking multiple visits to Gainesville, including a midsummer visit in June. His reasoning for keeping Florida in the running? Consistency. 

"Florida has just been consistent. I've been there probably six times…,” he said. “Every time I go down there, they communicate a lot. I talked to all of them all the time. They're probably the school that communicates with me the most out of all the staffs."

2026 4-Star LB Izayia Williams

Florida’s already flipped one former 2026 Syracuse commit in 4-star defensive back Demetres Samuel Jr., who has since reclassified to the 2025 class. Can the Gators do it again? 

Williams (6-1, 205 pounds), a recruit from Leesburg (Fla.) Tavares, backed off his pledge to the Orange on Aug. 4, less than a week after Samuel Jr. committed to Florida. Since that decision, it’s seemed like he’s Florida’s commit to lose. 

The Gators own multiple predictions from On3 to land the 4-star linebacker. A strong showing against the Hurricanes, especially with position coach Ron Roberts making his UF coaching debut on Saturday, could be enough to complete the flip. 

Gators’ 2025 Recruiting Class

As it stands, Florida’s recruiting class ranks No. 19 nationally by On3 with 14 total commits and an average recruit rating of 88.94. The current class can be found below. (*indicates they are visiting on Saturday.

5-star WR Vernell Brown III*

4-star RB Waltez Clark*
4-star WR Naeshaun Montgomery
4-star WR Joshua Moore*
4-star TE Tae’Shaun Gelsey*
4-star DL Jalen Wiggins
4-star DL Jeramiah McCloud
4-star LB Myles Johnson*
4-star CB Ben Hanks Jr.*
4-star DB Demetres Samuel Jr.*
3-star RB Chad Gasper*
3-sstar DL Joseph Mbatchou*
3-star P Hayden Craig
3-star LS Mack Mulhern