Florida Gators Aiming to Flip SI99 LB, ACC Commit
Despite a five-month commitment to Georgia Tech, one of the top linebacker prospects in the country continues to hear out what other programs have to offer.
Lee County's (Ga.) Jaron Willis, the No. 8 linebacker in the class of 2022, shared with Sports Illustrated All-American that Florida, Florida State and Ole Miss remain in pursuit of his services. Willis will be officially visiting Ole Miss this weekend for the Rebels' top 25 matchup with Arkansas.
Willis has a couple of connections to Ole Miss which make the school one to watch moving forward, even though his Georgia Tech pledge has been firm for several months. He is cousins with Rebels' linebacker Mark Robinson and stars for the same high school the Ole Miss defense back Otis Reese played at.
On Florida's side of the equation, Willis has unofficially visited the Gators twice since the COVID-19 recruiting dead period ended in June, most recently for the Alabama game in September. UF was included in Willis' top six schools in March after earning an offer from Florida in April 2020.
Florida State has also been heavily involved in Willis' recruitment, visiting the program as many times as he has UF in recent months, once officially.
Florida owns two linebacker commitments in the class of 2022 from Faith Academy's (Ala.) Shemar James, the No.2 linebacker in the country according to SIAA, and Fitzgerald (Ga.) linebacker E.J. Lightsey. Willis would be a fine addition to the class as he offers a different skill-set than those two, however, the Gators do not have a pressing need for 2022 linebackers at the time.
You can find Willis' SI All-American evaluation below.
Willis is a unique player that could end up skyrocketing up these rankings before all is said and done. He’s the perfect modern day linebacker projection in build and skill set. He possesses the length, explosiveness, speed and coverage skills to thrive in space. He has the short-area power and strength to play inside and thrive against the run. Willis is listed at just 215 pounds, but the Georgia Tech commit can take two steps and explode his hips through a ball carrier. What makes him unique is his ability in space. Willis is a force against perimeter run and perimeter screen throws and his burst off the edge as a blitzer adds yet another weapon to his arsenal.
Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.