High-value Florida target announced commitment date
Florida Receives Promising Recruiting News on Wednesday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
It has been a quiet past three weeks on the recruiting trail for the Florida Gators. After a monstrous month of June and a promising start to July, head coach Billy Napier has been unable to land a commitment since July 12.
Napier and the Gators are hoping to turn their fortunes around in the next few days, as class of 2026 four-star defensive lineman Darryus McKinley is set to announce his commitment on Friday.
McKinley, a Lafayette, Louisiana, native and the No. 12 player in the state, according to ESPN, will choose between four schools this week. This includes the Gators and a trio of SEC foes, as announced via social media on Wednesday by Rivals.
McKinley will decide between the Gators, Texas Longhorns, Tennessee Volunteers and LSU Tigers on Friday. An added variable in McKinley's recruiting process is that his brother, Dominick McKinley, who was a five-star recruit in the 2024 class, signed with LSU and is currently enrolled there.
While it may be hard to sway the 6-foot-4, 275-pound defensive end from staying in his home state to don the LSU purple and gold with his brother, Napier and Florida would love to add him to their talented 2026 class.
The Acadiana High School defensive stopper was a force as a sophomore in 2023. He recorded 50 total tackles, 12 tackles-for-loss and four sacks, helping Acadiana to a Louisiana Division I Select runner-up finish, according to 247Sports.
Florida currently holds the No. 13 class in the country, per Rivals' 2026 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Napier has 18 total commits for the class, including a pair of defensive front men in five-starJaReylan McCoy and four-star Kendall Guervil.
With an already potent duo of defensive linemen committed, the Gators would be ecstatic if they could land a commitment from McKinley on Friday.
Related: "Strongest Guy That We've Ever Had:" Florida Coach Raves About Star RB
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports