Florida football coach Jon Sumrall on recruiting 'we can build a monster'

Florida football has endured some setbacks in October in its first season under head coach Jon Sumrall.

But that hasn't impacted the Florida Gators so far when it comes to recruiting.

Florida boosted its 2027 recruiting class over the weekend by landing a commitment from 5-star receiver Easton Royal. The 6-foot-0, 205-pound Royal, from New Orleans, is rated as the top overall receiver and number eight overall player in the 2027 class, per SC Next ESPN 300.

Royal joins offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller as the second five-star in a 2027 class of 26 commitments that's ranked sixth nationally, per 247 Sports.

"I have a strong feeling that we can build a monster here," Sumrall said. "I've said that. That doesn't always happen just as fast as you want it to, but we're getting there. And I think you're seeing belief by certain players, who are talented players, that are gonna come do this with us for the long haul."

Other key commitments in UF's 2027 class include Elias Pearl, a four-star receiver from Port Charlotte High in Port Charlotte, and Davin Davidson, a four-star, dual-threat quarterback from Cardinal Mooney High in Sarasota.

Sumrall is confident he will be able to hold the class together on National Signing Day, which runs from December 2 through December 4. Florida (4-2, 2-2 SEC) has lost two straight this month after a 4-0 start. After UF's 38-19 loss to South Carolina on homecoming at The Swamp, Sumrall said he still received encouraging texts from recruits.

"It's been fun for me to get those because I'm like, 'You're the right kind of guy because you're wired for what we have to do to get this thing where we want it to be,'" Sumrall said. "But I'm excited about the direction recruiting's going. We got a lot of great things to recruit to here. And I have — my belief in what we can build here has not wavered at all."

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football coach Jon Sumrall on recruiting 'we can build a monster'