Florida Overtaken by SEC Rival in Latest Recruiting Rankings

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Hugh Green | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 1:25 PM ET

The Florida Gators have had a phenomenal recruiting cycle for the class of 2026 thus far. Head coach Billy Napier secured several commitments in the months of June and July. This continued in early August as well, as Florida landed its highest-rated commit of the class.

However, as Florida has hovered around the top 15 range nationally, the Gators have continued to land outside the top 5 in the SEC rankings. With the number of national powerhouses in the conference, Florida hasn't been able to take that next step.

This trend continued on Thursday, as a big-time commitment for one of Florida's SEC rivals allowed them to jump Napier's team in the rankings.

The Tennessee Volunteers got a commitment flip from four-star offensive tackle Kamari Blair, who had previously pledged to the South Carolina Gamecocks. Blair is the No. 22 offensive tackle in the country, per Rivals' Industry Ranking.

This commitment allowed Josh Heupel and Tennessee to jump Florida for the No. 12 spot in Rivals' 2026 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Getting Blair also gives the Volunteers the sixth-best class in the SEC, one ahead of the Gators.

Overall, Tennessee has 23 commits for the 2026 class. Heupel's class is headlined by five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon to go along with 12 four-stars and 10 three-stars, per Rivals.

As for Florida, it has 19 total commits for 2026. This is made up of 14 four-star recruits and five three-star commits. Florida's highest-rated recruit is Davian Groce, who is the No. 6 wide receiver in the country, according to Rivals.

As many of the highly rated recruits in the 2026 class have already made their commitments, Napier is running out of time if he wants to secure a top-10 class in the nation.

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

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