In a recruiting battle that went down to the wire, Florida edged out Oklahoma on Monday evening and landed a massive commitment from Frisco (Texas) Lone Star four-star wide receiver Davian Groce.
Despite the Sooners being the team trending for the touted pass-catcher coming out of the weekend, the Gators made a late charge and have now swiped the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder’s pledge. Groce now becomes the highest-ranked prospect in Florida’s 2026 recruiting class, checking in as the nation’s No. 60 overall prospect and No. 6 WR.
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With another big-time blue-chipper now in the fold, Florida has made a two-spot jump in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings and now checks in with the nation’s No. 12 class. Not many programs have had a bigger summer on the trail than Billy Napier’s.
“Florida came on real strong,” Groce’s father, Rashad, told Rivals’ Steve 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.”
All but one of Florida’s 19 commits have joined the fold since the beginning of June. UF remains in position to push for a top-10 class when it’s all said and done this winter.
Looking at Florida’s biggest summer wins
Before Groce joined the fold, the highest-ranked recruit in the UF class was Tupelo (Miss.) four-star defensive lineman JaReylan McCoy. The one-time Ole Miss commit committed on June 14, continuing a major string of recruiting wins. He is the No. 108 recruit nationally and the No. 11 DL.
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Between McCoy, Fort Myers (Fla.) four-star DL Kendall Guervil and Duncanville (Texas) four-star EDGE Kevin Ford, Florida has compiled a rock-solid trio in the defensive trenches. All three are top-150 recruits.
Winter Garden (Fla.) Windermere four-star cornerback CJ Bronaugh flipped to the in-state Gators from Nebraska on June 18. The speedy Bronaugh is the No. 15 corner in the cycle and one of three blue-chip defensive backs in the class, alongside Milton (Fla.) four-star safety Kaiden Hall and Cocoa (Fla.) four-star CB CJ Hester.
On the offensive side, Groce, Tuskegee (Ala.) Booker T Washington four-star Marquez Daniel and Gainesville (Fla.) F.W. Buchholz four-star WR Justin Williams form a dynamic WR trio. Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes four-star running back Carsyn Baker is Rivals’ No. 9 burner and pledged on June 13.
The offensive line is heavily accounted for in Gainesville, too. Six O-linemen are littered throughout the pledge list, headlined by Brunswick (Ga.) four-star tackle Heze Kent and Douglasville (Ga.) South Paulding four-star tackle Tyler Chukuyem.
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Tampa Jesuit four-star quarterback Will Griffin has led the charge for Florida’s class since his commitment on June 1 of last year. He’s now the nation’s No. 15 QB.
