Former Gators WR Commit Jayden Gibson Pledges to Oklahoma

After exiting the Florida Gators' recruiting class last week, wide receiver Jayden Gibson has found a new home.

Brent Venables has gotten off to a hot start on the recruiting trail as the new head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, as he landed a commitment from 2022 West Orange (Fla.) wide receiver and former Florida Gators pledge Jayden Gibson, he announced via Twitter.

Gibson is the second former Florida commit to flip to Oklahoma over the past week, as he will join former Gators quarterback commit Nick Evers (Flower Mound, Texas) in Norman, Okla. for his college career. Both prospects backed off their pledges to UF after the hiring of new head coach Billy Napier, who is metaphorically tearing the program and current recruiting class down and rebuilding it from scratch.

Venables has now added four commits to Oklahoma's current recruiting class since taking over as the Sooners' head coach on Dec. 5, his first head coaching opportunity. In Gibson, Oklahoma will be receiving the No. 20 wide receiver in the class of 2022, per Sports Illustrated All-American, who has caught 22 touchdowns and averaged 18.2 yards per reception over his last two seasons of high school.

You can read Gibson's SIAA scouting report below.

At The Opening in California to kick off the month of July, there was a constant question asked when Gibson took the field and ran third-level routes; 'who is that?' The towering pass-catcher ran by Power 5 pledges on routine to kick off the prestigious event and when he couldn't, he still found a way to out jump and/or muscle defenders at the apex. On tape it's more of the same, but Gibson also counters with above-average route-running polish and surprising ability after the catch for a prospect his size. He is savvy, efficient and that stride covers a lot of ground in a hurry. The Floridian, who also plays basketball, has seen his recruitment explode in recent months with the quick rise, making his 2021 season one of America's most intriguing to track. 

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.


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Zach Goodall
ZACH GOODALL

Zach Goodall is the publisher of AllGators.com on FanNation-Sports Illustrated, serving as a beat reporter covering football, recruiting, and occasionally other sports since 2019.  Before moving to Gainesville, Zach spent four years covering the Jacksonville Jaguars for SB Nation (2015-18) and Locked On Podcast Network (2017-19), originally launching his sports journalism career as a junior in high school. He also covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for FanNation-Sports Illustrated (2020-22). In addition to writing and reporting, Zach is a sports photographer and videographer who primarily shoots football and basketball games, practices and related events. When time permits in the 24/7 media realm, Zach enjoys road trips, concerts, golf and microbreweries.