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IMG Academy five-star edge rusher Jake Kreul has caused a whirlwind of emotions surrounding his recruitment throughout the past month. The defensive monster narrowed down his top schools to three in early July, leaving the Florida Gators out of the equation while giving hope to a trio of their SEC rivals.

However, before this, head coach Billy Napier and Florida had been very involved in Kreul's recruitment, as he was one of their top targets in the 2026 class.

On Wednesday, Kreul stirred the pot a little more with a post on social media, which gave Gator Nation a glimmer of optimism.

Kreul announced that Florida gave him an official offer on Wednesday, with the caption "." This comes one day after ESPN's Billy Tucker reported that Kreul will choose between the Ole Miss Rebels, Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners on Aug. 12.

This post by Kreul was flooded with comments by Florida fans imploring the five-star to join the Gators.

"You know the move family," commented one fan.

"Come be a Gator Great young man! Being a Florida graduate carries positive energy forever," said another.

"That's the one brother," chimed in one more.

Kreul is a five-star recruit, the No. 22 overall prospect and the fourth-best edge rusher in the 2026 class, according to ESPN. He played in nine games during his junior season in 2024 for IMG Academy, totaling 39 tackles, 12 tackles-for-loss and six sacks, per MaxPreps.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound edge played in both the Under Armour All-America Game and Polynesian Bowl this year, and was named 'Alpha Dog' of Under Armour Next Camp in March by 247Sports.

The consensus of the Florida faithful is that they want Kreul to "shock the world," as a fan commented.

If Kreul does swerve his three final SEC teams and lands with Napier and the Gators, it would send a massive shockwave through the college football world.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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