Them Gator boys stay hot.
Florida reeled in its 14th commitment of the summer in Kendall Guervil, a four-star defensive tackle from Fort Myers High. Guervil is ranked as the No. 2 DT in the USA TODAY Florida Top 100 and No. 28 player overall.
He named the Gators, who came into June with just one commitment, over his other finalists of Texas and Florida State. Florida has been chipping away at Guervil for some time, and he’s been to campus nearly a dozen times since his freshman year.
“Ever since my freshman year, I’ve been able to build a relationship with the staffs and get to know the players there,” Guervil said. “I have a great connection and relationship with coach Billy (Napier), and (defensive line coach Gerald) Chatman came my sophomore year, and since then we’ve been building a great relationship, also with (assistant D-line coach Jeremy) Patterson.”
Guervil made his decision in the auditorium at Fort Myers High School in front of friends, family, coaches, teachers, and administrators – all of whom he thanked, often by name, in his speech.
“Overall, the University of Florida, the community, the fans, the alumni, all of it, everything is great over there,” he said. “It’s a great school to be at, academic-wise, especially for the major that I want to do, which is architecture.”
Guervil registered 88 total tackles with 12.0 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles in his junior campaign for the Green Wave. He was named to The News-Press All-Area Defensive First Team and subsequently named a Southwest Florida Defensive Player of the Year finalist. He’s a textbook plug-stopper, and his 6-foot-5 frame and long reach make him a matchup nightmare up front. His top-shelf strength is elite, and his mobility is a plus in his scouting report.
“(Gator fans) can be excited about having a relentless player,” he said. “Quick, twitchy, willing to give it all for their team.”
Guervil is the latest Power-4 commit at Fort Myers, but not the only one this cycle. Offensive lineman Joel Ervin (No. 9 IOL in the state) committed to Miami this spring. A healthy rivalry is already budding between the Green Wave’s unstoppable Gator commit and its immovable Hurricane commit.
“I didn’t say this today, because they still have a year left, but we have a saying,” said head coach Sam Sirianni Jr. “Once a Greenie, always a Greenie. I hear that every day in the community. We’re so proud of that… We had neighborhood schools, we all grew up together, so when you do something and you’re over 100 years old, you naturally build in generations of tradition.”
Who is Kendall Guervil, Florida football commit?
School: Fort Myers
Height, Weight: 6-foot-5, 310 pounds
2024 Stats: 88 tackles, 12 TFL, 0.5 sack, 5 QB hurries, 2 FF (MaxPreps)
2024 Honors: The News-Press All-Area Defensive First Team, Southwest Florida Defensive Player of the Year finalist
USA TODAY Florida Network Ranking: No. 28 (No. 2 defensive tackle)
247Sports Composite: 4-star, No. 19 player in Florida, No. 19 DL in the nation
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers defensive tackle Kendall Guervil commits to the Florida Gators over Texas, FSU
Reporting by Nick Wilson, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
