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Florida has earned a pledge from 2026 Seffner (Fla.) Armwood cornerback Jaelen Waters.
A 6-foot-2, 170-pound defensive back, Waters was originally committed to Florida State. He gave a verbal pledge to the Seminoles back in April, but left the class a little over a month later. He had previously told recruiting outlets that Florida was his top school, and visited campus several times since the turn of the calendar year. He took an unofficial visit to campus earlier this week and elected to pull the trigger on Saturday.
Waters also holds offers from Auburn, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Washington, and Wisconsin, among others.
https://twitter.com/Waters_Jaelen/status/1802009733886251379
Waters is a 4-star recruit in the industry-generated 247 Composite. He’s ranked as the No. 15 corner in the class and the No. 34 prospect from the state of Florida. Overall, he sits at No. 192 in the national player rankings.
After entering the month of June without a single known pledge in the 2026 cycle, Florida seems to be picking up steam. The Gators now hold 2 known commits, with Waters joining Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit quarterback Will Griffin.
It’s also a win for the Gators at a time when there’s a heavy emphasis on the 2025 cycle. Florida is hosting a total of 13 recruits on official visits this weekend. That group includes 5 prospects currently ranked inside the 247 Composite’s top 100 overall recruits and is highlighted at the top by top-50 Orlando wideout Vernell Brown III and 4-star Jacksonville safety Hylton Stubbs (a USC pledge).
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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.
