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Florida Gators get major news that will change their 2026 recruiting class

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Tyler Forness | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 9:28 PM ET

The Florida Gators have done a much better job at getting top recruits over the last few weeks, including landing four-star wide receiver Davian Groce out of Texas. Even with the addition of Groce to the recruiting class, they still sit outside the top 10 of the Rivals recruiting rankings at 13th with 19 recruits.

The other thing that's noteworthy is that head coach Billy Napier has failed to land a five-star recruit in the class, which is rare for the Gators. They were taking a big swing to land a five-star safety in Bralan Womack, and they found out on Thursday night what his decision was

Florida Gators fail to land five-star S Bralan Womack

Their efforts were unfortunately futile, as Womack ended up picking the Auburn Tigers, leaving the Gators, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Texas A&M Aggies behind.

BREAKING: Five-Star Safety Bralan Womack has Committed to Auburn, he tells me for @rivals

The No. 1 Safety in the ’26 Class chose the Tigers over Ohio State, Texas A&M, & Florida

“I’m home! Let’s work! WDE”https://t.co/SMLTMOyjjK pic.twitter.com/mvest8U506
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) August 22, 2025

It's a frustrating one for the Gators, who had seemingly gained momentum over the last few weeks with Womack. The Hartfield Academy product out of Brandon, Mississippi is the 21st overall player and number three safety in the country per the Rivals Industry Ranking.

The Gators are now looking to find other answers at the safety position. They do still have four-star Kaiden Hall in the class at safety, and a number of young players on the roster who are waiting in the wings.

This may be the first recruiting class since 2023 2ithout a five-star recruit.

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

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