The Florida Gators could miss out on a prime opportunity to land one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the 2027 recruiting cycle.
As the Florida Gators’ newly-hired head coach, Jon Sumrall, continues to get acclimated with his new role, it’s clear that the 2027 recruiting class will be a key piece to his success for years to come with the program.
Sumrall has quickly rounded out the roster for the 2026 college football season, landing a total of 25 transfers this offseason through the portal. However, in order to truly solidify himself amongst Gator Nation, the coaching staff must ramp up its efforts towards one highly-touted prospect in the upcoming class.
Long before Sumrall took over, former head coach Billy Napier and his staff made a tremendous push for 2027 five-star quarterback Elijah Haven out of Baton Rouge, LA. Haven is currently the No. 2-ranked quarterback in the 2027 class, as well as the No. 4 prospect in the state of Louisiana, according to 247Sports’ Composite.
Haven's Recruitment Journey
SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network The efforts from Napier and company were made clear prior to the 2025 college football season, as both Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman and Steve Wiltfong gave a crystal ball prediction for Florida to land Haven in August of 2025.
Unfortunately for the struggling program, the departure of Napier added a new twist to Haven’s recruitment process. The addition of Sumrall opened the prolific quarterback’s journey for new schools to enter the picture, with one of the schools being the Kentucky Wildcats.
Luckily for Gator fans, there is still a chance that Haven could wind up committing to the program despite the coaching change. According to Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett last week, the talented playmaker is down to four schools, including Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, and Florida.
There’s no doubt that Haven would be an excellent first commitment for Sumrall, as the 6-foot-5, 215 lbs. quarterback threw for a Louisiana state record-breaking 4,714 yards and 73 TDs during his junior season at Dunham School. But the recent moves with the head coach position for Florida could ultimately hurt the chances of landing Haven.
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