Florida adds 4-star OL Samuel Bailey to 2028 class to cap off an incredible 48 hours

When you're hot, you're hot, and right now, the Florida Gators are reaching supernova territory. Less than 48 hours after the Gators' stirring 52-28 win over Ole Miss, they have received a commitment from four-star offensive tackle Samuel Bailey.

Bailey, a 6-foot-6, 290-pounder from Jemison High School in Huntsville, Alabama, is the second player from the 2028 recruiting class to commit to the Gators over the past two days. In-state safety Cyion Smith made his pledge to Florida hours before kick-off against the Rebels.

4-star OL Samuel Bailey adds to Florida's 2028 class

Bailey has been a long-time target for Jon Sumrall and the coaching staff. He has been to Gainesville several times over the summer and was quickly identified as a primary recruit for offensive line coach Phil Trautwein. Bailey is pretty active on social media in documenting the positives of his recruitment, but the most of his most positive comments have been about the experiences he's had around the Florida program. 

Bailey is among the best offensive linemen in his class, and the rankings across the board back that up. He is ranked inside the top 40 nationally by both the 247Sports Composite and Rivals/On3. He is rated as the fourth-best offensive tackle prospect in the 2028 class by Rivals/On3, while 247Sports has him as the sixth-best.

The offer list for Bailey is impressive. Florida was one of the first schools to extend Bailey an offer, and Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Ole Miss, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee are among the schools that have offered and made the elite offensive line prospect a priority. 

But Bailey was a big target for Auburn and was thought to be a potential lean to the Tigers. However, he's a Gator, and it's another sign of Sumrall making Auburn pay for looking past him. 

Bailey hasn't been shy about taking trips and seeing other campuses. He has already attended games at Florida State, Kentucky and Ole Miss this season. But it was the trip to the Swamp and being around Gainesville when it was as electric as it was this past weekend that proved to be the thing that put Florida over the top for Bailey.

Florida is hitting the trenches hard on the trail

Trautwein has been one of Florida's top recruiters since he arrived on campus. The former two-time All-SEC standout has returned to the Gators and is bringing in a lot of talent. His first big catch was five-star recruit Maxwell Hiller, the top offensive lineman in the 2027 class. Hiller was already a big target for Trautwein at Penn State before joining Sumrall's staff in Gainesville. 

Trautwein didn't stop with Hiller, landing four-star offensive tackle Elijah Hutchinson and four-star interior lineman Peyton Miller to fill out the 2027 class. Now, through his work, Florida has secured the pledge of one of the best offensive tackles in 2028 with Bailey.

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