Florida in contention for prized edge rusher who's had bizarre recruitment with the Gators

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier has done a lot over the last few weeks to ramp up the recruiting game. One area that he's focused on as of late is the defensive line. Right now, the Gators have multiple targets, including the commitment over the weekend of three-star defensive tackle Jamir Perez. One of […]

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Cherry Hill West's Jordon DeJesus Gonzalez is sacked by Middletown South's Colin Gallagher and Luke Wafle during the first half of the Cherry Hill West vs. Middletown South NJSIAA Central Group 4 playoff football game at Middletown High School South in Middletown, NJ Friday, October 28, 2022.
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Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier has done a lot over the last few weeks to ramp up the recruiting game. One area that he's focused on as of late is the defensive line.

Right now, the Gators have multiple targets, including the commitment over the weekend of three-star defensive tackle Jamir Perez. One of the top targets on the defensive line has been four-star edge rusher Luke Wafle out of New Jersey. 

Over the course of the last week, it's been a wild ride for the Gators with Wafle, but they are in good position to bring him in.

Florida Gators in Luke Wafle's top five

Let's start with the good news. Over the weekend, the Gators were named among Wafle's top-five schools. 

Normally, this wouldn't be a huge deal. Recruits name their top schools all the time. However, this comes in a very interesting package for the Gators.

The Gators got Wafle to commit to do an official visit this past weekend early last week, and it was a big one, as Wafle was highly recruited by the likes of Texas, Ohio State, USC, and Penn State. The interesting thing here was that On3 Sports' Steve Wiltfong reported just two days before his official visit that Wafle had named his top four schools without the Gators in there.

Really interesting to put that out right before Wafle's official visit just 48 hours later, but the only change from his top four to the top five was the addition of the Gators.

It's also going to be an uphill battle for the Gators, as they are getting into Wafle's recruitment a little later than they would have liked. His older brother Owen was a member of Penn State's 2024 recruiting class. They have a slight edge with a 25.4% prediction from On3 Sports.

It's great to see the Gators get involved with a top prospect, but will his official visit that came six weeks after his unofficial visit land him in Gainesville? Only time will tell.

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