Florida has been in the mix for John Matthews for months, but Ohio State is now adding real heat to the chase.
Matthews, a wide receiver from Newnan, GA, sits about 45 minutes outside Atlanta and measures 6-foot, 180 pounds. He’s listed as a three-star by 247, Rivals, and ESPN, though Rivals has him as an industry four-star and a top 300 overall prospect.
On tape, Matthews wins with body control and positioning. He does a nice job using his frame to slide between a defender and the football, and even if he isn’t the biggest receiver in the group, he plays with enough physicality to create space at the catch point. The speed is solid, but the more eye-catching part is the way he finishes difficult grabs in traffic.
He’s also built strong chemistry with quarterback Brodie Campbell, a class of 2027 Georgia Tech commit. That connection shows up in some impressive throws between two defenders that Matthews still manages to bring in.
Chad Simmons of Rivals recently highlighted Matthews, and the read is clear: Florida made an early impression, but Ohio State is now pushing hard as well. The Gators offered him in January and have already had him on campus. Ohio State entered later, offering in late July, and is working to get him on campus this fall.
For now, it’s still very early in the class of 2028 process. There’s a long way to go before any signing day decision, but the race for these younger prospects is already getting serious, and schools are moving sooner to establish themselves.
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Haughs return was never just about individual stock. He passed on the NBA to take another run at college basketball, driven in part by the way Floridas NCAA Tournament exit ended and helped along by conversations with Draymond Green and Will Richard. With the Gators already viewed as preseason favorites for the national championship, Haughs ranking is another reminder that the pressure now comes with the territory, and the only question left is whether Florida can turn all that talent and ambition into the finish it wanted a year ago. [Read more 🡒]
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Jon Sumrall has already signaled that he sees value in mixing in different looks as part of the recruiting pitch, especially when it comes to connecting with younger players. So a uniform decision that might seem cosmetic on the surface now has a little more weight behind it, because Florida is clearly thinking about how presentation fits into the broader identity it wants to sell under a first-year coach. [Read more 🡒]
Floridas Star Trio Gives Gators Fans A Real Reason To Dream
As Florida settles into the Jon Sumrall era, a new core is already giving the program some real footing heading toward 2026. Running back Jadan Baugh, wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. and linebacker Myles Graham were all singled out in CBS Sports top-150 college football player ranking by Blake Brockermeyer, a reminder that the Gators are not just rebuilding around a new coach but leaning on a trio with obvious upside on both sides of the ball.
Baughs strong 2025 season helped establish him as a piece Florida can build around, while Singleton Jr. arrives as a transfer expected to matter right away in the passing game. Graham, meanwhile, is shaping up as one of the defenses key names, and together the three give the Gators something every program wants at this point in the calendar: identifiable talent with the chance to define what comes next. The larger question is how quickly Sumrall can turn those individual pieces into a team that looks the part. [Read more 🡒]