Florida football: Jonathan Paylor can be a day-one starter in the Gator offense

Florida football already has elite talent committed in the 2024 class and is targeting guys who will be just as good, if not better than their current commitments.

Yesterday the Gators extended an offer to Jonathan Paylor out of Burlington, North Carolina, and it’s obvious why Napier wants this guy.

Paylor is ranked as the 78th-best player in the 2024 class, the 8th-best athlete, and a top-three player in North Carolina.

When you cut the tape, it’s clear that he deserves these rankings. He’s just about impossible to tackle in space because of his speed, and he can make a play out of nothing at a moment’s notice.

Paylor is listed as an athlete and plays in all three phases, but is most effective as a running back. Brian Dohn of 247 Sports says of Paylor, “Shows patience and vision. Runs through arm tackles and has speed to finish plays…Slippery in space and can make tacklers miss.”

Nobody with common sense needed Brian to tell us about his speed, he’s a blur in his film. He runs track as well, posting a time of 10.77 in the 100 as a freshman, and won the North Carolina 2A state championships in both the 100 and 200 as a sophomore.

If he made his way to Gainesville, Jonathan would see the field almost instantly. His ability to make big plays out of nowhere can change a game in an instant, and his speed is just downright fun to watch.

After Kadarius Toney left, Florida has been searching for their next freak athlete who puts on a show every time he touched the ball. Paylor could be that player.

On both kickoff returns and at the line of scrimmage, Paylor has the ability to terrorize defenses in the SEC, and put together a highlight reel in every game he plays.

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