Keldrid Ben’s announcement has Florida fans curious but not exactly optimistic

Even though Florida’s class of 2027 is essentially set in stone at this point, the Gators could probably benefit from adding a second running back to the class. Florida has four-star RB Andrew Beard committed, but has missed on a couple of other prospects to complement him.

This makes a pending announcement on Friday evening somewhat intriguing until one realizes there is a 99% chance it is all just a formality.

Keldrid Ben is set to finalize status with Florida as a finalist

Four-star running back Keldrid Ben has been committed to Oklahoma since December. Florida offered him back in March and did have him on campus in April and again in May for an official visit, but there hasn’t been much genuine smoke around Ben beyond reports that Florida has made a push.

We here at Hail Florida Hail haven’t even profiled Ben, given that the Gators haven’t felt close at any point during this cycle.

So it did make our eyebrows raise for a moment when on Thursday, 247 Sports put out a tweet that “RB Keldrid Ben has scheduled a celebration & has an announcement regarding his recruitment” for Friday at 6:30 PM.

Along with Oklahoma, Florida, and Oregon, it had graphics included in the tweet.

But before Florida fans get too excited or Oklahoma fans cue up the “Jon Sumrall got stuffed in a locker” comments, this whole “special announcement” seems to be nothing more than Ben shutting down his recruitment.

From 247, “It's an opportunity for Ben to celebrate with family, friends, and the community while finalizing his recruitment.” So, unless he is about to do some NWO heel turn, rip off his shirt, and reveal a Gator logo, there isn’t much to see with this announcement.

It’s fair to point out that this same announcement could be made via a social media graphic with the accompanying celebration without the need for a 24-hour news cycle. Even talking with our FanSided sister site for Oklahoma, Stormin’ In Norman, noted that getting the CBS Sports College Football YouTube Channel to go all in on this announcement is a bit weird.

But to each their own, and while Florida could benefit from another running back, the Gators will be just fine if Ben doesn’t pull some crazy flip at the last second. 

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