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Gators Placed in Priority DB Prospect Charles Lester III Top 5

The Florida Gators were placed in the top five for their top cornerback target in the 2024 class, Charles Lester III, on Sunday.

Brandon Carroll

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The fireworks were plentiful to ring in the year for the Florida Gators as multiple top prospects trimmed their offer list down to select top schools.

As the Gators shift their focus to the 2024 recruiting cycle with the sunset of the 2023 class looming, Billy Napier and Co. will look to capitalize on the long-term connections they've built since arriving in Gainesville.

When the new regime took over at Florida, one of the top prospects they heavily recruited was Riverview High School (Sarasota, Fla.) defensive back Charles Lester III.

On New Year's Day, Lester included the Gators in his top five schools list alongside Alabama, Florida State, Georgia and Ohio State.

Lester has traveled to Gainesville on multiple occasions since the new staff took over, including trips to The Swamp during Florida's 2022 campaign for contests against South Carolina and USF.

Lester aligns as the top cornerback prospect on the Gators board with his recruitment led by position coach Corey Raymond. Florida hopes the pull of one of the most established assistants in college football — from a recruiting and development standpoint — at the position can elevate the Gators to the top spot in Lester's mind down the stretch.

He would provide the elite piece at 6-foot-1, 171 pounds to the boundary cornerback position in a Gators secondary freshly removed from a versatile, skillful haul in 2023.

The Gators currently sit with three commits in the 2024 class, including elite quarterback prospect DJ Lagway, top 100 legacy linebacker Myles Graham and running back Chauncey Bowens. They hope to add Lester to the fold in the future of a class with lofty expectations from the inside and outside.

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Brandon Carroll
BRANDON CARROLL

Brandon Carroll is a recent graduate of the University of Florida. He serves as the lead reporter for the Florida Gators FanNation-Sports Illustrated website, covering football, basketball and recruiting. When he isn't hard at work, he enjoys listening to music, playing flag football and basketball, spending time with his friends and family, and watching an array of television shows. Follow him on Twitter @itsbcarroll.

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