Florida Gators among 10 schools to host elite 2027 recruit, and they have a crucial advantage

Being able to have the first visit could be key in landing four-star edge rusher Mekai Brown.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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New Gator head football coach Jon Sumrall fires up the crowd during the first half an NCAA basketball game at Steven C. O'Connell Center Exactek arena in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, January 24, 2026. Students, who get in free, have a limited number of seats so many camp out overnight.
Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun

The 2027 high school recruiting class is the priority right now for the Florida Gators.

Head coach Jon Sumrall has his staff recruiting hard across the board, especially in terms of five-star recruits. They have secured visits from offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller and Texas Longhorns commit wide receiver Easton Royal, while working on others, including offensive lineman Kennedy Brown.

They are continuing to recruit hard across the country and have their eyes set on an elite recruit from the Northeast.

Florida Gators secure first visit from elite edge rusher

Elite four-star edge rusher Mekai Brown has set a spring visit list 10 schools deep, and the Florida Gators didn’t just make the cut; they are first out of the gate.

Brown visiting 10 schools is a hefty amount, and doing it all in March and April is a daunting task for any prospect. It shows how undecided Brown is going into the heart of the recruiting process for players who just finished their junior season.

The Gators get the first visit, which is huge to set the pace for his recruitment. Every visit that Brown has after that will be compared to the Gators, which can be a good thing if they crush it while he’s in Gainesville. The other unique angle here is that Brown has only visited two schools before he begins his tour: the Florida Gators and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

As a recruit, Brown is a four-star out of Greenwich, Connecticut, and he is the 32nd-ranked recruit and fifth-ranked edge rusher by Rivals. He’s an imposing player at 6-6 and 235 pounds with an explosive first step off the ball. Brown wins mainly with his explosive athleticism, but he’s not afraid to mix it up with a pass rush move or two.

With Gerald Chatman recruiting him, anything is possible.

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