My advice to Florida football fans who get worked up over recruiting during the summer.
Go fishing. Take a trip to the springs. Enjoy the natural beauty our state parks have to offer.
The Florida Gators 2027 football class has taken a slight tumble from No. 5 to No. 7 nationally in the latest 247Sports.com composite team rankings this month, In 247Sports, UF currently ranks 10th. Losing four-star offensive tackle Kennedee Jackson to Georgia was a blow, and other teams throughout the country landed some significant commitments over the past few weeks.
This still doesn’t take away from UF’s coach Jon Sumrall’s proactive approach when it came to putting the 2027 class together. UF has already landed 24 commitments, including one five star and 15 four stars (per 247Sports composite). They’ve even already started on the 2028 class.
Not all five stars are the same, but the hope is that five-star offensive tackle Maxwell Hiller from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, realizes his full potential to become the building block for UF’s future offensive lines under heralded O-Line coach Phil Trautwein. Florida needs a boost in the trenches to become a more competitive SEC program. If Hiller enjoys success with the Gators, it will lead to more offensive linemen around the country viewing UF as a prime destination.
Why Florida football fans shouldn’t read too much into recruiting rankings
Here’s why Florida football fans should spend the summer enjoying the outdoors instead of being glued to their computers over the latest upcoming visits.
Defending national champion Indiana had the following team recruiting rankings from 2020-25 − 55, 56, 28, 76, 65 and 52.
Recruiting classes for national runner up Miami were better from 2020-25, but not consistently elite, coming in at 16 (2020), 11 (2021), 16 (2022), 7 (2023), 4 (2024) and 14 (2025).
The transfer portal has replaced traditional high school recruiting as being more impactful. There’s also no substitute for coaching and development, with Indiana’s Curt Cignetti setting a high bar the rest of the country is trying to reach.
Texas and Georgia will always recruit well in the SEC. The Longhorns boast plenty of oil money, which trumps citrus money. Georgia can rely on the Kirby discount, as head coach Kirby Smart has a proven record of winning national championships (2), SEC championships (4) and developing high NFL draft picks (17 first rounders since 2020).
That’s what makes Sumrall’s first season coaching Florida so critical. The challenge isn’t just putting a recruiting class together but sustaining it through the fall months.
A bad season can result in negative recruiting and ultimately, flips. Former UF coach Billy Napier learned this the hard way. Florida’s 2024 recruiting class ranked third nationally entering the fall but after stumbling to a 5-7 loss, UF lost a number of high-profile commitments to flips, including five-star safety Xavier Filsaime (Texas) and four-star edge rusher Jemonta Waller (Auburn). As the result, the class fell 10 spots to No. 13.
Wake me up when November ends.
Until then, this could all be musical chairs until National Signing Day. Florida needs to maintain strong relationships with its current commitments, grab or flip another elite one or two, and play well enough in Sumrall’s first season to provide hope they are joining a program on the rise.
Progress is paramount. Coming off a 4-8 season, the bar can’t be set much lower.
Let’s see how Sumrall’s first season plays out. A winning record should keep most of the 2027 class intact. From there, Sumrall and his staff should enjoy the credibility boost needed to fend off other SEC schools for elite talent.
Until then, may we suggest cave diving?
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Worked up over Florida football recruiting? December provides best gauge
Reporting by Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun | USA TODAY Network
