Chomp: Florida on fire with 4 commitments from 4-stars 🔥

Ja’Keem Jackson, Aidan Mizell, Jordan Castell and Andy Jean committed to Florida last week.

This story first appeared in Chomp, our Gators football newsletter. Subscribe here.


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Hey, Florida fans.

It’s been a very eventful and exciting few days for the Gators, and we’re diving straight into all of the good recruiting news.

🎉 4 recruits commit to the Gators

The Gators are staying hot on the recruiting trail with four commitments from four players in three straight days.

The latest commitment was from four-star (according to both the 247 Sports Composite and the On3 Consensus) wide receiver Andy Jean of Northwestern in Miami on Saturday. He attended Friday Night Lights the day prior.

Earlier on Saturday, four-star safety Jordan Castell of West Orange in Winter Garden committed to Florida. He also was at the event Friday in Gainesville.

In the latest episode of Gators Breakdown, host David Waters breaks down Jean’s and Castell’s decisions.

On Friday, Florida picked up Billy Napier’s highest offensive recruit yet with a pledge from four-star wide receiver Aidan Mizell of Boone in Orlando. David, in a different episode of Gators Breakdown, talks about Mizell’s commitment and what his speed brings to the Florida offense.

And four-star cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson of Osceola in Kissimmee kicked off the string of commitments on Thursday when he pledged to the Gators. In another Gators Breakdown episode, David discusses Jackson’s commitment and what type of player the defense is picking up.

Florida’s 2023 recruiting class now has 16 verbal commitments. With the latest four commits, the Gators have seen a jump in the team ranking. The 247 Sports Composite ranks the Gators 12th, while the On3 Consensus has them at No. 13.

🏆 Award watch list season continues

As the award watch list season continues, we have some more Gators to recognize.

Redshirt junior long snapper Marco Ortiz was placed on the Patrick Mannelly Award Watch List. The award is presented to the best long snapper in FBS.

Redshirt junior linebacker Brenton Cox Jr. was named to the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List. The award has been presented to college football’s defensive player of the year since 1994.

And redshirt sophomore Nay’Quan Wright earned a spot on the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. The trophy is presented annually to the FBS player who best combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the field. It’s named after Gators legend Danny Wuerffel.

🏀 Florida to take on Oklahoma in Jumpman Invitational

Florida’s opponent for the 2022 Jumpman Invitational has been revealed.

The Gators men’s and women’s basketball teams will each meet Oklahoma in the inaugural year of the event.

The men will take on the Sooners at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20, while the women will follow at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 21.

The Jumpman Invitational, announced in July 2021, will feature both men’s and women’s schools from the original four Jordan Brand schools: North Carolina, Florida, Michigan and Oklahoma.

The games will be played at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center, home of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets.

✉️ Send us your Gators thoughts & questions

David and I want to hear from you. Do you have any thoughts or questions about the Gators football program? Agree or disagree with something we’ve said? Let us know here, and we’ll share our responses to your questions.

🎙️ Listen to more Gators Breakdown

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