Gators Lose DL Commit, Flips to Ohio State

He is rated as the No. 78 defensive lineman and No. 28 prospect in Ohio in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. 

Perez originally committed to the Gators back on May 18 following an official visit to Gainesville. He even canceled the visits he had scheduled after Florida.

He is rated as the No. 78 defensive lineman and No. 28 prospect in Ohio in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. 

Perez originally committed to the Gators back on May 18 following an official visit to Gainesville. He even canceled the visits he had scheduled after Florida. 

“For me, it's shut down. I committed today. So, therefore, it's Gator time," he said after leaving his visit. "Ain't no more room for no one else in my opinion. It's time to put in that work."

However, things quickly changed, and the Ohio State Buckeyes were able to get him on campus June 13 for an official visit. This push to get him on campus paid off. 

Losing Perez leaves the Gators with two commits along the defensive line, and that’s four-star JaReylan McCoy and four-star Kendall Guervil, who committed on Wednesday. 

They are still pursuing top talent at that position, though. Florida is in it for four-star Valdin Sone still. 

Despite the bad news for Florida, June treated them very kindly. They tallied 12 commits in the month, including two receivers inside the top 15 at their position. 

Moreover, July has a chance to be just as good. They already reeled in commitments from Guervil and four-star defensive back CJ Hester. The Gators are also the favorites for four-star linebackers DQ Forkpa and Malik Morris, and they are the perceived leader for four-star tight end Heze Kent. 

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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