Top high school football recruits in Florida for the Class of 2027

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Few states care more about high school football than Florida, and even fewer produce the level of elite talent that the Sunshine State does. Routinely among the ‘Big 3’ of recruiting pipelines, nearly 180 players from Florida were represented on opening day NFL rosters last fall.

And though it has fallen back to the back a little bit in recent years with the emergence of Georgia as a recruiting hotspot, there are easily still more than 100-150 Power 4 signees each year. The 2027 crop is another deep one, headlined by three players ranked among the top-32 prospects nationally. Thirty-six in total were tabbed as blue-chip recruits in the updated Rivals300 rankings last week.

Below, Rivals breaks down the top players in the state and where things stand in their recruitments.

1. OT Mark Matthews

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 3
School: St. Thomas Aquinas
The Skinny: Last month, Matthews named Georgia, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, and Texas A&M as the schools standing out in his recruitment. It’s a long list, but none too surprising given the talent of the nation’s top offensive tackle. The Bulldogs, Hurricanes, Longhorns and Aggies are on his list of spring visits and will likely receive official visits as well this summer. He aims to make a commitment after those trips.

2. LB Kaden Henderson

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 16
School: Jesuit
The Skinny: The recruitment of Henderson is entering a key phase, as he has spring visits set with Miami, Texas A&M, Ohio State and Notre Dame. While a decision doesn’t seem to be close, Henderson has seen top contenders emerge throughout his process. Rivals’ No. 2 prospect in the Sunshine State, Henderson is also considering Florida and FSU, among others.

3. WR Nick Lennear

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 26
School: Miami Carol City
The Skinny: Lennear was a Navy All-American as a junior and is now down to five finalists in his recruitment: Florida State, LSU, Miami, Syracuse and Texas A&M. The 6-foot, 165-pounder continues to trend toward in the local Hurricanes, according to the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine. Miami began to pick up momentum in September as Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong logged a pick in favor of Mario Cristobal and Co. keeping him home. Over the past two seasons, he hauled in 58 passes for 1,038 yards and 18 touchdowns while playing alongside Syracuse signee Calvin Russell.

4. WR Eric McFarland

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 53
School: IMG Academy
The Skinny: Ohio State, USC and Texas A&M look to have separated from the pack when it comes to McFarland, who reclassified up from 2028 to 2027 last fall. He visited the Trojans and Buckeyes in January, will see them again this spring, and is also planning to get to College Station twice to visits the Aggies. Those three are also the only programs to lock in official visits for this summer so far.

5. EDGE Desmond Malpress

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 66
School: Atlantic Coast
The Skinny: Not only has Malpress emerged as one of the top pass-rushers in the class, he’s also emerged as one of the best in the Sunshine State. Now Rivals’ No. 5 player in Florida, the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder has had the Florida Gators atop his recruitment for a while and the in-state school continues to trend, per the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine.

6. WR Elias Pearl

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 77
School: Port Charlotte
The Skinny: Pearl has skyrocketed up teams’ recruiting boards in recent months, with Colorado, Iowa, Louisville, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, UCF, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and Wisconsin among those to offer this offseason. Both in-state schools, Florida and Florida State, have also offered. But Georgia is a team quickly rising in his recruitment. He told Rivals last month that Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Virginia Tech were standing out the most.

7. WR Julius Jones

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 84
School: St. Thomas Aquinas
The Skinny: The 5-foot-11, 165-pound Jones is part of a loaded roster at powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas, but has no shortage of attention on him individually. Last month, Jones trimmed his list of top schools down to eight. Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan and Texas also made the cut alongside Oregon and Notre Dame. The Ducks and Fighting Irish already have him locked in for official visits. But the in-state Hurricanes are looking to keep him close to home.

8. EDGE Frederick Ards III

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 85
School: Jones
The Skinny: Right on the cusp of being a top-10 player at his position this cycle, Ards is among the most coveted pass-rushers in the Southeast. He recently dropped a top five that includes Alabama, Florida, Florida State, South Carolina, and Texas A&M. As it stands today, the Gators are considered the significant favorites to land him thanks to multiple predictions in the Rivals Prediction Machine (RPM).

9. ATH Tramond Collins

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 103
School: Cottondale
The Skinny: An early commit to Florida, Collins chose to back off that pledge in December and reopen his recruitment fully. He was the Gators’ lone commit in the 2027 cycle at the time, and wanted a chance to evaluate other options after Billy Napier’s firing. The new staff under Jon Sumrall has made him a top priority though, battling Georgia, Auburn and Florida State, among others.

10. EDGE Wyatt Smith

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 108
School: St. Thomas Aquinas
The Skinny: The son of former NFL All-Pro Justin Smith, Wyatt is just now coming into his own as a top-tier prospect. He made a huge jump in the recent rankings, checking in as the No. 13 edge rusher in the class. His recruitment is still in its infancy, but Missouri — where his dad played — as well as Nebraska, Pittsburgh and more than a dozen other programs have already offered.

Other top Class of 2027 prospects in Florida

11. WR Osani Gayles
12. QB Davin Davidson
13. CB Amare Nugent – Florida commit
14. DL Jamar Thompson
15. WR Anthony Jennings

16. EDGE Zyron Forstall
17. DL Kaiden Robinson-Vickers
18. WR Jamarin Simmons
19. CB Bryce Williams
20. QB Champ Monds

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