"Closer to the top:" Florida in the mix to land the No. 7 WR for the class of 2027

The Florida Gators are “closer to the top” of the list for four-star wide receiver Julius Jones Jr. The 5’11”, 175lb wide receiver from Fort Lauderdale told Hayes Fawcett and 247 Sports on Friday that he has narrowed his recruitment down to eight schools: Oregon, Notre Dame, Michigan, LSU, Florida State, Texas, Miami, and the University of Florida.

Per On3 Rivals, the junior from St. Thomas Aquinas is ranked as a top 70 recruit in the class of 2027, the No. 12 wide receiver, and the No. 7 prospect out of the state of Florida. He has a 92.75 four-star rating.

ESPN has him ranked as a four-star recruit as well, with an 83 scout grade, labeling him as the No. 13 wide receiver in the class of 2027, the No. 28 regional recruit, and the No. 7 recruit in the state as well. He is also listed 63rd in ESPN’s Jr. 300 prospects.

He participated in Under Armour All-America practice. On day one he made a great grab from Illinois commit Kamden Lopati and avoided a tackle to gain yards. And then at the end of day two, he was ranked No. 6. On a red-zone play during the practice, Jones. Jr. beat out a five-star safety to scrore a touchdown on an impressive catch that he had to turn his back to make.

When you look at his tapes, he is a true stud and absolute playmaker on the field, making catches one-handed, over the shoulder, behind him, and truly knows how to find the football and use his hands to bring it in and protect it.

In 2025, he totaled 750 yards on 51 receptions and eight touchdowns in 13 games played. He averaged 14.7 yards per reception, 57.7 yards per game, and his longest reception was 60 yards this past season.

While his usual position is wide receiver, he can also play two-ways and appear on defense as well. On the defensive side of the ball for St. Thomas Aquinas in 2025 he had one tackle as well.

Jones Jr. currently has offers from Auburn, Buffalo, Colorado, Florida, Florida A&M, Florida State, Indiana, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Missouri, NC State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, Texas A&M, Temple, Tulane, UCLA, Washington, and West Virginia.

He is predicted at this time to sign with Notre Dame, but Florida is known for being able to get high recruits to change their minds, so for Florida, they’re another step in the right direction cracking into Jones Jr.’s top eight schools.

According to Jones. Jr., the Gators did a good job making him and his younger brother and fmaily loved and cared about and he felt welcomed being in the swamp.