The Florida Gators keep showing up in the conversation for one of the top defensive prospects in the 2028 class.
On Wednesday, Saraland (Ala.) four-star edge rusher Keoni Snipes trimmed his list to 10 schools, with Florida making the cut alongside Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Texas A&M. Snipes, who measures 6-5 and 245 pounds, is ranked by ESPN as the No. 66 overall recruit and the No. 13 edge rusher in the class.
Florida’s standing is notable even before the real decision-making heats up. Rivals’ Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Gators a slite edge over Oklahoma, though Snipes does not have any predictions yet.
He has already made multiple trips to Gainesville, visiting Florida twice last offseason, and he was also at Auburn for the Gators’ 44-39 win in Week Three. His recent visit list has also included LSU for its game against Texas A&M last week, and he is scheduled to be at Texas on Oct. 24 and Oklahoma on Oct.
The interest is easy to understand when you look at the production. As a sophomore, Snipes posted 30 tackles, seven for loss and 3.5 sacks.
Through five games as a junior, he has already piled up 22 total tackles, including 12 for loss, and 4.5 sacks. In less than half the time, he has nearly matched his tackle total and moved past his sack mark.
Florida is also building momentum elsewhere in the 2028 class. The Gators added commitments from Blountstown (Fla.) four-star safety Cyion Smith and Huntsville (Ala.)
Mae Jemison four-star offensive tackle Samuel Bailey in the last week, bringing the class to three commitments. Hollywood (Fla.)
Chaminade-Madonna four-star wide receiver Armani Strong also pledged to Florida over the summer.
There are more names still trending Florida’s way. The Gators hold predictions for Sarasota (Fla.) four-star quarterback Hudson West, Venice (Fla.) four-star wide receiver Tyree Mannings Jr., Tampa (Fla.)
Carrollwood Day four-star wide receiver Derrell Hines Jr. and four-star edge Antonio Thomas Jr., Lakeland (Fla.) four-star cornerback Dominick Harris-Payne, Tallahassee (Fla.) Florida State University School four-star corner Izayah Vickers and four-star wide receiver Bubba Brown, plus Vero Beach (Fla.) three-star defensive tackle Josiah Taylor.
Florida hosted more than 70 prospects from the 2027, 2028 and 2029 classes last week, and head coach Jon Sumrall said after the win over Ole Miss that those future recruits could help change the program over time.
“We had some recruits here this weekend. I mean, a recruiting list that we get a lot of those guys to say yes, we're going to wake the beast up real fast,” he said.
“We're going to wake it up with the guys we've got. I love the guys we've got.
But we still have to reinforce our roster, the depth of our roster to look like maybe the top, top, top teams in the country. We still aren't, maybe just depth, where we can roll out the next guy and it's like there's very little drop-off.”
The Gators’ 2028 class currently sits fourth nationally and third in the SEC in the Rivals Industry Composite, and fifth nationally in the 247 Sports Composite.
In Other News...
Why Floridas Offense Should Worry Missouri More Than Fans Realize
Floridas offense has shown it can turn ordinary field position into real trouble for an opponent, and that matters in a matchup where Missouri has leaned heavily on short fields. The Gators have already found the end zone on drives that begin around their own 35-yard line, which suggests they are capable of stacking plays, surviving long possessions and finishing those marches with points instead of settling for field goals.
Missouris offense has been productive, but much of that damage has come with favorable starting position, and its average touchdown drive is the shortest in the country. Even more telling, the Tigers have struggled to turn drives after punts or kickoffs into meaningful production against FBS opponents, while Florida has had success doing exactly that with 16 touchdowns on those kinds of possessions in its games. For a Missouri defense that may not be able to count on easy margins, the Gators ability to travel the length of the field is the part that should raise the most concern. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Kelly Just Put Florida's Fast Start On Upset Watch
Floridas early surge is drawing plenty of confidence from national observers, but it is not unanimous. As the Gators head into Saturdays 3:30 p.m. ET matchup at Missouris Faurot Field, three CBS Sports analysts backed No. 8 Florida to keep rolling, pointing to a rushing attack that has given the offense a sturdy identity and to questions about how Missouri will hold up defensively.
Brian Kelly was the outlier, though, and his pick landed with some weight because of the program context around it. The former LSU and Notre Dame head coach went against the grain and called for No. 25 Missouri to spring the upset, putting a little extra tension on a game Florida was expected to control. For a team trying to protect its ranking and keep its fast start intact, it is the sort of outside skepticism that adds a little more edge to an already interesting SEC road test. [Read more 🡒]
Florida May Be Building Recruiting Momentum Where FSU Fans Least Want It
A recruiting battle in Tallahassee is starting to tilt Floridas way, at least on paper. ArTavian Bubba Brown, the four-star wide receiver prospect who transferred to Florida State University School this year, has been predicted by recruiting analysts to land with the Gators, a development that would resonate well beyond the normal early-cycle chatter.
Brown has already made unofficial visits to Auburn and Alabama, so there is still plenty of road left in his recruitment. Even so, Floridas early work in the class of 2028 is beginning to gather attention, with three players already committed and more pledges expected to follow as the Gators try to build momentum before the process gets any louder. [Read more 🡒]