![Florida Gators recruit Jeremiah Smith watches practice during spring football practice at Sanders Outdoor Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 23, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]
Ncaa Football Florida Gators Spring Football Practice](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_5472,h_3078/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/213/01kxxhqwbjy82n3ehfrd.jpg "Florida Gators recruit Jeremiah Smith watches practice during spring football practice at Sanders Outdoor Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, March 23, 2023. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]
Ncaa Football Florida Gators Spring Football Practice")
Florida’s class of 2027 has come back into focus a bit as it appears the Gators are going to miss out on five-star prospects Jalen Brewster and Easton Royal. Jon Sumrall and crew had the duo on campus last month for an official visit, but it appears on the surface that neither is going to flip and make their way to Gainesville.
It got us thinking about other high-profile targets Florida couldn’t quite seal the deal on. The following is the highest-rated player in the 247 Composite rankings whose profile indicates they took an official visit to Florida during their recruiting cycle, but who ultimately committed and signed elsewhere.
Top recruits who chose somewhere other than Florida
2026 - Luke Wafle EDGE, USC (No. 6 overall)
The Gators hosted the five-star EDGE in mid-May of 2025, and after the visit, he gave all the complimentary quotes that recruits give, including the old Florida “definitely improved their chances.” But Wafle never really felt that close to becoming a Gator, and in the end, he went out west to Southern Cal.
As a true freshman, he is rated 82 overall in CFB 27.
2025 - Na'eem Offord CB, Oregon (No. 13 overall)
Honorary mention: DJ Pickett, LSU
Florida seemed to have a ton of momentum early on for DJ Pickett out of Zephyrhills, but they never got him on campus for an official visit. His profile indicates he took an unofficial visit after he committed to LSU to the infamous Florida vs. Miami game of 2024.
In terms of the top-rated prospect who did take an official visit, defensive back Na’Eem Offord took his in November of 2024 during the weekend of Florida’s win over LSU. The win wasn’t enough, however, to sway Offord, and he wound up at Oregon, where he took 245 snaps as a true freshman with a PFF grade of 58.2.
2024 - Jeremiah Smith WR, Ohio State (No. 1 overall)
It seemed like every other week, Jeremiah Smith was in Gainesville for something, whether it was a seven-on-seven tournament, a track meet, or an unofficial visit.
247 indicates he had five visits to Gainesville during his recruitment, but the Gators just never seemed to make a meaningful step forward, and in the end, he wound up at Ohio State, where he quickly became one of the best wide receivers in the country.
2023 - Francis Mauigoa OT, Miami (No. 10 overall)
Honorary mention: Keon Keeley, Alabama
The Tampa native Keon Keeley did take a handful of unofficial visits to Gainesville, including one after he was crystal balled to Alabama, but his profile indicates he never did take an official visit to Florida.
Francis Mauigoa, who just went No. 10 overall in the NFL Draft, was on Florida’s radar and took a handful of visits to Gainesville as Billy Napier tried to land his first big-name recruit after becoming the head coach of the Gators. Napier ended up losing out to Mario Critobol, which became a metaphor for the Billy Napier Era.
2022 - Walter Nolen DL, Texas A&M (No. 2 overall)
The eventual first-round draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft took an official visit to Gainesville in June of 2021, and even after he named his top three, and Florida was not on the list, he was back in Gainesville for the 2021 game against Alabama that Florida narrowly lost.
As the losses in 2021 mounted, it was clear Florida wasn’t getting Nolen, and he eventually committed to Texas A&M.
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