Jalen Brewster ends any Florida flip hopes, but Jon Sumrall was likely ready for this

Jalen Brewster was always at the top of Jon Sumrall's wishlist and the Florida Gators did a great job recruiting the 5-star defensive tackle. But at the end of the day, the top-ranked defensive player in the nation is deciding to stick with his commitment to Texas Tech.

Brewster, who recently transferred to the powerhouse Buford (Ga.) program, had been hinting at a decision since he announced plans to leave Cedar Hill High School in Texas. The move brought about another round of rumors surrounding Brewster and led to his decision to stick with the Red Raiders.

“Texas Tech from day one everything has been the same. They’ve never changed, never switched, that’s the one thing we love about them so much," Brewster said to Rivals' Steve Wiltfong.

Florida had faded for 5-star Jalen Brewster weeks before his final decision

The Gators got Brewster on campus in the spring and again on an official visit in June. He was in Gainesville for the Orange & Blue spring game, and it was at that point that Florida looked like they were in prime position to flip Brewster from his original commitment.

"Florida remains the biggest challenger to Texas Tech and I think they've poured a lot into this recruitment on and off the field," Wiltfong said days after Brewster's official visit. "The three visits to Florida, the relationship with the coaching staff, the trajectory of the program, how much he just loves being at Florida and then having the resources to be in a recruitment like this...I think Florida is pushing Texas Tech at this point in the process."

But after the visit, it seemed like things with Brewster came to a halt. The momentum was gone. All of a sudden, it appeared that LSU was the bigger threat and to this date it's hard to say what happened between the time Brewster took his visit at the end of the month that made the Gators go from a serious favorite to a non-factor.

And that's more or less where it ended. There was hope that Brewster would take in a game at the Swamp and possibly reconsider, but it also felt like Sumrall had conceded that it wasn't happening and was moving on. 

Recruiting really never ends, so don't be too shocked if the Brewster saga isn't over. He's in Georgia now, which means he could always take the one-hour drive to Athens to check out the Bulldogs. LSU has shown they have no shame when it comes to recruiting players in any sport and those schools should probably still be treated as a threat to Texas Tech.

But Wednesday's announcement likely closes the door on any hope of Brewster becoming a Gator. 

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