Florida football recruiting: Gators in top 10 for in-state receiver in class of 2026

Florida football recruiting is currently focusing on the 2024 cycle but isn’t ignoring the future on the trail.

It may sound like a fake year, but some players in the class of 2026 are already drawing lots of attention from colleges, and Florida is no exception.

Freshman WR Malachi Toney released his top ten schools a short while ago, and the Gators made the cut.

Other schools on his list were Alabama, Ohio State, UGA, and others.

Toney, out of American Heritage in Fort Lauderdale, is already one of Billy Napier’s top in-state targets for the 2026 cycle.

After offering Malachi in late March, the Gators hosted him on campus in early April. Napier and the Gators clearly made a good impression, as Malachi’s mom had high praise after the visit.

In his freshman season, Malachi caught 35 passes for 621 yards and eight touchdowns.

At just 5’9”, he isn’t a “go up and get it” type of player. He’s shifty, quick, and hard to wrap up, making him a nightmare for opposing defenses.

He’s already a very refined route runner despite still being very young and isn’t scared of the big stage.

I don’t want to speak for all of you, but I wasn’t catching touchdowns on ESPN when I was 14.

Having this much attention on you this early in your career is a sign that Malachi will turn into one heck of a player. Having the skills that he does as a freshman just doesn’t happen all that often, and he will only get better as time goes on.

As Florida continues to build a fence around their state and work to keep in-state talent at home, they could put themselves in a great position in Toney’s recruitment.

Not to mention that the last Toney to play wideout for the Gators turned out pretty well.

Keep up with Florida football recruiting at Hail Florida Hail.