Florida Loses Local 5-Star to SEC Rival

Henderson, a Pensacola, Florida native, was one of Florida’s highest-level targets in the class of 2026. The final three schools he was deciding between were Texas, Florida and LSU, and the blue-chipper ultimately decided to join Brian Kelly in Baton Rouge. This comes just over two weeks after Henderson said UF was his “school to beat,” per 247 Sports’ Tyler Harden.

The 6-foot-5 defensive powerhouse totaled 50 tackles, 18 tackles-for-loss, 10 sacks and six pass breakups as a junior at Pensacola Catholic, according to 247 Sports.

While this stat line is something Florida would have loved to welcome to its 2026 recruiting class, Napier and the Gators still have several edge targets available. This list is headlined by KJ Ford and Jake Kreul, who are both four-star recruits.

Ford, out of Duncanville High School in Texas, is ranked No. 11 at his position in the country, per the Top 247, while Kreul is an IMG Academy star who is the third-best edge rusher in the nation according to Rivals’ rankings.

Even though it was a bitter end to what could have been an enormous day for the Gators’ future, Napier is not done, as Florida will continue to look to add to its ever-growing 2026 class.