Early Signing Day has come and gone, and unlike Penn State, the Florida Gators were able to retain the bulk of their class of 2026 even after Billy Napier was fired. This is not an elite class; it never was, but it still settles into the top 20. Perhaps more importantly, even though this class is small in terms of total commitments, the bulk of this class are four-star prospects.
If you are not someone who follows the ins and outs of recruiting, these are the three most important players the Gators were able to retain as part of this class.
Davian Groce - Wide Receiver
The highest rated player in this class is wide receiver Davian Groce out of Texas. One thing we will say for Napier is that he made it a priority to recruit speed at the wide receiver position. He never utilized that speed, but the talent is there on the roster.
When we previously profiled Groce, we said:
"If Gator fans need a reason to be excited for Groce, and then have flashbacks of Percy Harvin.
Groce can return kickoffs and punts for a touchdown. He can line up at running back and break off a 70-yard run. When lined up at his primary position, wide receiver, opposing defensive backs have no clue what to do.
Play press coverage and get burned over the top, or give a ten-yard cushion, give up something underneath, and still give up a touchdown after he breaks a tackle.
What stands out for Groce is how easy his accelerations look and how smoothly he can change speeds. He has legit track speed too to back up what he puts on film, and was the Texas 5A state champ in the 200-meter dash."
CJ Bronaugh - Defensive Back
Despite a late push from Ohio State to land the Winter Garden native, CJ Bronaugh opted to stick with his original commitment to Florida.
Bronaugh is another speedster who ran 10.34 seconds in the 100-meter dash last year to win the 4A state title in Florida. He is pretty good on the field too, and we said in May that:
"On the turf, Bronaugh used his speed to return three of his six interceptions for touchdowns. He routinely undercuts and jumps routes, getting in a strong position for interceptions or breakups.
Bronaugh's speed is complemented by his lengthy frame and willingness to get physical. Bronaugh was physical at the catch point and successfully jockeyed with wideouts to make plays on the football or at least deny the pass-catcher access.
He's still a tad undersized, being listed as 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, but that didn't prevent Bronaugh from being a willing tackler. Bronaugh was quick to converge on checkdowns and screen passes, and even logged some sacks as a blitzer.
The Florida native's mixture of length and speed are mouthwatering, and the raw skills are there. If he can put it all together, Bronaugh could be an excellent player."
Will Griffin - QB
At one point early this year, Will Griffin was the only commitment the Gators had. The Tampa Jesuit QB committed to Florida in June of 2024 and has never wavered from that commitment.
His composite rating doesn't jump off the page, and he isn't going to come to Gainesville with the hype that DJ Lagway had. And assuming that Lagway stays and Tramell Jones stays (and that is if), the only time we will realistically see Griffin over the next year is at the Spring Game.
But something we have said about Griffin throughout is that he feels like the type of player who performs way better in an actual game than the nonsense 7 v 7 camps that justify these rankings.
Griffin closed his 2025 high school season with 2,534 yards with a 65% completion rate, 37 TDs, and just two INTs. He also ran for six more TDs.