Brad McClenny/The Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

Billy Naper lands crucial official visit with elite defender who will set tone for 2026 recruiting class

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Tyler Forness | Last updated May 12, 2025 4:38 PM ET

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier needs to start stacking wins in the 2026 recruiting cycle. Right now, they only have one recruit committed and that is four-star quarterback Will Griffin.

It's not that the Gators haven't ended up having multiple players committed, it's more that they have rescinded that and committed elsewhere. Some of that is due to position coaches going elsewhere and the other is four-star linebacker Izayia Williams who has now done so to four schools.

Florida Gators land official visit with star edge recruit

The Gators have been working really hard to get recruits in the building and that work has continued to pay off. According to On3 Sports, the Gators will host elite four-star edge rusher Luke Wafle on an official visit this upcoming weekend, May 16th.

NEWS Elite EDGE Luke Wafle will take an official visit to Florida this weekend, @SWiltfong_ reports

Wafle ranks No. 14 NATL. (No. 4 EDGE) in the 2026 On300.

Read: https://t.co/Wk81fz1EAj pic.twitter.com/Xg5OKPrcx5
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) May 12, 2025

The Princeton, New Jersey native is currently the fourth-ranked edge rusher and 14th overall player per On3 Sports and there is a lot to like about him. He's a multi-sport athlete who plays basketball and does the shot put. Those are skills that will help him moving forward as he continues to grow as a football player.

The Gators have quite the uphill battle to get Wafle, as he's visited Penn State six times with an official visit on June 6th. The good thing for the Gators, who hosted Wafle on an unofficial visit on April 1st, is that there are only three official visits scheduled with the other being Ohio State on May 30th.

If the Gators can make a huge impact on Wafle, it would be a massive win for the Gators, as they will be looking to replace multiple players on the defensive line, including Caleb Banks and Tyreak Sapp.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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