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Thursday, March 28, 2024
<p>Florida cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy gestures to the crowd during the Gators' 30-10 win against the Razorbacks on Oct. 5 in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. With Purifoy leaving for the NFL Draft, the Gators have had to try to fill his role in the recruiting class.</p>

Florida cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy gestures to the crowd during the Gators' 30-10 win against the Razorbacks on Oct. 5 in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. With Purifoy leaving for the NFL Draft, the Gators have had to try to fill his role in the recruiting class.

Adoree’ Jackson pulled out a box.

The five-star cornerback and wide receiver from Gardena, Calif., was about to decide where he would spend the next three to five years of his football career. In the immortal words of LeBron James, he was deciding where he would “take his talents to.”

The top contenders were local Southern California, a team with three head coaches in the past year, and Florida, fresh off its worst season in Jackson’s lifetime.

As friends, family, reporters and coaches alike looked on from either the room at Juniperro Serra High or on television screens, Jackson began removing items.

First, a Gatorade bottle. Surely, that meant Jackson was Gainesville bound.

Rings and a hat followed, then a cleat — colored orange and blue. In a second, he’d be a Gator.

But Jackson pulled out a Trojans hat and committed to USC.

Missing out on Rivals.com’s No. 6 prospect in the country put a disappointing cap on what was otherwise a successful signing day for Florida.

“Most of the time, you know (who you are going to sign),” coach Will Muschamp said. “You know if you’re getting them and you know if you’re not.

“If you haven’t talked to him in 48 hours, you’re not getting him … If you’re on the phone that morning with mom and dad and brother and uncle, you’re probably going to sign him.”

Jackson would have been the cherry on Florida’s sundae, but instead the Gators will have to settle for just ice cream — which most would agree is good as well. UF signed 15 players on Wednesday to complete its 24-member recruiting class.

Despite missing out on Jackson, the Gators brought in four defensive backs to restore their depleted secondary. Florida lost Loucheiz Purifoy and Marcus Roberson to the NFL Draft, Jaylen Watkins to graduation and, as Muschamp confirmed on Wednesday, Cody Riggs to transfer.

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“We felt like we needed to continue some length at the corner position especially, and sign those guys,” Muschamp said.

“So we were able to get that. That was very pleasing.”

In addition to Duke Dawson and Jalen Tabor, who enrolled early, UF signed J.C. Jackson, Quincy Wilson and Deiondre Porter on Wednesday.

J.C. Jackson and Wilson’s recruitments could not have been more opposite. J.C. Jackson was rumored to flip for weeks and was linked to Florida State, where former Gators commit Dalvin Cook had already committed and Ermon Lane had been linked to. Lane signed with the Seminoles on Wednesday.

Instead, J.C. Jackson stuck with the Gators.

“I know he looked at some other places, no different than a lot of kids do, and I encourage kids to do, to go make sure they’re making the right decision,” Muschamp said. “We never felt it was that much in the balance, maybe as what a lot of people seemed to think.”

Wilson, on the other hand, was as solid as a rock. The Fort Lauderdale native actively campaigned for other recruits to join him in committing to Florida, lobbying them on Twitter throughout the recruiting process.

“These guys want to play with each other,” Muschamp said. “They want good players. They want to play with each other. So there’s no question that the camaraderie they build helps us or other schools if they’re going with the other schools. But certainly, he did a fantastic job of holding some guys together.”

Follow Adam Lichtenstein on Twitter @alichtenstein24

Florida cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy gestures to the crowd during the Gators' 30-10 win against the Razorbacks on Oct. 5 in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. With Purifoy leaving for the NFL Draft, the Gators have had to try to fill his role in the recruiting class.

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