When former Florida head coach Billy Napier walked out of UF’s Heavener Football Training Center for the final time Oct. 19, many believed the Gators’ hopes of adding key 2026 freshmen recruits walked out right along with him.
But now, under newly hired head coach Jon Sumrall, UF has 20 incoming recruits in the class of 2026 to complement a productive transfer portal cycle. With multiple high-production freshmen entering the scene in 2026, here are three of Florida’s top recruits on each side of the ball.
Offense:
Wide receiver Davian Groce
Davian Groce committed to the Gators in August 2025 and officially signed with the program in December. Ranked this year’s No. 8 receiver by 247Sports and the No. 2 athlete by ESPN, Groce boasts a four-star rating and a reported 4.39-second 40-yard dash time. Only two players ran a sub-4.3 in the 2025 NFL Combine.
He played both running back and receiver through four years at Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas, totaling 2,429 yards on 290 carries and adding 166 receptions for 3,313 yards, per MaxPreps. He also compiled 20-plus touchdown seasons in his sophomore and senior years.
As multiple Florida receivers hit the transfer portal ahead of 2026, Groce is expected to bring speed and quick-twitch ability to a Gators receiving unit that saw only a single receiver, Vernell Brown III, average over 45 yards per game in 2025.
Wide receiver Justin Williams
A four-star receiver and Gainesville hometown hero, Justin Williams is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 9 athlete in his recruiting class. Like Groce, he also played running back in high school. Williams played two seasons of varsity football at Buchholz High School, totaling 4,160 all-purpose yards and 50 touchdowns split evenly between rushing and receiving.
As a Gainesville native, Williams grew up around the Florida football scene and even played alongside fellow UF receiver Vernell Brown III with the Gainesville Panthers at a young age. Now, he will look to make an impact in his first season as a versatile route runner who can make catches in traffic.
Quarterback Will Griffin
Griffin is a four-star incoming freshman quarterback who signed with Florida in December 2025. He attended Tampa Jesuit High School, where he threw for 12,299 yards and 143 touchdowns, becoming the No. 16 quarterback in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports’ rankings.
He was selected as a 2025 Gatorade Player of the Year, and his 143 touchdowns are the second-most thrown by a high school quarterback in Florida history, only behind Tucker Israel’s 162-touchdown season in 2014.
With the departure of sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway, Florida is looking to find its guy under center. Though Griffin offers a stacked resume and exciting potential, don’t be surprised if Sumrall sides with experience when it comes time to deem a starter in the fall.
Defense:
Cornerback CJ Bronaugh
A four-star defensive back from Winter Garden, Florida, CJ Bronaugh committed to UF in 2025. Even after visiting Ohio State in November, he signed with the Gators in December. As a three-time state champion track sprinter, the incoming freshman will bring speed and an acrobatic playmaking ability to UF’s roster.
Ranked the No. 10 cornerback in his class by 247Sports, Bronaugh has presented elite zone coverage, good reaction time and valuable closing speed the Gators can utilize this fall and beyond.
Defensive lineman JaReylan McCoy
JaRaylan McCoy is a 6-foot-6, 245-pound defensive lineman from Mississippi. ESPN ranked him as a five-star recruit and as the No. 3 defensive end in his class. He logged 24.5 sacks and 111 solo tackles, nearly half of which were for loss, throughout his high school career. McCoy committed to Florida at the end of his junior season, in June of 2025.
Though UF’s defensive line is chock-full of talent, the departures of Michai Boireau and Brien Taylor Jr. into the transfer portal may leave some opportunity for McCoy. Regardless, he represents a high-ceiling lineman who can hold his own in the trenches and make a splash in the Southeastern Conference.
Edge Kevin Ford Jr.
Kevin Ford is a four-star edge consistently ranked around the top 20 edge rushers in his class. Across three years of varsity football in Duncanville, Texas, Ford tallied 141 total tackles and 18 sacks.
Ford has the potential to make a name for himself in Gainesville and is expected to bring depth to a Florida defense that allowed 154 rushing yards per game on average last season. Additionally, under the mentorship of fellow UF edge Jayden Woods and Gators returning defensive line coach Gerald Chatman, Ford has the opportunity to become an effective bull rusher and major run-stuffing threat in the years ahead.
Contact Curan Ahern at cahern@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @CuranAhern.
Curan is a junior sports journalism student in his fourth semester at The Alligator. He is currently the sports desk's football and enterprise beat writer, and previously served as a reporter for men's tennis, sports enterprise and football. He is currently pursuing a public relations minor and is an avid Duval sports fan. (#DTWD)
