Florida football recruiting: Can the Gators beat UGA for Kris Jones?

Florida football recruiting has already landed plenty of elite talent in the 2024 recruiting class and has beaten out other top schools for some elite players.

They have the chance to flex their muscles again by potentially taking an elite defender away from Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs.

Kris Jones, an elite linebacker out of Fairfax, Virginia, is currently heavily favored to be a Georgia Bulldog.

But Billy Napier and the Gators may have something to say about it.

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Jones is a consensus 4-star player in the 2024 class and On3’s Industry Ranking has him as the 129th-best player in the country, the 12th-best linebacker, and the 2nd-best player coming out of Virginia.

When you watch his film, it’s no wonder why he’s rated so high, and why teams like UGA are chasing after him so hard.

Kris is explosive off of the edge of the line and tracks down ball carriers with lightning speed. He could develop a little more flexibility down low to help him get around edges easier, but his playmaking from the outside is already elite.

Not to mention that Jones is a thumper. When he meets a running back in the hole, there’s a pretty small chance that he falls forward.

Jones is strong at the point of contact and finishes each tackle he starts. One critique of his play is that he needs to work on his hand play when engaged with a blocker so he can escape them easier.

That technique is something that will come with time and training.

Like I said the Bulldogs currently lead for Jones per On3’s RPM with an 89.1% chance to land him, but the Gators are still very much in play.

They’ve hosted him for four visits compared to UGA’s three, including an OV.

The Gators should continue to make Kris a priority target, and we know that Napier won’t back down from competition on the trail.