Florida Gators continue trending for top offensive target, and they have plenty of top competition to overcome
Jon Sumrall has been on a recruiting heater over the last month, and the Florida Gators are among the schools for a top running back.
Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall knew what his biggest challenge was going to be once he accepted the job in Gainesville: fixing the vibes.
When you look at the vibes surrounding the program, they have been off for the better part of the last 15 years. Four coaches have come and gone since Urban Meyer “retired” after the 2010 season, and none of them lasted more than four seasons. One of the biggest reasons why they weren’t was that recruiting was never sustained.
When you are the University of Florida, having sustained recruiting is massively important, and it hasn’t happened. Sumrall has come out of the gates with a top 10 class trending, and they are in the top seven of one of their top targets.
Florida Gators in top-7 for RB Anthony Howard Jr.
Three-star running back Anthony Howard in the 2028 recruiting class has narrowed down his poential schools to seven, with the Florida Gators competing with the Auburn Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Tennessee Volunteers, Florida State Seminoles, and Ohio State Buckeyes.
The IMG Academy product has already made Gainesville another home, having visited Gainesville a whopping six times unofficially. He’s only taken three total visits otherwise, with two to Coral Gables and one to Tallahassee. It’s still early for the 2028 recruiting class, but Howard ranks as the 321st overall recruit and the No. 23 running back per the Rivals’ Industry Ranking. So far, the Gators are the leaders in the clubhouse at 63.4% per the Rivals’ Recruiting Prediction Machine.
Howard isn’t the only player in the 2028 class the Gators are making a priority. Four-star 2028 quarterback Kingston Preyear is a top target for Sumrall, and they also made his top seven.
Same with Preyear, Howard isn’t likely to make an immediate decision, but the Gators having a leg up is another burden of proof with Sumrall’s massive focus on recruiting.