The Florida Gators and head coach Jon Sumrall are closing in on yet another highly-touted prospect in the 2027 recruiting class.
The Florida Gators, under newly-hired head coach Jon Sumrall, are beginning to make siginifcant moves on some of the top prospect in the 2027 recruiting class.
According to On3Sports’ Hayes Fawcett on Wednesday, 2027 four-star EDGE Frederick Ards III has reached his top five schools, with the Gators making the cut.
Ards is currently the No. 11 prospect in the state of Florida, as well as a top-15 EDGE prospect in the upcoming cycle, per 247Sports’ Composite. The highly-touted recruit out of Orlando, FL, received his offer from the program nearly a year ago, but Sumrall and his coaching staff have seemingly connected with Ards and will continue to pursue the in-state product.
At 6-foot-5, 225 lbs., Ards already possesses an ideal frame for a defensive end at the college level. In addition to his terrific frame, the Jones High School player has elite quickness off the line of scrimmage, paired with enough strength to take opposing offensive tackles.
Looking at Ards’ potential future with the program, the Gators will have to compete with multiple Power Four schools for his college career. Along with Florida, Ards is also considering Alabama, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and the Gators’ in-state rivals, the Florida State Seminoles.
Luckily for Sumrall, Ards is set to take an official visit to Gainesville this summer on Jun. 4, giving the program an excellent opportunity to keep him within the state of Florida for college.
As for the rest of the 2027 recruiting class, the Gators were able to land their first commit in the next cycle in four-star cornerback Amare Nugent last week. The highly-regarded prospect is currently a top-20 cornerback in the 2027 class, as well as one of the best rising seniors in the state of Florida.
In addition to finding his first commit in the class, Sumrall is continuing to make strides with multiple prospects that former head coach Billy Napier was hunting for before leaving the program. This includes five-star quarterback Elijah Haven and four-star tight end Anthony Cartwright, who are both widely considered two of the best offensive players in the class.
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