Within hours of the announcement that Ole Miss had flipped 2025 QB prospect Austin Simmons (who is reclassifying to the 2023 cycle), the Florida Gators went on a ridiculous hot streak as four blue chip prospects announced their commitments on social media Saturday.
Four-star TE Amir Jackson was the first to announce his commitment to Billy Napier’s program Saturday. The 6’5, 210 lb prospect has also played safety and wide receiver at Portal High in Georgia. Per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Jackson is the nation’s No. 108 overall prospect and the No. 8 ATH in the 2024 recruiting cycle.
#100%PercentCommited pic.twitter.com/Tx07o2nBOt
— Amir Jackson (@its_Amirjackson) June 17, 2023
Florida followed that by adding it’s first commitment to the defensive line in 4-star DL Amaris Williams. The Clinton, NC prospect announced his commitment to the Gators at Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille while speaking on his official visit. Williams spoke highly of Florida LB Coach Jay Bateman and the “home” vibes he received on his visit. Williams is the No. 186 overall prospect and No. 23 ranked DL in the 2024 class.
BREAKING: Four-Star DL Amaris Williams tells me he has Committed to Florida!
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 18, 2023
The 6’3 270 DL from Clinton, NC chose the Gators over Georgia, Tennessee, & Penn State
“Now that I’m officially a Gator, it made me realize the only mistakes in life are chances that were never taken,… pic.twitter.com/vmNm3XsDPN
Nasir Johnson, a four-star DL out of Dublin, GA, announced his commitment to Florida just a couple hours later. Johnson is rated the No. 250 overall prospect and No. 30 DL in the 2024 cycle. A 6’5, 300 lb prospect, Johnson played both sides of the ball in high school lining up as right tackle on the offensive line in addition to his defensive line duties. Bateman was his primary recruiter, as well.
Top priority ‼️‼️0️⃣ #GOGATORS 🐊🐊 100% committed pic.twitter.com/4INBNFgM3s
— Nasir Johnson (@NasirJohnson56) June 18, 2023
Bateman wasn’t done, yet, though. He also managed to lure Top-100 prospect Aaron Chiles, a linebacker out of Olney, MD, to announce his commitment. Chiles is rated a 4-star prospect with a national ranking of 80 and a position ranking of six. He’s also the top rated prospect from Maryland. In 2022, he recorded ten sacks and forced a pair of fumbles in addition to 74 total tackles.
blessed #gogators🐊 pic.twitter.com/NGxg3BfiDo
— Aaron Chiles Jr (@Aaron7Chiles) June 18, 2023
The big day on the trail propelled the Gators to No. 8 in the national rankings for the 2024 class. Additionally, there have been hints on social media that Florida may be set to add more to its class before the weekend expires.
Florida Gators having a MASSIVE recruiting weekend landing 4 new commitments yesterday 🐊🐊
— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) June 18, 2023
….and might not be done yet! @GatorsOnline has been running non-stop updates all weekend, follow along HERE: https://t.co/Wh8tzzGFv1 pic.twitter.com/PNa20NKsTZ
Jay Bateman has moved up to the second ranked recruiter in the nation for 2024 as he’s played a large role in a total of six commitments for Florida in the cycle (so far).
These four prospects join a class that includes: 5-star QB DJ Lagway (Willis, TX), 5-star S Xavier Filsaime (McKinney, TX), 4-star LB Adarius Hayes (Largo, FL), 4-star LB Myles Graham, 4-star WR Izaiah Williams (Tampa, FL), 4-star RB Kahnen Daniels (West Point, MS), 3-star S Josiah Davis (Nashville, GA), 3-star OT Mike Williams (Upper Marlboro, MD), and unrated OL Noel Portnjagin (Germany).
*All rankings are based on 247Sports and their composite rankings.