Florida Gators losing critical ground on top prospect to bitter rival and the reason is infuriating

LSU in drivers seat to land Trenton Henderson

This is a tough one for the Gators, as they were in a great spot to land Henderson. He had multiple expert predictions to land with the Gators, but that has changed over the last few days.

The Gators hosted Henderson on June 13th, and things went really well. He spent the entire weekend and days that followed tweeting about the Gators.

Henderson is currently the 59th-ranked player and 11th-ranked edge rusher out of Pensacola, Florida. He would be the top recruit in the Gators' current recruiting class if he were to commit, but things have taken a turn for the worst.

The reason that he's shifted from the Gators to LSU is likely due to money. NIL packages have been a huge factor in the Gators losing some top recruits, and it's incredibly frustrating to see them end up on the wrong end of the spectrum when it comes to NIL.

Now, things aren't over yet, as things could change, but Henderson's recruitment is going to likely come down to the wire. He would make a massive impact for the Gators as an edge rusher, as his scouting report from 247 Sports highlights an elite player.

Sprouting linebacker that can get after the quarterback as he comes screaming around the corner. Size has not been third-party verified, but is believed to be over 6-foot-4 and tipping the scales right around 225 pounds. Took a major step forward between sophomore and junior seasons – evoking much more confidence and physicality. Future could very well be in an on-ball role as a two-point edge rusher in an 3-4 look, but is rather comfortable dropping into space and has the chase speed to make stops outside the hashes, which suggests that he could also trigger from an off-ball perch. Ability to transition from speed to power is extremely encouraging at this stage. Same with the play recognition. Overall, should be viewed as a potential multi-year impact defender at the Power Four level given how he bends and moves at his size.