Nation's No. 2 LB Commits to SEC Powerhouse

Nation's No. 2 LB Commits to SEC Powerhouse originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

It has been an exciting start to the month of July for the Florida Gators on the recruiting trail. After landing a pair of four-star recruits last week in defensive lineman Kendall Guervil and safety CJ Hester, head coach Billy Napier and the Gators got some more massive news on Monday.

Malik Morris, the No. 2 linebacker in the country in the 2026 recruiting class, per the ESPN 300, announced his commitment to Florida through Rivals' Hayes Fawcett.

Morris, who is a four-star across all recruiting platforms, picked up the UF hat over the Miami Hurricanes and Texas A&M Aggies.

"Live from the trenches," Morris said.

The Lakeland High School (Florida) defensive star is ranked No. 171 overall in the nation and No. 26 in the state of Florida, according to ESPN.

Morris was the Ledger All-County Defensive Player of the Year during his junior season in 2024. He recorded 95 total tackles, nine sacks and three forced fumbles during the year, helping Lakeland reach Florida's 5A state championship game, per 247Sports. 

The 6-foot-1, 250-pound linebacker joins Florida's 2026 class, which ranks No. 14 in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Morris becomes the 16th commit and 10th four-star in the class for the Gators. He is also the first 2026 linebacker to commit to co-defensive coordinator Ron Roberts and inside linebackers coach Robert Bala's group.

With this pledge to Florida, Morris joins a defense that has been trending in the right direction in recent years. He is also the third defensive commit to Napier's squad in the past two weeks.

Florida must be ecstatic about its newest commit, who promises to play a huge role in the future of the Gators' defense.

Related: Elite DL Chooses SEC Rival Over Florida

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.