Florida loses DL to Ohio State and its next target now glaringly obvious

Over the weekend, the Gators had Jamir Perez flip away from Florida and opt to stay in state and play for Ohio State. Rankings-wise, his flip isn't a big loss, but he did have some solid size to him, and more importantly, he filled a position of need at defensive tackle.

As the saying goes, when one door closes, another door opens, and Perez's flip just means Florida's next target at the position is now crystal clear.

Florida Gators zero in on Valdin Sone

Valdin tone is a four-star DL out of Dyke, VA. Listed at 6'3" and 320 pounds, 247 has him ranked the highest at 45th nationally, while ESPN has him as an unranked four-star.

On film, his overall industry ranking of around 150 is probably fair. There are times when he has an explosive first step as good as anyone, and he becomes a one-man wrecking crew. He holds the run gaps well and even has some solid football IQ to sniff out screens and just blindly rush the passer.

His size is evident, and as he continues to grow, he has the potential to have day one SEC-ready size.

The Gators seem to be in the driver's seat to land Sone, but nothing is official yet. Stone took an official visit to Florida in June, along with visits to Auburn, Nebraska, and Georgia.

Georgia seems to be the one to watch as they have entered the picture late. It's also worth noting that Sone has an official visit lined up with Ohio State on August 30.

But this is where Florida's push on internationally recruiting may pay off. Sone was born in Sweden and is represented by the same agency that current Gator lineman Noel Portnjagin was a part of.

The moral is that Florida can't afford to let Sone slip away. The Gators are desperately thin at DL, and the number of options left on the board if Sone goes to Georgia is shrinking.