Brunswick (Ga.) High athlete Heze Kent picked up a white hat, looked at it, and then put it back down. Then he picked up a Miami hat, almost put it on, and changed his mind again. Then he unzipped his jacket and revealed the Florida Gators jersey underneath. Friends and family inside his high school cheered, and a “Go Gators!” call rang out.
During a commitment event that was streamed live on the Rivals YouTube page, Kent announced his verbal pledge to Billy Napier and the Gators. Kent picked the Gators over Florida State, Miami, and Texas. According to multiple reports, Florida had been viewed as the frontrunner in his recruitment. Still, other finalists had been making strong pushes since his official visit to Gainesville at the end of May.
In the end, Florida won out. With his pledge, the Gators add their 18th known commitment to the 2026 class. Kent is the fifth top-150 recruit to join the class.
Kent is a 4-star recruit in the industry-generated 247 Composite. He’s ranked as the No. 20 recruit in the state of Florida and the No. 9 athlete in the cycle. In the national player rankings, Kent sits at No. 149 overall.
He’s a massive, 6-foot-6, 310-pound prospect who has primarily played tight end at the prep level. Prep scouts think Kent can blossom into a pro-caliber offensive tackle and it seems as though Florida has some room to experiment here with his future position.
Kent caught 41 passes as a junior last fall for 983 yards and 8 touchdowns.
He is the second blue-chipper to join the Gators in as many days following a commitment from Duncanville (Texas) High edge KJ Ford. The Gators are pushing for another top-10 class under Napier. Kent’s commitment bumps Florida up to No. 14 in the Composite team rankings.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
