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Florida refuses to go away in battle to flip the nation’s top recruit

Jalen Brewster will be back in The Swamp for Florida's spring game
Florida head coach Jon Sumrall speaks after spring practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]
Florida head coach Jon Sumrall speaks after spring practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] | Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Maxwell Hiller’s commitment to Florida earlier this week felt like a monumental shift in recruiting for the Gators. It felt like every year for the past decade that Florida was always “in the picture” for five-star offensive linemen but kept falling short at actually landing them.

But now that Jon Sumrall has his anchor in the trenches on the offensive side of the ball, he is now pushing hard to land one on the defensive side, and during Florida’s spring game, he is set to have the top-rated player in the country in attendance.

Jalen Brewster to visit Florida during spring game

247 has reported that Jalen Brewster will be in attendance for Florida’s spring game. Listed at 6’3” and 302 pounds, the defensive lineman from Texas is the top-rated player in the country according to 247 Composite.

And this isn’t Brewster’s first visit to Gainesville, as he was in town last month on an unofficial visit. So the fact he is coming back for a second time in essentially a month officially opens the door for Florida fans to start to dream about whether or not Sumrall can land Brewster.

Because Brewster isn’t just ranked high for the sake of being ranked high. When we looked at his film last month we said:

“Brewster can move in a way that 300-pounders don’t typically move. The opening clip of his seven-minute junior film showcases him chasing down a running back downfield who had escaped along the edge. When anyone tries to go inside on Brewster, forget about it.

His first step is explosive, his power is too much, his closing speed is elite, and no one seems to have any answers for him, even if they double-team or chip. Brewster even plays a bit of fullback and is a terrifying sight to see galloping down the field, clearing the way.”

Brewster is currently committed to Texas Tech, and given the deep pockets the Red Raiders have, it’s going to be tough to pry him away from his home state. And it is always possible that Florida is being used as a bargaining chip, which was a common theme during the Billy Napier Era.

But if Sumrall can keep getting Brewster back and somehow actually gets him to flip, there is no telling what Florida’s class of 2027 could wind up being.

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