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OL Commit on Florida Gators' 2026 Class: 'It's Gonna Be Special'

Originally posted on Florida Gators on SI  |  By Cam Parker  |  Last updated Jun 16, 2025 8:00 AM ET

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The first offensive line commit of the Florida's 2026 recruiting class, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star interior lineman G'Nivre Carr's decision to choose the Gators was personal.

After leaving the facilities on Sunday in his first trip to campus since pledging to the program, Carr broke down his decision.

"The moment that made me want to commit to Florida is, recently, my pops had passed, and the only school that stuck with me through all that is Florida. Florida was the right fit for me anyway," he said. "It's bigger than football for me... Florida has always been my school. It was going to happen sooner or later."

Carr also has a personal tie to the Gators. Prior to transferring to IMG Academy, Carr began his high school career at Ocala (Fla.) Trinity Catholic under then-head coach John Brantley III, a UF quarterback in the 1970s and father of fellow former UF quarterback John Brantley IV (2007-2011).

"Coach Brantley, that's my dog," Carr said. "Like Coach Brantley, he had called me. He was like, 'Bro, you're a gator. Let's go.' It was like, man, you know, I was gonna be a Gator all along. I was like, 'You know, I had to play the game.'"

Throughout his recruiting process, Carr has forged a strong bond with both of Florida's offensive line coaches, Rob Sale and Jon Decoster. His relationship with the two, plus both Sale's and Decoter's individual experiences coaching at the NFL level made a huge impact in his decision process.

"How real they are. The recruiting face and the personal face is the same," Carr said. "Like me and Coach Sale, we've always had a tight bond. Nothing changed this. It's been the same since day one."

Returning to campus for an unofficial visit, Carr spent most of the time recruiting the other visitors, which included fellow offensive linemen Chris Booker (Alabama commit), Desmond Green, Claude Mpouma and Tyler Chukuyem, who will announce his decision on Monday.

"My pitch was being being able to be coached by someone that knows their ins and outs and having a pro style offense I always tell everyone, like the opportunity to play early here is going to be great, because we're losing five this year," Carr said. "So if you want to be a freshman to come in and make an early impact, come to Florida."

Carr's return to campus also came on one of the most successful recruiting weekends in recent history with Florida adding three commits in the class in four-star running back Carsyn Baker, four-star receiver Marquez Daniel and five-star edge rusher JaReylan McCoy.

Florida could also add more to the class with Chukuyem and three-star tackle Javarii Luckas both set to announce their decisions on Monday. Both are also predicted to join the Gators by various recruiting outlets.

"I think we gonna be mauling people. Honestly, class of '26, it's gonna be special," Carr said. "I don't think people actually understand, like, what Coach Billy (Napier)'s doing right now. Like, he's building something special."

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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