One of the most prominent narratives in college football today is the inability for a program to maintain its commitments from high school players. This becomes especially prevalent as a head coach either begins to struggle in the win-loss column or faces heavy scrutiny from its fanbase.
This seemingly would’ve been a glaring issue for the Florida Gators after an undoubtedly underwhelming 1-2 start to the season. However, UF has kept a solid structure around its 2025 commits invested into the program despite its struggles.
Nevertheless, this was not the case for Joshua Moore, a four-star wide receiver from West Broward High School in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Moore announced Tuesday that he would be flipping his commitment from Florida to the University of Miami.
UF wide receivers coach Billy Gonzalez was the main recruiter throughout Moore’s process of committing to Florida, eventually leading to Moore signing with the Gators on June 26.
The 6-foot-4, 205 pound wideout is the No. 8 wide receiver in the 2025 class and the No. 41 prospect overall, according to On3. He was the highest-ranked player in Florida’s 2025 cycle.
Moore has reportedly visited Miami multiple times in recent weeks, per On3, including just two days after the Gators lost their season opener to the Hurricanes in a 41-24 thrashing at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Moreover, Moore was also in attendance for Florida’s dominant Week 6 victory against UCF just three days ago.
With the now-Miami commit no longer in UF’s 2025 class, the Gators dropped to No. 29 in On3’s latest recruiting rankings as of Tuesday.
2025 wide receiver Vernell Brown III now becomes Florida’s highest-ranked commit and will have big shoes to fill with the decommitment of Moore. Brown III will likely arrive in Gainesville as a freshman in the wideout room next fall, entering UF’s program as the No. 43 overall player in the nation.
Contact Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
Max Tucker is a junior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time.
