For the second weekend in a row, the Florida Gators will host a slew of talented 2025 recruits for weekend-long official visits. However, this group may be a little more talented than the large group of four-stars that came to Gainesville last weekend, and most will be an uphill battle for the Gators.
Three five-stars, all of whom are ranked in the top-two of their respective position groups, headline this weekend’s 14 visitors, which also includes four-star UF defensive line commit Jalen Wiggins.
Gators Illustrated has compiled a list of this weekend’s visitors who aren’t committed to the Gators.
Five-star OL Solomon Thomas, Raines (Jacksonville, Fla.)
As the nation’s No. 1 interior offensive line recruit, per 247Sports, and a consensus top-50 recruit, Thomas headlines this weekend’s group of visitors in Gainesville. However, Florida is currently behind a rival for his services. Florida State currently holds Thomas’s commitment, but the Gators are still very much in the mix.
Not to mention, Florida currently doesn’t have an offensive line commit in the 2025 class, and a recruit like Thomas would completely elevate the class. Still, FSU holds his commitment, and it seems to be an uphill battle to flip.
Thomas visited LSU last week, and the Tigers feel confident in their flip abilities despite his seemingly strong commitment. He’ll take a break from visits next weekend before taking an official visit to FSU the following weekend.
Five-star WR Caleb Cunningham, Choctaw County (Ackerman, Miss.)
The nation’s No. 2 receiver, the consensus No. 1 player in Mississippi and a consensus top-22 player in the country, Cunningham is considered a Mississippi State lean due to proximity, but a successful visit last weekend at Auburn shot the Tigers up in his recruitment.
Now, the Gators are still in play, but proximity is the standout issue. Not to mention, they don’t have the benefit of making a strong first impression or a strong last impression. Auburn got the first impression, and Tennessee and Alabama will host him after his Florida visit.
Overall, this may be the longest shot for Florida.
Cunningham began his summer visits with a trip to Auburn last week. He’ll visit Tennessee next weekend before taking a trip to Alabama the weekend after.
Five-star S Trey Mcnu*tt, Shaker Heights (Ohio)
247Sports’ top-ranked safety, Mcnu*tt may be from Ohio, but he’s far from being an Ohio State-lock. However, the Buckeyes are considered the slight favorite, but there’s a strong possibility he chooses a school out of state.
Oregon and Georgia have been seen as contenders for his commitment, and he had a strong visit with USC last week, where Lincoln Riley and his staff reportedly “knocked it out of the park,” with the five-star recruit.
He currently doesn’t have another OV scheduled after his visit in Gainesville.
Four-star CB Ben Hanks Jr., Booker T. Washington (Miami)
The son of former Gator linebacker Ben Hanks, the younger Hanks is ranked as the No. 9 corner in the country, according to On3. However, this is another recruit that Florida trails for. Currently, Hanks Jr. is seen as a Miami lean, but a strong visit with Florida and new position coach Will Harris could surge the Gators back in contention.
Hanks will visit Georgia next week before taking a midweek visit to Florida State on July 18. He’ll then visit Miami on July 21.
Four-star WR Cortez Mills, Homestead (Fla.)
ESPN’s No. 9 receiver and a consensus top-25 player in the state of Florida, Mills has been crystal balled to Miami, but a strong relationship with receivers coach Billy Gonzales and graduate assistant David Doeker, plus Billy Napier’s history as a receivers coach, could entice Mills to choose the Gators over Miami.
But, once again, it’ll be an uphill battle for Florida.
Mills previously took official visits to Nebraska (April 26) and Clemson (May 31) and will visit Oklahoma and Miami for back-to-back weekend visits after this weekend’s visit to Florida
Four-star EDGE Jakaleb Faulk, Highland Home (Ala.)
Despite the commitment to Auburn, his extensive visit list this summer means this recruitment is far from over. 247Sports’ No. 4 EDGE and No. 46 overall player is the younger brother of Auburn defensive lineman Keldric Faulk.
So, Florida will have to battle proximity and familial ties to get the flip, but the Gators have the chance to make a strong impression before he returns to his home state for his next two visits. The Gators have found success recruiting at the EDGE position in previous classes (see TJ Searcy and LJ McCray), so the opportunity is definitely there.
Faulk opened his summer visit schedule with an OV to FSU last weekend. He’ll stay in his home state the next two weekends with visits to Auburn and Alabama.
Four-star OL Micah DeBose, Vigor (Mobile, Ala.)
A consensus top-25 interior offensive lineman and the No. 9 interior offensive lineman, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, is currently an LSU lean with Alabama seemingly not far behind, in large part due to proximity.
With Florida trailing, this weekend’s visit is crucial to keeping them in the conversation. Not to mention, Ohio State is also in play.
His seemingly lean to LSU comes in large part due to a successful official visit with the Tigers last weekend. He’ll visit Ohio State next weekend before taking an official to Alabama the weekend after.
Four-star TE Andrew Olesh, Southern Lehigh (Center Valley, Pa.)
Keeping with the trend of proximity, there’s no surprise that the top-five tight end is considered a Penn State lean. Russ Callaway, however, has put in a lot of effort for the out-of-state recruit, and Olesh has noticed that.
An official visit in Gainesville with Callaway could surge the Gators up despite the long distance.
He recently released a top-eight of Penn State, UF, Alabama, FSU, Missouri, Michigan, Ole Miss and Pitt. Olesh will move to Big 10 country with OVs to Penn State and Michigan over the next two weekends.
Four-star TE Hollis Davidson, Mcintosh (Peachtree, Ga.)
Rivals’ No. 12 TE, Davidson was previously an Auburn commit who is now considered an FSU lean. In his de-commitment announcement, he explained that he and his family felt it was too early to make a commitment, and he wanted to weigh out his options.
The Gators are contending with the Seminoles alongside SEC foes Texas and Georgia. Not to mention, Auburn is still in play despite the de-commitment.Davidson will stay in his home state next weekend with a visit to Georgia before returning to the sunshine state for a visit to Florida State the weekend after.
Four-star LB Myles Johnson, T.R. Miller (Brewton, Ala.)
Despite being an Alabama commit, there’s a possibility that Florida is in contention to flip the top-10 linebacker. He committed to the Crimson Tide under Nick Saban, and with a coaching change comes opportunities for other schools to jump in.
Not to mention, he currently doesn’t have any other visits scheduled outside of this weekend’s OV to Florida. Right now, it depends on how many linebackers Florida wants to take in the class, but the Gators are arguably the best contenders to flip Johnson.
Three-star OL John Mills, St. Ignatius College Prep (San Francisco)
Another recruit Florida is currently behind other schools for, Horns247 analyst Jordan Scruggs currently crystal balled Mills to Texas, and many would agree that the Longhorns are the leader. If Florida isn’t able to land Thomas or DeBose, which are both possibilities, landing Mills becomes much more important.
Once again, though, it will be an uphill battle to close the gap, but Florida’s consistency with successful official visits means this recruitment could be far from over.
Mills had a jump-start in his visit schedule after previously visiting Nebraska, Cal and Washington. He’ll visit Texas next weekend.
Three-star OL Taren Hedrick, Community School of Naples (Naples, Fla.)
A late addition to the visit list, Hedrick is the lowest-rated lineman of this visit group, but at 6 feet 5 inches and weighing 305 pounds, the tackle is the stereotypical size that Florida looks for in its offensive line.
However, the Gators do seem to be behind in his recruitment with Ole Miss and Kentucky standing out among his offer list. Not to beat the same drum with the previous offensive lineman visiting, but with the Gators seemingly behind, this is the weekend to close the gap.
The benefit for Florida is the proximity compared to Ole Miss and Kentucky. He’ll visit the Wildcats in two weeks.
P Alex Asparuhov, San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno, Ca.)
Another late addition to the visit list, Asparuhov ranks as a five-star and No. 3 punter on Kohl’s Kicking. He currently holds a preferred walk-on offer from Oklahoma.
With Florida set to lose punter Jeremy Crawshaw after the 2024 season with only one other punter on the roster (walk-on sophom*ore Jack Muse), Asparuhov’s addition to the class would ease the transition on the special teams unit after Crawshaw’s eminent departure.
