Four-Star Linebacker Ja’Bios Smith Commits to the Gators

Sumrall lands another recruit for the Florida Gators' 2027 class Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Four-Star Linebacker Ja’Bios Smith Commits to the Gators

Originally posted on Florida Gators on SI
By Kyle Lander | Last updated May 29, 2026 2:59 PM ET

Add us as a preferred source on Google

The Florida Gators added the first linebacker to their 2027 recruiting class on Friday, with highly sought-after Swainsboro (Ga.) four-star linebacker Ja’Bios pledging himself to the program, On3’s Hayes Fawcett announced on X.

BREAKING: Four-Star LB Ja’Bios Smith has Committed to Florida, he tells me for @Rivals

The 6’3 210 LB chose the Gators over Georgia, Texas Tech, South Carolina, and Texas A&M

He’s ranked as the No. 1 LB in the state of Georgia (per Rivals Industry)https://t.co/lRgetIqPvY pic.twitter.com/uKSAvQxBh3
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 29, 2026

Smith committed to the Gators over Texas A&M, Texas Tech, South Carolina and Georgia. He ranks as the No. 95 overall prospect and No. 2 linebacker in the 2027 class, according to ESPN.

At times, each of his finalists appeared to be in the driver’s seat in this recruitment. However, Florida capitalized on its momentum in the recruitment, getting the job done during his official visit to Gainesville this weekend.

He was previously predicted to choose Florida, with multiple predictions coming this past week.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound linebacker has featured consistently for his high school over the past three seasons. He has played in 32 games, recording 175 tackles (110 solo, 65 assisted) and 16 tackles-for-loss. He also has two career sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Smith has also made an impact on offense. He has rushed for 1,114 yards and 21 touchdowns on 171 carries in the past three years, with 457 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns coming as a junior.

He is the first linebacker commit for the Gators in the 2027 class, but he is not the only name they are looking to add to it. Florida is chasing commitments from Mobile (Ala.) Vigor four-star linebacker Isaac McNeil, Powder Springs (Ga.) McEachern four-star linebacker Joakim Gouda and Mobile (Ala.) Williamson four-star linebacker Ellis McGaskin as well.

McNeil, who is down to Florida, Alabama, Auburn and Georgia, will announce his decision on June 2.

Florida is off to a hot start for this recruiting cycle. The Gators’ class is now up to 17 commits, with one five-star, 13 four-stars and 3 three-stars. Additionally, their recruiting class ranks fourth in the country, according to ESPN.

Florida Gators 2027 Recruiting Class

Florida Gators on SI is tracking all of the Gators' moves in the 2027 recruiting class in our official tracker. Florida's 2027 recruiting class is ranked as high as fourth nationally, according to ESPN, with a strong chance to push for a top-three class over the summer.