Florida’s class of 2027 may be close to finished, but one name briefly gave Gators fans something to wonder about on Thursday: Keldrid Ben.
The four-star running back from Texas has been committed to Oklahoma since December, and Florida has been in the mix on paper for a while. The Gators offered Ben in March, then brought him to campus in April and again in May for an official visit. Even so, there hasn’t been much real momentum connecting him to Florida, which is why his upcoming announcement felt more like a curiosity than a true recruiting swing.
Florida could still use another back in the class. The Gators already have four-star RB Andrew Beard committed, but they’ve missed on other options who might have paired with him.
That’s what made 247 Sports’ Thursday tweet stand out for a moment. The post said Ben had scheduled a celebration and would make an announcement about his recruitment Friday at 6:30 PM, with Florida, Oklahoma and Oregon included in the graphics.
But the buzz appears to be more ceremony than drama. According to 247, “It's an opportunity for Ben to celebrate with family, friends, and the community while finalizing his recruitment.” In other words, this looks a lot more like a formal wrap-up than a real decision point.
For Florida fans hoping for a late surprise, that’s probably the important part here. Unless Ben is about to stage a full-blown flip, there doesn’t seem to be much reason to read this as anything other than a commitment celebration.
Even the setup raised some eyebrows. Turning the announcement into a CBS Sports College Football YouTube Channel event struck some observers as unusual, especially when the same thing could have been handled with a simple social media graphic and a celebration.
Still, the Gators are not exactly hanging their hopes on this one. Florida would welcome the addition, but if Ben stays locked in with Oklahoma, it won’t leave the class in trouble.
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