Florida football won a big recruiting battle for its 2026 class in the 11th hour.
On Monday, Aug. 11, the Gators received a commitment from Davian Groce, a top-50 prospect according to 247Sports’ Composite rankings. He chose Florida over the likes of Oklahoma, Houston and Baylor.
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Landing a player like Groce is a big splash and grab for Billy Napier and his staff, considering it looked like the Gators were going to miss out on the wide receiver over the weekend, according to reports. Instead, a late push helped Florida beat out SEC foe Oklahoma for him.
“Let’s do it,” Groce replied to a post from On3’s Hayes Fawcett that broke the news of his Florida commitment.
Groce is the highest-ranked member of the Gators’ 2026 recruiting class, which was previously held by four-star cornerback prospect CJ Bronaugh. According to 247Sports Composite rankings, Groce is ranked as the No. 47 prospect in the 2026 class, 60 spots ahead of Bronaugh, who is ranked No. 107 nationally.
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There is some disparity as to what position Groce will play with the Gators, as On3/Rivals and 247Sports list him at different positions. He is listed as an athlete on his 247Sports profile, while he is tabbed as a wide receiver on On3/Rivals.
Per his MaxPreps profile, Groce is coming off a dominant junior season for Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas, where he finished with 1,596 all-purpose yards and 15 combined touchdowns (including a punt return touchdown and two kickoff return touchdowns).
Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong mentioned that Groce had “literal last-minute conversations” with both Florida and Oklahoma Monday night ahead of his commitment to the Gators.
“Florida came on real strong,” Rashad Groce, Davian Groce’s dad, told Wiltfong. “When he narrowed it down to Florida, it was like where did they come from. Class-act coaching staff over there. They showed a lot of interest and consistent interest.”
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Here’s a closer look at Davian Groce’s recruiting rankings:
Davian Groce 247Sports rankings
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National ranking: No. 47
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Positional ranking: No. 4 athlete
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State ranking: No. 5 player from Texas
According to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, Groce is a four-star recruit in the 2026 recruiting class and the No. 47 overall prospect in the class. He is additionally ranked as the No. 4 prospect at his position.
Florida football 2026 recruiting class
Here’s an updated look at Florida’s 2026 recruiting class after Groce’s commitment, per 247Sports:
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Kendall Guervil: 4-star DL
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Marquez Daniel: 4-star WR
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JaReylan McCoy: 4-star DL
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Justin Williams: 4-star ATH
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Tyler Chukuyem: 3-star IOL
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Chancellor Campbell: 3-star OT
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G’Nivre Carr: 3-star IOL
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Desmond Green: 3-star IOL
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Javarii Luckas: 3-star OT
Where Florida ranks in 2026 team recruiting rankings
With 19 commits to its 2026 recruiting class, Florida has the No. 13-ranked recruiting class in the country (No. 7 in the SEC) according to 247Sports Composite team rankings.
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This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Davian Groce commitment: Florida lands four-star 2026 prospect
