The Florida Gators have been on a heater lately in recruiting, and it has felt that every time a prospect has had an announcement to make, they have chosen the Gators. In the past month, Billy Napier has seen his class of 2026 go from one verbal commitment to 13.
But in the world of recruiting you can't win them all and the Gators did miss out on a key target on the interior of the defensive line to Texas on Saturday.
Vodney Cleveland commits to Texas over Florida
Sometimes, we muse when On3 claims that a prospect chooses their school "over Florida" when the Gators were never actually in the running, but that wasn't the case with Vodney Cleveland.
The four-star DT from Birmingham, AL, had been on campus in May for his official visit and, according to On3, had been on campus in Gainesville four times since the start of 2025.
However, it was evident from insiders that Cleveland probably wasn't going to land with the Gators, and he made his announcement last night that he had committed to Texas.
When we profiled Cleveland back in February, we noted that he felt like a top-100 prospect:
"On film, there is enough there to justify a top 100 ranking as he is an absolute menace along the interior of the defensive line. Cleveland just straight overpowers the opposing linemen and has the ability to push them five yards into the backfield and virtually sack their own QB.
But he also has a great swim move, and even when teams try to double-team him, he is able to break free. Cleveland has an explosive first step, and if the protection isn't perfect, the play is dead on arrival."
As it stands, Florida has JaReylan McCoy and Jamir Perez committed as defensive linemen in the class of 2026, although Perez is being pursued by Ohio State. Steve Wiltfong of On3 recently predicted that Perez would flip to Ohio State.