Grading Florida in-state football recruiting: Who got A's for July 4?

With one of the biggest commitment weekends of the year gone, most of Florida's top players have come off the board.

With July 4 past, just 12 players ranked in the USA TODAY Florida Top 100 have remain uncommitted. As players come off the board and commitments start to solidify, the picture for in-state programs is becoming clearer.

USA TODAY Florida Recruiting reporters Nick Wilson and Jon Santucci used the holiday weekend to grade how each FBS program in Florida has fared in their home territory. Here's how each school has fared, based on where the class stands, their expectations, and what's still within reach by Signing Day in December.

Miami

Grade: A-

Wilson's take: Miami has been trending towards one of the most stacked classes in the country for several years, and is putting it all together this cycle. Last year's run to a national championship has propelled them into new recruiting heights under Mario Cristobal and the class reflects the new standard in Coral Gables. The 'Canes have done an admirable job in their home state, which is where a lot of the juice from this class come from. All eight of their in-state commits are ranked in the Florida Top 100. Of those eight, seven are from South Florida (and the one outlier is one county to the north). The hold commitments from the No. 1 WR in Florida (Nick Lennear, No. 3 overall), No. 1 IOL (Sean Tatum, No. 14 overall), and No. 1 TE (Demarcus DeRoche, No. 20 overall). Lennear, a consensus 5-star, is the marquee in-state pledge but not the only 5-star to have committed. Miami has hit the road for elite talent and landed commitments from CB Donte Wright and EDGE Jaiden Bryant, the No. 1 overall players in California and South Carolina, respectively. They also have a commitment from Montini Catholic (Ill.) QB Israel Abrams, a consensus 4-star and top-5 QB in the nation.

Santucci's take: This is a really, really good class with some major out- of-state-commitments. Wright and Abrams both are national top 10 recruits. Bryant, an All-American edge rusher the Hurricanes flipped from LSU, is No. 20 overall. Miami has elite Florida talent, too, led by Lennear and Tatum. DeRoche is a tantalizing tight end prospects, and the defensive backs (McArthur safety Jaylyn Jones and North Miami safety Andre Hyppolite headline the list) all are special players. The one "knock" on this class, if you want one, is this class is built largely on out-of-state players. Miami was connected to most of Florida's top recruits at one time or another, but either didn't land them or chose to move on to other players. And while Miami is having a lot of success nationally this cycle, it's hard to overlook the fact that most of Miami's key players during its playoff run last fall (Malachi Toney, Rueben Bain Jr., Francis Mauigioa, Akheem Mesidor, Mark Fletcher Jr.) played high school football in Florida.

Florida

Grade: A

Wilson's take: Florida needed something to reignite its fire on the recruiting trail, and it got it in Jon Sumrall. The new staff in Gainesville has sent the house at elite players in their home state and has closed at a high clip. Their seven in-state commits are all in top 50 of the Florida Top 100, including the No. 1 QB (David Davidson, No. 10), No. 4 WR (Eias Pearl, No. 11), No. 1 DL (Stive Bentley-Yondui, No. 19) and No. 1 ATH (Tramond Collins, No. 21). Pocketing the No. 1 overall OT in the country, Maxwell Hiller, showed that this staff has the chops to build a legit contender.

Santucci's take: Take a bow, Jon Sumrall. Florida's new coach has zero on-field success in Gainesville to attract players but still has completely shifted the vibe around the program. Even players who didn't commit to the Gators have raved about the new staff's infectious energy and passion. Florida has sone an impressive job building its lines. Hiller is one of the premier recruits in the nation. Maryland defensive tackle Cahron Wheeler, Texas interior offensive lineman Peyton Miller and Virginia offensive tackle all are four-star recruits ranked in the top 160 nationally. The in-state haul of Davidson, Pearl, Bentley-Yondi ,Collins and American Heritage cornerback Amare Nugent all are impressive recruits with high upside.

Florida State

Grade: C-

Wilson's take: The fall off between last year's class and the trajectory of this one is startling. The 'Noles have 4 in-state commitments, three of which are in the Florida Top 100. Few elite recruits this cycle have had FSU among their finalists, fewer have visited, and even less have committed. There is always a chance they work some magic by December, but the reality is that we haven't heard about this staff from in-state players as much this go-around. The players they have landed, like Port Charlotte QB Logan Flaherty (No. 81) and Plantation S Jemari Foreman (No. 95), are strong pieces to a solid class with some out-of-state blue chip talent — but FSU is not throwing its weight around in its home state this cycle for a multitude of reasons.

Santucci's take: What's the expectation for Florida State this cycle? Realistically, Mike Norvell doesn't have a lot to sell. He arguably has the hottest seat in the country. With the exception of the first few weeks of the 2025 season, the last two years have been completely forgettable. (Or a nightmare if you're a Florida State fan.) So, with that as the backdrop, it's hard to argue Florida State should be doing much better this cycle. Losing Lennard safety Mekhi Williams to Wisconsin hurt a lot, but it seemed like a longshot that they could keep him. Florida State has high upside players from Florida, such as Indian Rocks Christian edge Anthony Cavallaro, Flaherty and Foreman. But this class is largely built on out-of-state players — including all three of the program's four-star recruits. Realistically, this class grade should be incomplete. If Norvell doesn't win, it's hard to imagine him staying. And typically, when a coach goes the class falls apart.

USF

Grade: B+

Wilson's take: This is a really solid class at this point of the year for Brian Hartline, who said USF has under-succeeded in recent years. Considering how much USF administration has bought in to football (both literally and emotionally), Hartline is not entirely wrong and he's working to recruit like a Power-4 program. The Bulls flipped Merrit Island QB Kevin Verpaele (No. 70) away from his Pitt commitment, landed The First Academy ATH Brian Dillard (No. 75) over West Virginia and Stanford, and has as many Top 100 commits as Florida State.

Santucci's take: Absolutely loved the Hartline hire in December, and so far, he has continued the positive momentum that Alex Golesh had before he left for Auburn. Verpaele, Dillard and Trinity Christian linebacker Terrell Pinkney III are top 100 players who can have an early impact at USF. Mandarin defensive lineman Kindrid Outlaw and West Boca cornerback Larry Morgan III are high upside players from winning programs. USF's program is ranked 67th in the nation — or just nine spots behind Florida State. USF fans should be excited.

UCF

Grade: C+

Wilson's take: The Knights have corrected course in their home state over recent months, going from zero in-state commitments to 11 since April. Lake Wales ATH Kaneiulius Purdy (No. 31) was a major pickup that preceded a slew of commitments that include some producers at elite prep programs like P James Reynolds (Venice), EDGE Dontallis Render (Vero Beach), and WR Jamal Robinson Jr. (Miami Central). The class, as it stands, earns a passing grade — but the Knights have a lot of room to grow.

Santucci's take: As much as I dislike agreeing with Nick Wilson, I do agree with much of what he said. UCF's 2026 class wasn't good enough in Florida. The Knights have some really quality players, led by Purdy. Atlantic running back Omari St. Fort is a bigger back with track speed whose best football is ahead of him. Jones defensive lineman Noah Robinson and Nease safety/linebacker Kash Kolbow are highly productive high school players from winning programs. This class is a step up from last year. That alone is a step in the right direction.

FIU

Grade: C

Wilson's take: The Panthers should and have prioritized under-looked talent in their backyard, and have done a solid job of that this cycle. St. Thomas Aquinas IOL Jayden Dean is a proven contributor to a winning program and True North QB Zac Katz tossed for over 2,400 yards with 25 touchdowns and just three picks last year. Venice RB Dorien Jones (No. 84) is one of the most dynamic producers in the state and it a really impressive land for Willie Simmons, but there's still more to be had with uncommitted South Florida talent. The Panthers class will look much different by December.

Santucci's take: I really like what the Panthers have done so far this class. They've pulled talented players from traditional powerhouses such as Venice running back Dorien Irving-Jones, Eau Gallie cornerback Amari Oquendo, Dean, Katz and Lennard cornerback Robert Gibbons. These are players who all can contribute to a winning program at the next level. Simmons isn't done and he'll likely add some under-the-radar players from FIU's backyard over the next few months.

FAU

Grade: D –

Wilson's take: This class's saving grace is the volume of Florida talent here. Five commitments from nationally ranked in-state players is a good number, but that's about it for this class. Their top-ranked recruit, Hawthorne WR Dom Harvey, led an 11-1 Hawthorne squad in touchdown catches last year. Their No. 2 recruit, Sumner RB Tommy Scott, was the No. 3 ball carrier for Sumner last year. FAU continues to be lapped on the recruiting trail in their home state and the gap between their class and those like FIU's and USF's is glaring apparent. This program hasn't had a winning record against AAC teams in a season since 2021 and is coming off a 4-8 season after Zach Kittley's first year at the helm with probably the least administrative support of any FBS school in the state.

Santucci's take: The grade is probably a little harsh, because I really like Harvey. He's a dynamic playmaker from an outstanding program who get could early playing time for the Owls. Florida Atlantic also has some high upside prospect commits like Ponte Vedra tackle Sean Hassan, Jones safety Reggie Harris, Carrollwood Day linebacker Zion Garrett and Fort Pierce Westwood receiver Jermaine Walker. At the same time, it's still not clear what the long-term plan is for the program. Going back to the program's start under Howard Schnellenberger 25 years ago, there was a loud and clear message of what the plan was and where the program was going. This wasn't it.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Grading Florida in-state football recruiting: Who got A's for July 4?