Florida Dealt Unfortunate Recruiting News on 4th of July

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt De Lima | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 1:39 PM ET

The Florida Gators have been looking to build on the momentum that saw them close out last season with four straight wins and carry that success over to the recruiting trail.

Currently slotted at No. 14 in On3's class of 2026 recruiting rankings, head coach Billy Napier is mostly treading water in bringing in talented players compared to years past.

Florida has nine four-star commitments in the 2026 class out of a total of 15 players. Unfortunately, however, the Gators were dealt some bad news on Friday.

Three-star defensive lineman Jamir Perez is flipping his commitment from Florida to the Ohio State Buckeyes.

BREAKING: Class of 2026 DL Jamir “JJ” Perez has Flipped his Commitment from Florida to Ohio State, he tells me for @rivals

The 6’4 350 DL from Cleveland, OH had been Committed to the Gators since May

“The best in Ohio stay in Ohio”https://t.co/5iuVqMrYiJ pic.twitter.com/6nz1uQOmGB
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 4, 2025

Ranked 596th in the country, Perez is the No. 61 defensive lineman and is the 25th-best player from Ohio, according to On3. The 6-foot-4, 330-pound prospect initially committed to the Gators in May.

The Cleveland, Ohio, product took several official visits after committing to Florida. Including a trip to see the Gators in Gainesville, Perez had official visits to Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Cincinnati, Ohio State and Purdue.

During his trip to see the Buckeyes, Perez shared his thoughts about the program with On3's Lettermen Row.

“It was great, I can’t complain,” Perez said. “Just being with the players and talking to the other recruits stood out to me.

“It was a great experience, especially being with my teammate Cincere [Johnson], and it was great being with the other recruits and just being with Coach [Larry] Johnson and Coach [Ryan] Day,” Perez continued. “Overall great experience.”

Ohio State is slotted at No. 6 in On3's 2026 recruiting rankings with 21 commitments in total.

The Buckeyes now have four defensive lineman pledges: four-stars Damari Simeon and Khary Wilder, along with three-stars Cameron Brickle and Perez.

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

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