Florida football recruiting: Gators making major surge for Tarvos Alford
By Will Thomas
Florida football recruiting has been making its mark on the 2025 recruiting class while the ’24 cycle begins to wind down to its final months.
The Gators are trending for lots of top talent in the ’25 cycle, including a flurry of in-state talent and players in the top ten at their position.
One of those guys is Tarvos “TJ” Alford, a 4-star LB out of Port Saint Lucie, Florida.
With his commitment timeline in mind, the Gators are making a major surge for TJ, and seem to be at the top.
Florida football recruiting: Down to the final months
On Twitter yesterday TJ said that his commitment will come in early December of this year. And the sooner it is, the better the odds are that he’ll be a Gator. He told Corey Bender, “They always make sure I know they want me.”
It’s no surprise that Billy Napier and the Gators want him. On3’s Industry Ranking has TJ ranked as the 107th-best player in the country, the 10th-best LB in the class, and the 21st-best player coming out of Florida.
At 6’2”-204, there’s a lot to like when you watch Alford’s film. He’s clearly the biggest guy on the field outside of the linemen and uses his size well making tackles.
He drives and finishes when he meets a ball carrier, and nobody is ever able to get away.
One element I would like to see him improve on over the final two years of high school is his quickness and explosiveness. There’s room to improve when it comes to flying around the field and being the best athlete out there.
Per On3’s RPM, the Gators are the heavy favorite with a 91.5% chance to land Tarvos. He’s taken seven visits to The Swamp, with the next closest number being two trips to Miami and South Carolina.
There’s still plenty of time here, but it’s hard not to like the Gators’ odds.