The majority of Florida football‘s incoming freshman class will get a chance to show its potential this spring.
In all, 19 of the 25 freshmen that signed with the Florida Gators during the early period in December have enrolled this semester. They will be eligible to take part in spring drills in March and take part in UF’s spring game, scheduled for April 12 at The Swamp at 1 p.m.
Per 247 Sports, UF’s incoming class is ranked 10th nationally and sixth in the SEC.
Last season, Florida freshman early enrollee Jadan Baugh starred in UF’s spring game, rushing for 77 yards. It was a sign of things to come as Baugh rushed for a team-high 673 yards and seven TDs on the season to earn freshman All-SEC honors.
Freshman quarterback DJ Lagway also shined as an early enrollee in last year’s spring game, passing for 173 yards and two TDs.
Which freshmen could emerge for UF this spring? Here are five incoming freshman early enrollees to watch:
Dallas Wilson
Position: Wide receiver
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 205
School/Hometown: Tampa Bay Tech HS/Tampa
Rating: Five-star, per 247Sports
National Ranking: 26, per 247Sports
The Skinny: Wilson had 128 catches for 2,417 yards and 28 TDs in three seasons at Tampa Bay Tech. Andrew Ivins of 247Sports said Wilson has the “size, hands and speed to emerge as a true impact player for a College Football Playoff contender.” With the loss of Florida receivers Chimere Dike and Elijhah Badger, Wilson will get a chance to complete for a starting job at wide receiver as a true freshman.
Vernell Brown III
Position: Wide receiver
Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 170
School/Hometown: Jones HS/Orlando
Rating: Four-star, per 247Sports
National Ranking: 39, per 247Sports
The Skinny: Playmaker at wide receiver and on special teams. As a junior at Jones High in 2023, Brown caught 70 passes for 1,363 yards and 10 TDs while returning four kicks (three punts and a kickoff) for TDs. With the loss of Badger and Dike, who also returned punts for the Gators, Jones could contribute on both offense and special teams as a true freshman.
Ben Hanks Jr.
Position: Cornerback
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 170
School/Hometown: Booker T. Washington HS/Miami
Rating: Four-star, per 247Sports
National Ranking: 53, per 247Sports
The Skinny: Hanks established himself as one of the top cover cornerbacks in the 2025 class with 38 tackles, six interceptions (including three pick-sixes), a fumble returned for a touchdown and three blocked field goals during his junior season in 2023.
Jayden Woods
Position: Defensive end
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 240
School/Hometown: Mill Valley HS/Shawnee, Kan.
Rating: Four-star, per 247Sports
National Ranking: 75, per 247Sports
The Skinny: Woods, the seventh-ranked edge rusher and 75th-ranked player overall in the 2025 class, per 247Sports, flipped his commitment from Penn State and signed with UF. He also had offers from Tennessee, Purdue and Wisconsin. As a junior in 2023, Woods recorded 71 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two forced fumbles and eight pass deflections.
Hylton Stubbs
Position: Safety
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 190
School/Hometown: Mandarin HS/Jacksonville
Rating: Four-star, per 247Sports
National Ranking: 102, per 247Sports
The Skinny: Stubbs flipped from Miami to Florida in November. He’s the ninth-rated safety in the 2025 class and 102nd rated player overall, per 247Sports. As a senior at Mandarin, Stubbs has recorded 54 tackles (eight for loss), three forced fumbles and two interceptions.
Other Florida football early enrollees
Tavaris Dice
Position: Offensive tackle
Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 295
School/Hometown: Langston Hughes HS/Fairburn, Ga.
Rating: Four-star
The Skinny: Dice is the 18th-ranked tackle and 161st-ranked player overall in the 2025 class, per 247 Sports. He flipped his commitment from Auburn to Florida in November. Gabe Brooks of 247Sports said Dice is a “first-off-the-bus” type. Brooks stated that Dice “gets off the line of scrimmage with quickness and shows encouraging bend relative to dimensions.”
Jalen Wiggins
Position: Edge rusher
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 255
School/Hometown: Rickards HS/Tallahassee
Rating: Four-star
The Skinny: Wiggins is coming off a 2023 HS season that included 31 tackles for loss, 37 QB hurries, 16 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Ty Jackson
Position: Linebacker
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 200
School/Hometown: Seminole Ridge HS/Loxahatchee
Rating: Four-star (per 247 Sports)
The Skinny: Jackson is the 21st-rated linebacker in the 2025 class and the 207th-ranked player overall, per 247Sports. He’s posted more than 350 tackles in his high school career, including 135 tackles, four forced fumbles, two sacks and two interceptions for Seminole Ridge last season.
Waltez Clark
Position: Running back/wide receiver
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 194
School/Hometown: Plant HS/Tampa
Rating: Four-star
The Skinny: Rushed for 476 yards and 15 TDs on 77 carries (6.2 yards per carry), while also catching 22 passes for 358 yards and four TDs in the 2023 season.
Tramell Jones Jr.
Position: Quarterback
Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 196
School/Hometown: Mandarin HS/Jacksonville
Rating: Three-star
The Skinny: A dual-threat QB, Jones flipped his commitment from Florida State to Florida in November. He threw for 3,195 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2023, leading Mandarin to the Class 4M state title game. Jones is rated as the 21st-best quarterback in the Class of 2025 and 48th-best player in Florida, per 247Sports.
Naeshaun Montgomery
Position: Wide receiver
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 165
School/Hometown: Miami Central HS/Miami
Rating: Three-star
The Skinny: A speedy receiver with a track and field background, Montgomery has caught 41 passes for 788 yards and 12 TDs over his last two seasons at Miami Central.
Stephon Shivers
Position: Defensive tackle
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 365
School/Hometown: Brentwood Academy/Brentwood, Tenn.
Rating: Three-star
The Skinny: Shivers, who flipped his commitment from Georgia, is the 52nd-rated player in the 2025 class and 13th-rated player in Tennessee. As a junior in 2023, Shivers totaled 90 tackles (20 for loss) and 11 sacks.
Micah Jones
Position: Tight end
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 245
School/Hometown: Madison Central HS/Madison, Miss.
Rating: Three-star
The Skinny: Jones finished the 2023 season with 168 receiving yards and a TD. Per 247Sports composite, Jones is the No. 28 overall tight end and the No. 15 recruit in Mississippi for the Class of 2025.
Jeremiah McCloud
Position: Defensive lineman
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 280
School/Hometown: Lee County HS/Leesburg, Ga.
Rating: Three-star
The Skinny: Chose Florida over Georgia and Florida State. Rated as the 107th-best defensive lineman in his class and 111th-best player in his state, per 247.
Chad Gasper
Position: Running back
Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 200
School/Hometown: Katy Jordan HS/Fulshear, Texas
Rating: Three-star
The Skinny: Gasper rushed for 300 yards and two TDs in nine high school games in 2023, while adding eight catches for 127 yards.
Jahari Medlock
Position: Offensive tackle
Height/Weight: 6-foot-6, 278
School/Hometown: Charles Drew HS/Riverdale, Ga.
Rating: Three-star
The Skinny: Rated at the 85th-best offensive tackle and 124th-best player in Georgia in the 2025 class per 247Sports, Medlock played on both the offensive and defensive line at Charles Drew HS.
Hayden Craig
Position: Punter
Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 190
School/Hometown: Bridgton Academy/Bridgton, Maine
Rating: Three-star
The Skinny: A lefty combo kicker/punter, Craig is the fifth-rated punter in the country per 247Sports. At the 2024 Kohl’s Eastern Showcase Camp for punters and kickers in May, Craig’s best punt went for 46 yards, with a hang time of 4.31 seconds.
Cameron Kossmann
Position: Tight end
Height/Weight: 6-foot-6, 240
School/Hometown: Marquette HS/Chesterfield, Mo.
Rating: Two-star
The Skinny: Kossman signed with Florida over offers from Army, Dartmouth, Columbia and Eastern Illinois. He had nine catches for 101 yards and 1 TD in his senior year at Marquette HS.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Freshmen early enrollees to watch for Florida football 2025 spring drills
