Former Florida Gators OL Commit Signs with Jackson State

Former Florida Gators commit Javonte Gardner signs his letter of intent to play for Deion Sanders at Jackson State.

Following nearly a year-long commitment to the Gators, Jones High School (Orlando, Fla.) offensive lineman Javonte Gardner has decommitted from the University of Florida in favor of Jackson State.

Jackson State head football coach Deion Sanders is excited to announce the signing of Javonte Gardner, a consensus four-star offensive lineman out of Orlando 🏈

Read more ➡️ https://t.co/a4bPebx1kl#IBelieveJSU21 x #BleedTheeBlue x #NSD21

— Jackson State Athletics (@GoJSUTigers) December 17, 2020

Committing to Florida in December of 2019, Gardner looked to be set to take his talents to Gainesville on Early Signing Day. However, after a turn of events, Gardner has set his sights on the rising phenomenon of the college football world that is Jackson State.

Immediately upon arrival to the HBCU, head coach Deion Sanders has seemingly moved mountains in recruiting—landing a number of power five caliber athletes to his first recruiting class.

With Gardner being the latest to join the 2021 JSU class, the 6-foot-5, 290-pound lineman will bolster a thin offensive line commit list for the Tigers thus far in the process, joining Missouri transfer Dylan Spencer and James Reddick II.

As a result, the Gators lose an experienced and talented run blocking presence along the trenches of their offense. Showcasing tremendous strength and adequate athleticism, Gardner holds a raw and moldable skillset that would have made him an intriguing project to play at either tackle position as a Gators.

Bottom Line: Gardner is a raw, mauling offensive lineman who likely kicks inside at the next level. He can overwhelm high school defenders with sheer mass but will need to refine body composition to do so in the SEC at the same rate. Edge and grit exist, along with strong pop at the point of contact, so there is a foundation for the expected move that can pay off later in his college career assuming buy-in on his end.

Head coach Dan Mullen said on Wednesday that the team had received all of the scholarships, signed, that they had sent out. That left Florida with Yousef Mugharbil and Jake Slaughter as the lone offensive line signees. 

Going forward, UF will continue to pursue multiple offensive linemen, including SI All-American candidate’s tackles Tristan Leigh and newly-offered Austin Barber to fill the missing gaps along the front lines.