Florida Gators “Grille in the Ville” has left its mark on another 2027 recruit who now holds Florida in high regard.
2027 five-star cornerback and the No. 2 ranked cornerback in the nation, Joshua Dobson says he plans to make a trip back down to Gainesville for a game this season as his competitive recruitment season continues.
Florida gaining momentum with Joshua Dobson
Dobson is a unique player who can play two ways. Along with playing cornerback, the junior specializes in special teams as well in his role as a kick returner. In 2023-24, he served as a corner and kick returner, and throughout 2024-25, in his second season on varsity, he served primarily as a kick returner on kickoff and punt returns, showing off his speed.
Throughout the course of those two years, he’s appeared in 20 games and has accumulated 14 receiving yards, 530 yards on kick return, for an accumulated 644 yards over the course of those two years. He had more carries last season, going from 14 receiving yards and 80 yards on kick return, to 450 yards on kick return last year, averaging 40.9 yards per game. His longest run last season was 92 yards.
Along with the University of Florida, the 6’1”, 180lb Catawba Ridge High School Junior has offers from 26 other schools, including Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and others. He has one of the most competitive recruitments in the nation, and the battle is any school’s to win as the college football season prepares to get underway.
According to 247Sports, however, Dobson calls Florida, “very different from some other schools,” noting how during his visit for “Grille in the Ville” in June, he was able to see some players, eat dinner with the team, talk with other recruits, and had an overall great experience in the Swamp. He told 247Sports’ Tyler Harden that since that visit, his communication with Florida and the relationship he has with the defensive backs’ coach, Deron Wilson, has only continued to grow stronger. And that’s what has attracted many other recruits to Florida as well. Billy Napier and the UF staff have instilled a foundational importance in the areas of culture and building a family within the team.
The next few months will be important for the Gators as success on the field leads to recruits wanting to be a part of the winning culture. So the next few months will be important for Napier and the Gators if they want to turn some recruits or garner more of their attention.