Follow along with Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) on Signing Day.
Florida closed Early Signing Day on Wednesday afternoon with the addition of defensive lineman Jeramiah McCloud, a four-star prospect from Sylvester, Ga.
McCloud played at Lee County High and committed to Mississippi State in the spring. However, when other schools began to show an interest, McCloud reconsidered his options and eventually committed to Florida.
But the story doesn't end there. McCloud took visits to Florida State, and as recently as two weeks ago, was at Georgia as the Bulldogs made their pitch.
In the end, the No. 34 defensive lineman in the On3 Industry rankings signed with the Gators late Wednesday afternoon. The Gators made it official about 15 minutes into head coach Billy Napier's press conference.
"McCloud is a former linebacker that kind of grew into a D-lineman body,'' Napier said. "Can really run. Three-down player. Can rush the passer, play on the edge. [He's] got a motor."
McCloud recorded 95 tackles, 30 tackles-for-loss and nine sacks in his prep career.
Besides Florida and Georgia, McCloud had offers from Auburn, Colorado, FSU, LSU, Miami and USC, among others.
Elite rusher‼️
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) December 4, 2024
Time to shine, @Zell2hollywood2 🐊#GRIND25HINE x #NSD25 pic.twitter.com/BHuWpq0cpX
The Gators pulled off many flips in the 2025 recruiting cycle, and saved one of their best for Early Signing Day.
Florida announced the signing of safety Lagonza Hayward shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday, the 22nd player to sign on the day.
Hayward was a Tennessee commit but opted to sign with Florida. A 6-1, 200-pound safety, Hayward is ranked the No. 53 recruit in the country by On3.com.
He is from Lyons, Ga., and starred at Toombs County High as the No. 3 player in the state according to On3.
Hayward had 32 tackles, eight pass breakups and an interception as a senior. He drew interest from Georgia, Tennessee, FSU, Texas A&M, South Carolina and USC, among others, during the recruiting process.
He is the second highly-touted safety to sign with the Gators on Wednesday, joining Drake Stubbs out of Jacksonville Mandarin.
Here is a scouting report on Hayward from Hudson Standish, national analyst for 247Sports.com:
"An explosive three-phase playmaker who 247Sports stamped as a four-star in the fall of 2023 and has continued on an upward trajectory into 2024. Verified around 6-foot-1, 200 pounds with a well-built upper body, athletic lower half, and positive arm and wingspan measurements which should allow him to continue adding muscle before eventually settling in around 225 pounds at the next level. Rare two-way talent at wideout and defensive back that could be graded as an athlete considering collegiate programs are recruiting him on both sides of the ball, but likely has a higher ceiling as a defensive back prospect.
"Expansive multi-sport background speaks to his overall athleticism which directly translates at the prep level on Friday nights and in camp settings against elite competition. Plays with a hot motor and violent intentions which results in impressive takeaway production and a fair share of bone-shattering collisions ... should be viewed as a potential impact player for college football's elite programs with significant NFL Draft upside."
Lockdown 🔒
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) December 4, 2024
Time to shine, @LagonzaJr ‼️#GRIND25HINE x #NSD25 pic.twitter.com/Ot92Y0McLk
The Gators have officially added a talented defensive tackle to the roster, signing Stephon "Trell" Shivers out of the Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy.
Shivers is a four-star prospect from Humboldt, Tenn., who committed to Georgia but had a change of heart and flipped to the Gators.
He was a member of 247Sports' "Freaks List" in 2024, and at 6-4, 384 pounds, you can figure out why. He had 90 tackles as a junior, including 11 sacks while splitting time at running back/offensive tackle when not stuffing the defensive line.
Shivers also played basketball in high school, averaging 12.7 points and 10.0 rebounds as a sophomore. He garnered attention from many of the top programs in the SEC, including Georgia, Auburn, Kentucky, Texas and Tennessee.
His high school coach, Hayden Williams, had this to say about Shivers in an interview with DawgsHQ on the On3.com network.
"Definitely his feet, his footwork, and the quickness he has (stand out). It’s insane for a 350 pound-plus athlete. Honestly, the sky is the limit for Shivers,'' Williams said. "If he comes in and works as hard as he is capable of, he can make it to playing on Sundays.
"He has that rare quickness with a guy that big, but it’s going to rely on his determination and worth ethic to get him there. I really like his chances knowing him as a young man. Stephon is one of the best kids to be around. He is quiet, so when he speaks, people tend to list. He listens to you, hears you out, and just all around is a high character student athlete."
Get out of his way‼️
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) December 4, 2024
Time to shine, @stephonshivers1🐊#GRIND25HINE x #NSD25 pic.twitter.com/1USuRQxCvW
The Gators have announced their second offensive line signee from the Atlanta area in about 10 minutes. He is 6-foot-5, 281-pound Jahari Medlock.
Medlock is a consensus three-star recruit who flipped to the Gators after committing to Cincinnati. He played at Drew High in Atlanta, and joins Tavaris Dice (College Park, Ga.) as the latest Georgia products to head south.
Medlock is a long-and-tall prospect who will look to add more weight onto his frame when he settles in Gainesville.
He had offers from Georgia and Georgia Tech, and he also wrestled as a heavyweight in high school.
Freaky athletic. 🔥
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) December 4, 2024
Time to shine, @1v_world 🐊#GRIND25HINE x #NSD25 pic.twitter.com/R0Jh08vsmx
Florida's strong finish on the recruiting trail leading up to Wednesday's Early Signing Day including the flip of offensive lineman Tavaris Dice from Auburn.
Dice has made it official, signing with Florida after receiving offers from Auburn, Georgia, LSU and other SEC heavyweights.
Dice is a consensus four-star recruit who is ranked the No. 18 offensive tackle prospect in this cycle by On3.
Dice is listed at 6-4, 302 pounds and played at Hughes High in College Park, Ga., in the metro Atlanta area.
He plans to enroll early and told On3.com that the Gators felt like family after he visited campus and those who call the Heavener Football Training Center home away from home.
"When I go to Florida I feel like I am at home. … I go down there, the staff greets me, they open the doors, I know everybody. One thing about me, I don’t always like to hear the good stuff about me. I want to know the real about everything. I want to know what I can be better at."
Trench Monster. 🐊
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) December 4, 2024
Time to shine, @DiceTavaris ‼️#GRIND25HINE x #NSD25 pic.twitter.com/g9y4QPxcBm
