Florida edge rusher, former 5-star recruit, reportedly returning for 2026
By Andrew Olson
Published:
One of the top signees of Billy Napier‘s UF tenure is reportedly returning for Jon Sumrall‘s first season as the head coach of the Florida Gators.
According to Tyler Harden of 247Sports, edge rusher LJ McCray, a 5-star recruit in the Class of 2024, is returning for the 2026 season. Harden also reported that inside linebacker Jaden Robinson and offensive lineman Jason Zandamela are set to return for the ’26 campaign.
Out of Daytona Beach (Florida) Mainland High School, McCray was one of the top prizes in Florida’s 2024 class, along with DJ Lagway. McCray was rated 5-stars, the No. 5 player in the state of Florida, No. 5 defensive lineman and No. 20 prospect overall in the Class of 2024 on the 247Sports Composite.
As a freshman, McCray played in all 13 games of the 2024 season. He logged 13 total tackles with 3 solo stops, 1 TFL and a half sack, tying for second on the team with 5 QB hurries. McCray, listed at 6-6, 268 on the roster, played in just 1 game of the 2025 campaign, missing the rest of the season due to injury.
Robinson was a starter at inside linebacker in 2025, recording 50 total tackles with 28 solo stops, 4 TFLs, 3 QB hurries,3 pass breakups and 2 sacks. He logged 611 snaps (491 on defense, 120 on special teams.
Zandamela, a native of Mozambique, joined the program in 2024 out of Clearwater (Florida) Academy. He redshirted his first year on and made 1 appearance in 2025.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
