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Gators HC Billy Napier continues to build recruiting momentum, sits in driver's seat to land elite in-state prospect

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Tyler Forness | Last updated May 21, 2025 7:29 PM ET

Recruiting has been a tough spot for the Florida Gators when it comes to the 2026 class.

Head coach Billy Napier has not had the easiest road, but things are starting to heat up. They added a second commitment to join four-star quarterback Will Griffin in three-star defensive tackle Jamir Perez over the weekend and built a lot of momentum with multiple top prospects in the trenches: five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo and four-star edge rusher Luke Wafle.

Napier has continued that momentum with elite four-star cornerback CJ Hester naming the Gators in his top-six schools.

NEWS: Four-Star CB CJ Hester is down to 6 Schools, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’1 175 CB from Cocoa, FL is ranked as a Top 3 CB in the Sunshine State

Where Should He Go? ⬇️https://t.co/W9nEd2AgqG pic.twitter.com/UFCmBfSpKW
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 21, 2025

Florida Gators in contention for elite CB CJ Hester

The Gators need to continue this momentum they have been building, and the news of Hester having the Gators in his top-six adds to that. In fact, the Gators have a 94.8% chance to land Hester, according to On3 Sports' Recruiting Prediction Machine.

It shouldn't be much of a surprise that the Gators rank that high when it comes to Hester. He's visited Campus on four occasions already:

September 14th, 2024
November 16th, 2024
January 18th, 2025
March 6th, 2025

He is set to make his first official visit on campus later this month on May 30th. It will be his second official visit after visiting Auburn on May 16th. Hester also has three more official visits lined up, and one more that is currently sanctioned as unofficial.

Syracuse: June 6th
Georgia: June 13th
Miami (Unofficial): June 19th
Iowa: June 21st

The Cocoa, Florida product is currently the 23rd-ranked cornerback in the nation and the 264th-ranked recruit the nation per the On3 Sports' Industry Ranking. After losing two defensive back commitments over the last few months, securing Hester would be a huge step in the right direction for new secondary coach Vinnie Sunseri.

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

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