Thoughts of the Day: May 7, 2026

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:

Is there a hotter brand on the recruiting trail right now than the Florida Gators? In the past month, Jon Sumrall has taken the Gators from never never land in the recruiting rankings to No. 6 at both 247Sports and On3. Of Florida’s 13 commitments, 10 have pledged to Florida since April 8 when 5-star guard Maxwell Hiller announced for the Gators.

Sumrall and offensive line coach Phil Trautwein are putting together the foundation for what is potentially the best line the Gators have recruited in years with Hiller, center Peyton Miller and tackle Elijah Hutcheson. Trautwein has the Gators in a good position to land 4-star O-linemen Reed Ramsier (6-4, 290, Orlando, FL The First Academy), Terrance Smith (6-6, 290, Lansdale, PA, Lansdale Catholic) and Jordan Agbanoma (6-3, 315, Loganville, GA Grayson). Kennedee Jackson (6-6, 301, Lithonia, GA) seems to be trending Florida’s way.

Tomorrow, 4-star running back Andrew Beard (5-9, 195, Bogart, GA, Prince Avenue Christian) is expected to choose the Gators over Clemson and Georgia. As a junior, Beard ran for 1,260 yards (8.1 per carry) and 12 touchdowns while catching 29 passes for 435 yards and five more scores.  

Florida has a very realistic chance to flip 5-star defensive tackle Jaylen Brewster (6-3, 300, Cedar Hill, TX), a Texas Tech commitment who is widely considered the No. 1 high school recruit in the country.

The Florida brand is very hot right now and if Sumrall and the Gators deliver wins in the fall, the Gators could be absolutely scorching on signing day in December. A top five finish is entirely possible. The Gators haven’t had a recruiting class ranked that high since Will Muschamp did it back-to-back with his 2012 and 2013 classes.

The 2027 commitments:

OG Maxwell Hiller (6-6, 305, Coatesville, PA): A 5-star recruit, Hiller is considered the No. 1 guard prospect in the country. He chose the Gators over Penn State, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Clemson, Notre Dame, LSU and Miami among others. Chalk this one up for Florida OL coach Phil Trautwein, formerly of Penn State. Younger brother Colton is a 5-star basketball recruit for 2028/

OT Elijah Hutcheson (6-6, 275, Roanoke, VA North Cross School): A 4-star recruit and the No. 7 offensive tackle in the country, Hutcheson had offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana, Oregon and Clemson among others. Another Phil Trautwein win.

QB Davin Davidson (6-6, 215, Sarasota, FL Cardinal Mooney): Serious arm talent, Davidson is a 4-star recruit and the No. 9 ranked quarterback for 2027 by On3. As a junior led Cardinal Mooney to the Florida 2A championship while throwing for 23 touchdowns. His extensive offer sheet included Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, Auburn, Florida State, Duke and Illinois.

WR Tramond Collins (6-2, 183, Cottondale, FL): Collins is a serious deep threat who averaged 30 yards a catch and 21.3 per rush. He’s a sprinter on the track team who runs both the 100 and 200. Collins is a 4-star recruit and the No. 8 wide receiver in the country per 247Sports. His offer list included Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee, Miami, Florida State and LSU.

C Peyton Miller (6-5, 290, Anna, TX): Considered the No. 8 interior line prospect by 247Sports and the top center in the country, Miller is a 4-star recruit cut in the Jake Slaughter mould. His offer list included Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Clemson, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Florida State, Missouri, Ole Miss and Penn State.

CB Aaumaury Fountain (6-3, 182, Warner Robins, GA Northside): Rivals ranks Fountain as the No. 4 corner prospect in the country. He is a former quarterback who shows natural instincts from his days on the offensive side of the football. He had offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Michigan, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Clemson.

CB Amare Nugent (5-11, 180, Plantation, FL American Heritage): Nugent is a 4-star recruit that 247Sports ranks as the No. 15 corner in the country. His offer list included Miami, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Indiana and Florida State.

WR Anthony Jennings (5-11, 160, Fort Lauderdale, FL Dillard): He has gamebreaking speed. Career numbers are 55 catches for 1,389 yards and19 touchdowns. He is a 4-star prospect and the No. 44 wide receiver in the country. He had an extensive offer sheet that included Miami, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Indiana, Auburn, Ole Miss, Florida State and Missouri.

TE Jackson Ballinger (6-5, 230, Centerburg, OH): Ballinger is a 4-star recruit and the No. 24 tight end in the country per On3. He chose the Gators over offers from Ole Miss, Indiana, Missouri, Auburn, Washington, Louisville, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin.

DL Stive-Bentley Keumajou Yondui (6-3, 295, Coral Gables, FL): Moved to Miami from England in 2025, he plays basketball as well as football. He is a 3-star prospect, the No. 37 defensive lineman in the country per 247Sports. Great feet. He had offers from Georgia, Texas, Miami, Auburn, Texas A&M, Louisville and Nebraska.

S Kailib Dillard (6-2, 175, Tulsa, OK Jenks): Dillard is a standout on both sides of the ball. As a receiver he caught 71 passes for 1,250 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior. As a safety he picked off five passes. Florida recruited him as a safety where he will need to put on some muscle but has real ball hawking skills. He’s a 3-star and the No. 44 ranked safety in the country per On3. He chose Florida over Miami, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Penn State.

TE Tommy Douglas (6-5, 235, Princeton, NJ The Hun School): A very mobile tight end/H-Back type who averaged 19.4 yards per catch last season. He is a 4-star recruit and the No. 17 tight end in the country per 247Sports. He had offers from Alabama, Southern Cal, Auburn, Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, Auburn, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Miami.

DL De’Voun Kendrick (6-4, 300, Tampa, FL Carrollwood Day): Kendrick projects as a nose tackle who can command a double team in the middle. He uses his wrestling skills to fight off blockers and make plays. He is a 3-star and the No. 80 defensive lineman in the country by On3. His offer sheet included Louisville, Nebraska, Auburn, Kansas State and Georgia Tech.

2026 transfer from JU

TE Jaylen Jordon (6-8, 240, SR, from Jacksonville University): He played four years of college basketball at Georgia Southwestern, Flagler and Jacksonville University, but has a year of eligibility since he didn’t play football. He caught the attention of Sumrall when he participated in Florida’s Pro Day as a tight end. He’s trying to follow in the steps of Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham, who played college basketball before playing tight end in the NFL.  

MEANWHILE, KENTUCKY FLOPS AGAIN IN BASKETBALL RECRUITING

While Todd Golden has wrapped up his 2026-27 roster with the international additions of Arturas Butajevas (6-10, 220, from Lithuania) and Domen Petrovic (6-9, 220, from Slovenia), Kentucky continues to strike out. Last week the Wildcats lost the nation’s No. 1 high school recruit (Tyran Stokes) to Kansas and international big man Sayton Keita to North Carolina. A day ago, the Wildcats were beaten to the punch by LSU for Marcio Santos, a 23-year-old Brazilian playing in Israel.

As if things aren’t bad on the recruiting front, Malachi Moreno’s draft stock is rising rapidly. The 7-1, 250-pounder will show what he’s got at the NBA combine in Chicago May 10-17. He’s a fringe first rounder whose skills and age (18) are likely to move him up to somewhere in the mid-20s on draft expectations.

If Moreno stays in the draft, Kentucky will have lost 10 players off its roster to graduation, the NBA and the transfer portal. Four scholarship players return, there is one freshman incoming, an international big guy and four portal additions, only one of which is a genuine stud. The Wildcats also have a coach (Mark Pope) who has lost 26 games in two seasons with a distinct possibility of double digit losses for a third straight season for 2026-27.

Kentucky fans have already taken notice that Billy Donovan is a free agent. They also know that the Orlando Magic have an opening. Apoplexy will hit pandemic proportions in the Big Blue Nation if Billy says yes once the Magic make a formal offer, which is all but assured.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Not to be outdone by the NCAA, which will expand the basketball tournament from 68 to 76 teams, the College Football Playoff will also expand. The question is expand by four to 16 teams or double up to 24? The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) has endorsed 24 teams but that is no guarantee that the CFP will go for it, nor is it a guarantee that the networks will agree to it.

There is also no guarantee that the Southeastern Conference will go along with the 24-team model. It is well known that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has been at odds with Big Ten commish Tony Petiti over expansion plans. Sankey prefers 16 teams while Petiti has been at the forefront of the 24-team model.

It isn’t just the number of teams in the playoff that has Sankey digging in his heels. High on Sankey’s list of objections is the elimination of the conference championship games, which is part of the 24-team proposal. The SEC Championship Game in Atlanta is a cash cow for the league. It was the first conference championship game (began in 1992) and it is by far the most watched and most important.

But, there is more.

Writes Matt Hayes, the national college football writer for the USA Today network, “Want to know why the SEC isn’t moving off a 16-team playoff? Because a 24-team playoff is the first big step to the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences consolidating and sharing media rights. 

“And that’s just not going to happen. The SEC will blow up college football ― the whole smash ― before sharing its billions and prime television windows on the biggest network in college sports with everyone else.”

Here is where Sankey has true leverage. He’s got a media rights deal with ESPN that’s good until the end of the 2033-24 athletic year. Guess who owns the SEC Network and has the rights to the College Football Playoff through 2032? The Big Ten, meanwhile, will be entering the second of its 3-year conglomerate media deal with Fox, CBS, NBC and others.

The playoff is going to expand, no doubt about it, but unless a falling moon rock breaks through the atmosphere and hits Sankey on the head causing him to reverse course, the SEC isn’t going to go all in with a 24-team playoff. Sankey holds all the cards here and he’s got a media deal with the most powerful network in all of college sports to back him up.