Florida's impressive 2019 season, that was capped off with an Orange Bowl victory last week, has helped the program gain some valuable momentum on the recruiting trail.
Recently, Dan Mullen and his staff have been taking advantage of the added attention by landing some key recruits and transfers that'll help the team try to reach that next level in 2020 and beyond.
On Friday and Saturday, three players expressed their intentions to become Gators in four-star wide receiver Xzavier Henderson, Miami transfer running back Lorenzo Lingard and UCLA transfer linebacker Noah Keeter.
Henderson, brother of former Gators cornerback C.J. Henderson, announced at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday that he'd be attending Florida over Clemson, Alabama and Georgia.
Henderson’s commitment addressed a huge area of need for Florida as four veteran wide receivers are graduating. The No. 59 rated player in the country by 247sports helped elevate UF's class to No. 7, jumping Auburn from No. 8.
With the departure of UF leading rusher Lamical Perine, the running back position had a glaring hole to fill. The Gators got the boost it needed when Lingard, a former five-star from the Orlando area committed to UF. Lingard was the 25th-ranked player in the 2019 recruiting class by 247Sports, and Florida is optimistic he will be eligible to play immediately, according to the Athletic.
The linebacker room got an added boost on Friday with the addition of Gainesville native and former Buchholz standout Keeter. Keeter started his collegiate career at UCLA before putting his name in the transfer portal in December. The former three-star prospect announced his decision on Twitter.
"I would like to first thank everyone that has helped and been a part of this process", Keeter wrote. "With that being said, I will be transferring to the University of Florida to continue my career as a Gator".
Follow Evan on Twitter @evanmplepak and contact him at elepak@alligator.org
