Florida football gained another blue-chip commitment on Saturday, extending its total to 16 — two more than SEC rivals Texas A&M and Oklahoma, which are both tied for second with 14.
Four-star linebacker Ellis McGaskin chose the Gators over LSU and Florida State, giving Jon Sumrall one of the most coveted front-seven targets of the cycle. While several programs remained involved with McGaskin down the stretch, Florida leveraged months of relationship building to seal their No. 22 commitment of the class.
Advertisement
The four-star defender stands at 6 feet 1 inch, 190 pounds, and plays for Williamson High School in Mobile, Alabama. A natural fit in Brad White’s aggressive defensive strategy, McGaskin recorded 160 tackles and 26 tackles for loss for the Lions last season. The top-50 linebacker in this class had their official visit to Gainesville last week.
New head coach Jon Sumrall and his staff continue to build a foundation on defense with top-tier talent across the front seven. The Gators secured commitments from four-star LB Ja’Bois Smith and four-star edge rusher Cahron Wheeler just days ago and signed three-star Stive-Bentley Keumajou Yondui earlier this month.
Ellis McGaskin’s recruiting summary
McGaskin is slated No. 353 overall and No. 28 at his position, according to the 247Sports composite, while the On3 industry rankings have him at Nos. 345 and 30. The Mobile, Alabama, native had 40 total offers with 14 SEC programs extending invitations.
Advertisement
On3’s recruiting prediction machine gave LSU the edge in his recruitment just weeks ago, but the Gators surged past the Tigers with a strong official visit.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: 2027 LB recruit Ellis McGaskin spurns LSU, commits to Florida football
