On Saturday during the Adidas All-American Bowl, Daytona Beach, Florida, Mainland cornerback Zavier Mincey, the top target still on Florida’s figurative 2024 recruiting hot board, officially announced his expected commitment to Alabama.
He passed over blue-blood universities from his home state in favor of the Crimson Tide, who are currently a contender in the College Football Playoffs, over the Gators, Miami, and Florida State.
Along with Mincey’s high school teammate, 2024 defensive lineman LJ McCray, who signed with the Gators over more than thirty scholarship offers, Florida had been pursuing Mincey’s services for a long time.
Mincey’s hiring process was comparable to McCray’s. Mincey, the No. 4 safety prospect in the country based on the 247Sports composite rankings, has almost thirty-six offers from different states.
But once defensive backs coach Corey Raymond was fired by the program in November 2023, the Gators were no longer able to compete for his pledge. Raymond was the main person that brought Mincey to UF; throughout his eight visits to the campus since 2022, the prospect got to know Raymond.
In the 2024 cycle, Florida signed three defensive backs from high school: safeties Josiah Davis of Nashville, Georgia, Berrien, and Gregory Smith III of Riverview, Florida, Sumner High, and cornerback Teddy Foster Jr. of Sarasota, Florida, Cardinal Mooney.
Smith became a Gator after the team signed Will Harris to fill Raymond’s previous position.
This winter, the Gators also gained Trikwezze Bridges, a former defensive back for Oregon, via the transfer portal. Florida is still looking for secondary talent in the portal; this month, the university welcomed visits from South Alabama safety Yam Banks, Tulane safety DJ Douglas, and UCLA cornerback John Humphrey.
Be the first to comment