Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Historic College Football Program Disappointingly Passed by Rival in New Rankings

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonathan D Adams | Last updated Apr 5, 2025 8:55 AM ET

College football recruiting news is heating up with teams focusing on the 2026 class. Yet, there are still a few moves being made to shift the recruiting rankings for 2025.

Recruiting in the SEC continues to be a challenge, with one program getting passed by one of their biggest rivals. The Tennessee Volunteers had a top 10 recruiting class for 2025, but the Florida Gators added four-star J'Vari Flowers on Monday.

The late addition moved the Vols outside of the top 10, per On3's rankings, as the Gators took their spot. It was a close race to the finish as Florida has a 92.1 overall score topping Tennessee's 91.9 grade.

"Florida jumps Tennessee into the Top 10 of the 2025 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings after landing 4-star CB J'Vari Flowers," On3's recruiting account detailed on Monday.

Tennessee took multiple blows from Florida during the 2025 recruiting cycle. The Gators flipped four-star safety Logonza Hayward who was previously committed to the Volunteers.

Florida jumps Tennessee into the Top 10 of the 2025 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings after landing 4-star CB J'Vari Flowers

Read: https://t.co/3S6KeGjt9r pic.twitter.com/oYDfFnAzIF
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) April 1, 2025

“Florida has always been in the back of my mind,” Hayward explained to On3's Chad Simmons during a Dec. 2024 interview. “When they played Tennessee and went to overtime against them at Neyland Stadium, I was like, ‘Hold on.’

"I started paying attention to them. ... Their defense played great. Everybody was flying around. It wasn’t just one position group.”

Three SEC teams sit at the top of On3's 2025 recruiting rankings. The Texas Longhorns have the No. 1 class followed by the Georgia Bulldogs in the runner-up spot. It is the Alabama Crimson Tide who hold the No. 3 slot.

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

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