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Gators Crack Top 3 for 4-Star EDGE Rusher
The Florida Gators are in a position to keep adding to its 2026 recruiting class. Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Duncanville (Texas) four-star edge rusher KJ Ford on Thursday released his top three schools, and the Florida Gators, along with Texas A&M and Ohio State, made the cut. Ford will be committing on July 11. 

Ford (6-4, 245 pounds) is rated as the No. 98 overall prospect and the No. 11 edge rusher in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. 

Ford has had a productive last two years, recording 110 total tackles, 30 tackles-for-loss and 9.5 sacks in 26 games played, according to MaxPreps. He also helped Duncanville reach the Texas 6A D-1 state semifinals in 2024. 

With the Gators missing out on five-star edge Trenton Henderson, Ford has now become an even more important target as Florida looks to find its second edge rusher in the class. The Gators already hold a commitment from five-star JaReylan McCoy and also have Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star Jake Kreul on the board, as well. 

Florida saw their 2026 class skyrocket in the rankings in June after snagging 12 total commitments, which included flipping four-star CJ Bronaugh from Nebraska and grabbing four-star athlete Justin Williams.

They will have the chance to keep the good times rolling in July as well. Florida recently earned commitments from four-star defensive lineman Kendall Guervil on Wednesday and four-star defensive back CJ Hester on Thursday, and there are a slew of targets taking themselves off the market over the next couple of weeks, too.

Four-star linebacker DQ Forkpa and four-star tight end Heze Kent both have a commitment date for July 12, and the Gators have received predictions for each. Other prospects on the table without commitment dates are four-star receivers Davian Groce and Somourian Wingo and four-star linebacker Malik Morris.

Both Wingo and Morris hold predictions to choose Florida.

Florida Gators on SI is tracking all of the Gators' major recruiting news, from commits to prospects of note to the official visit schedule, on our 2026 Recruiting Tracker.

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This article first appeared on Florida Gators on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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