Zach Goodall
Florida Gators Land in Top 12 for Top-Ranked Player in New Jersey
As college football recruiting enters a crucial month of June — filled with impending official visits and significant announcements — Don Bosco High School (Ramsey, N.J.) product Jordan Thomas trimmed his list of contenders to 12 Friday evening.
He named the Florida Gators alongside Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Oregon, Rutgers, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M just prior to his arrival at Rutgers for his first of four planned official visits this summer. The Bulldogs (June 9-11), Gamecocks (June 23-25) and Wolverines (June 16-18) will also play host to the defensive lineman.
Rated as the nation's No. 14 DL and No. 106 player overall per 247Sports' Composite, the 6-foot-5, 296-pound front-level defender presents an elite and versatile skillset for the next level.
The Gators, as a result, will look to earn a visit from Thomas in the ensuing months as the staff vies to replenish the talent and depth on the interior defensive line in the 2024 cycle. Despite not yet holding a commitment at the spot, Florida's made considerable headway with players in the position of need.
Thomas is a prospect on the team's radar to potentially assume one of the voids, although there is ground to make up compared to other contenders.
Luckily for UF, Sean Spencer found success in New Jersey during the 2023 cycle, using his northeast ties — gained from stints with Penn State and the New York Giants — to reel in defensive lineman Will Norman.
He'll attempt to continue producing with his pursuit of Thomas, the top-ranked player in the state.
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