Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun

Top 25 College Football Prospect Announces Final Five Schools

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Grant Bricker | Last updated Feb 6, 2025 5:48 PM ET

A top prospect in the 2026 class has officially narrowed his list of schools down to five.

On Thursday, On3's Hayes Fawcett reported that five-star tight end Kaiden Prothro had decided on a top-five. Prothro's top five featured all SEC schools, including the Florida Gators, Auburn, Alabama, Texas and Georgia.

Prothro is a highly sought-after prospect, with offers from SEC programs like Kentucky, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.

Although Florida's schedule was demanding this season, the Gators defied the odds and ended the year at 8-5 following a 33-8 win over Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl.

NEWS: Elite 2026 TE Kaiden Prothro is down to 5️⃣ Schools, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’7 210 TE from Bowdon, GA is ranked as a Top 32 Recruit in the ‘26 Class (per On3)

Where Should He Go?https://t.co/pYzOMXRZbq pic.twitter.com/oEl76DfpBR
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 6, 2025

According to the 247Sports Composite, Prothro is a five-star prospect, the No. 21 overall recruit and No. 2 tight end in his class.

Adding Prothro would be huge for the Gators' 2026 class and Napier's first five-star recruit and tight-end commit from the cycle.

Florida's 2026 class is highlighted by four-star quarterback Will Griffin, four-star cornerback Jaelen Waters and three-star safety Devin Jackson.

The Gators lost some depth in their tight end room this offseason, with Arlis Boardingham hitting the transfer portal and heading to Bowling Green.

Boardingham played in 11 games for Florida this season and recorded 128 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Florida already has a pair of tight ends committed from the 2025 class, three-star prospects Cameron Kossmann and Micah Jones.

Hayden Hansen is returning at tight end for Florida, who led the position with 207 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Florida opened the 2024 campaign with a tough 41-17 loss to No. 19 Miami. The Gators rebounded against Samford in a 45-7 win before losing its first SEC game to Texas A&M 33-20.

Napier and company earned two consecutive wins against Mississippi State and UCF before losing to No. 8 Tennessee 23-17 in overtime.

After dropping to 3-3, Florida went 4-2 in its final six regular season games to achieve a bowl berth.

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

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