Florida basketball gets commitment from 7-foot center, per report
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Florida’s basketball machine is coming off a thrilling national championship run, and now it appears head coach Todd Golden has a very tall reinforcement coming as part of his 2026 recruiting class.
Jones Lay, a 7-foot, 230-pound center from Moravian Prep in North Carolina, has committed to play for Golden in Gainesville, according to a report by On3 on Tuesday night.
Besides Florida, Lay had interest from SEC rival South Carolina while also having offers from Eastern Kentucky and Old Dominion.
“I chose Florida because I think it is where I myself can have the most success,” Lay told On3 about why he’s decided to come to Gainesville next year.
Lay is Florida’s first commitment to its 2026 recruiting class. Golden has already brought in 4-star wings CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd, both products from the state of Florida, to his 2025 class, as the Gators get set to defend their national championship. Ingram is ranked 19th while Lloyd is rated 41st, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Now, Florida basketball fans already have something to look forward to for the 2026-27 season with Lay.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
