Throughout June, it seemed like every time you opened social media, someone new was committing to the Gators. Florida went from having just one commit to 16 commits in the blink of an eye, and it looked like the four-game winning streak to close out 2024 was paying dividends.
But in the past couple of weeks, Florida has missed out on a handful of targets, and this latest whiff might be one of the most painful.
Florida Gators can't keep it all in the family
Four-star EDGE Jake Kreul just dropped his final three schools and Florida did not make the cut. Texas, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss are still in the running.
This one is a tough pill to swallow, considering his dad attended Florida, and Kreul attended a ton of games in The Swamp growing up. Just last month, after his official visit, he was telling insiders how much Florida was a "dream school" for him.
Keep in mind, we're not talking about some fringe three-star charity case. Kreul is considered a borderline five-star EDGE, and the lowest any major service has him ranked is 79th by On3.
However, in the modern era of recruiting, anything seems possible. Even if money wound up being a factor that Florida wasn't willing to play ball with, it is still a massive whiff to go from a top 50 prospect saying how much he loved Florida to not even being in his top three.
Yes, Florida appears to be well-positioned to secure KJ Ford, and it is also plausible that Florida opted to prioritize Ford over Kreul and simply lacked the funds to pay both.
That opens a different can of worms that we have also mused about, but for now, Gainesville is not going to be where Kruel starts his college football career.