Gators gain momentum and land their second commit for the class of 2027

Florida and Jon Sumrall have had a ton of notable names either filter through campus last month or set dates to visit Gainesville in the spring or summer. But it is one thing to line up visits; it is another to actually get players to commit to Florida, especially considering no one has seen Sumrall in action with the Gators.

On Tuesday, Florida managed to land one of the players it has been pursuing and got its second verbal commitment for the class of 2027.

Jackson Ballinger commits to Florida

Tight end Jackson Ballinger announced that he has verbally committed to Florida. Ballinger was at Florida’s Junior Day and had previously announced plans to come back in June for an official visit. His 247 profile indicates Florida is still the only official visit he has lined up for the summer.

Ballinger is a three-star prospect who is on the border of being a four-star by both Rivals and 247. Being ranked at all is an upgrade from where he was first slotted when he first popped up on Florida’s radar.

Back in January, when we first profiled Ballinger, we noted a reason why he probably wasn’t highly rated is that it felt like he didn’t have the type of speed that would stand out in a camp setting. We also said not to be fooled by his star rating, as the 6’4” and 230-pound prospect checks a ton of boxes on film:

“On film, this feels like (his ranking) will get corrected once things start to update. Oftentimes, when we review film of high school prospects who are going to play tight end in college, they either line up as a hybrid wide receiver with the intention of figuring out the blocking later, or they act as a 6th offensive lineman.

Ballinger, however, is one of the few tight end prospects we have reviewed who genuinely plays tight end in high school as one would on Saturdays, and he excels no matter where he is placed.

When Ballinger lines up along the offensive line, he blocks better than some true offensive linemen we have reviewed. Ballinger has no qualms with driving someone on the ground or just launching them in the air as needed.

But when he goes out to catch a pass, he has a massive catch radius and is an absolute matchup nightmare to figure out. He also gets used in a variety of of way and isn’t just a one-trick pony.”

We’ll see who else might try to sneak in and grab Ballinger as the offseason progresses, but for now, the Gators have landed a productive player once the pads get put on.