Florida basketball: Can Gators close on top-100 player Sammie Yeanay?

Florida basketball is working to reshape its roster and get itself back up to national prominence. Todd Golden did tons of great work in the transfer portal this offseason and is starting to do just as well on the recruiting trail.

Florida has already secured the commitment of Isaiah Brown, a PG out of Orlando, and have their sights on a couple of other in-state players.

One of those is Sammie Yeanay, a 4-star power forward who attends The Rock School, in Gainesville. He’s teammates with another Gator target Ryan Jones Jr.

Can Todd Golden and the Gators close on the homegrown talent?

Florida basketball: Big body down low

Yeanay stands at 6’9”-220, with even more room to add mass to his frame before he makes his way to a college campus.

He’s able to use that size down low to be a major presence on the boards and an elite scorer in the paint. He crashes toward the glass when shots go up faster than anybody else on the court, and there aren’t a lot of guys who can keep him away from the rim on offense.

On3’s Industry Rankings have Yeanay ranked as the 97th-best player in the country, the 16th-best power forward in the 2024 class, and the 7th-best player out of Arizona (where he’s originally from).

Sammie being teammates with Ryan Jones Jr. is going to make recruiting them easier, and they’ll be quite the package deal if Golden can reel them both in.

On3’s RPM currently has Sammies’ recruitment as a two-team race between Florida and Wake Forest. The Gators have the lead with a 46.1% chance to land Yeanay while the Demon Deacons are in second place at 40.3%.

Being close to home is an obvious advantage for UF, and if the team plays up to its potential this year, UF will become even more attractive for recruits, including Sammie Yeanay.