Breaking down Florida football’s recruiting class: Gators add pass-catching threat at TE
Florida football picked up a commitment from another pass catching threat over the weekend, landing a pledge from three-star wide receiver/tight end Tae’Shaun Gelsey.
Per 247Sports.com composite, Gelsey is ranked as the 72nd best high school player in Florida. He caught 48 passes for 859 yards and 9 TD for Jacksonville Riverside High this past season.
Gelsey chose the Florida Gators over offers from Tulane, Alabama State, Appalachian State and Arkansas State. Though Gelsey is listed as a wide receiver on his recruiting profile, he was recruited by UF tight ends coach/co-offensive coordinator Russ Callaway to play tight end.
Along with football, Gelsey played basketball at Riverside, where he averaged 9.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.3 apg and 1.2 spg as a sophomore.
With the addition of Gelsey and four-star wide receiver Joshua Moore last week, Florida’s class currently sits at eight commitments and is ranked 66th in the nation per 247Sports composite.
Here’s a look at UF’s commitments and potential targets:
Florida football 2025 commitments
Jalen Wiggins
Position: Edge rusher
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 255
School/Hometown: Rickards HS/Tallahassee
Rating: Four-star (per 247 Sports)
The Skinny: Coming off a 2023 HS season that included 31 tackles for loss, 37 QB hurries, 16 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Waltez Clark
Position: RB/WR
Height/Weight: 6-1, 194
School/Hometown: Plant HS/Tampa
Rating: Four-star (per 247 Sports)
The Skinny: Rushed for 476 yards and 15 TD on 77 carries (6.2 yards per carry) while also catching 22 passes for 358 yards and 4 TD in the 2023 season.
Jeramiah McCloud
Position: DL
Height/Weight: 6-3, 280
School/Hometown: Gadsden County HS/Havana
Rating: Three-star (per 247 Sports)
The Skinny: Finished 2023 season with 55 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 12 sacks to help Gadsden County go 6-5 and make the Florida 2S playoffs.
Micah Jones
Position: TE
Height/Weight: 6-5, 245
School/Hometown: Madison Central HS/Madison, Miss.
Rating: Three-star (per 247 Sports)
The Skinny: Finished 2023 season with 168 receiving yards and 1 TD. Per 247Sports composite, Jones is the No. 28 overall tight end and the No. 15 recruit in Mississippi for the Class of 2025.
Chad Gasper
Position: RB
Height/Weight: 5-10, 200
School/Hometown: Katy Jordan HS/Fulshear, Texas
Rating: Three-star (per 247 Sports)
The Skinny: Rushed for 300 yards and 2 TDs in nine high school games in 2023, while adding 8 catches for 127 yards.
Hayden Craig
Position: P
Height/Weight: 6-2, 190
School/Hometown: Bridgton Academy/Bridgton, Maine
Rating: Three-star (per 247 Sports)
The Skinny: A lefty combo kicker/punter, Craig is the fifth-rated punter in the counter per 247Sports. At the 2024 Kohl’s Eastern Showcase Camp for punters and kickers in May, Craig’s best punt went for 46 yards, with a hang time of 4.31 seconds.
Joshua Moore
Position: WR
Height/Weight: 6-4, 205
School/Hometown: West Broward HS/Pembroke Pines
Rating: Three-star (per 247 Sports)
The Skinny: Moore finished 2023 season with 50 catches for 835 yards and 9 TD, helping lead West Broward to the 4M playoffs. Chose UF over offers from Miami, Florida State, Arkansas and Auburn.
Potential Florida football 2025 targets
Vernell Brown III
Position: WR
Height/Weight: 5-11, 170
School/Hometown: Jones HS/Orlando
Rating: Five-star (per 247 Sports composite)
The Skinny: The son of former UF cornerback/wide receiver Vernell Brown Jr., the younger Brown is a dynamic offensive and return threat. He caught 70 passes for 1,363 yards and 10 TD on offense while scoring four more TDs on special teams (3 punt returns and a kickoff return). Brown also has offers from Florida State, Miami, Ohio State and Alabama.
Solomon Thomas
Position: OT
Height/Weight: 6-4, 315
School/Hometown: Raines HS/Jacksonville
Rating: Five-star (per 247 Sports)
The Skinny: He’s committed to FSU, but there are rumblings that Florida is working hard to flip him. Thomas visited the UF campus earlier this month, and he’s visited LSU as well. He’s rated as the top offensive recruit in the 2025 class and would address UF’s weakness at tackle that the Gators have tried to address in the transfer portal with the additions of Devon Manuel (Arkansas) and Brendan Crenshaw-Dickson (San Diego State).
Ben Hanks Jr.
Position: CB
Height/Weight: 6-1, 170
School/Hometown: Booker T. Washington HS/Miami, Fla.
Rating: Four-star (per 247 Sports)
The Skinny: Hanks took and official and unofficial visit to Florida last month and took part in UF’s Friday Night Lights 7-on-7 tournament. His father, Ben Hanks Sr., played linebacker at UF under Steve Spurrier in the 1990s. Hanks also has offers from Florida State, Miami, and Georgia. Hanks earned All-Dade County honors in 2023 by the Miami Herald, finishing the year with 6 interceptions, including three pick sixes.
Hylton Stubbs
Position: S
Height/Weight: 6-2, 195
School/Hometown: Mandarin HS/Jacksonville
Rating: Four-star (per 247 Sports)
The Skinny: Miami has emerged as the favorite to land Stubbs, though Florida is still in the mix. Stubbs visited UF’s campus last month and is being recruited by secondary coach Will Harris and defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong.
Jahzare Jackson
Position: OL
Height/Weight: 6-10, 300
School/Hometown: Overtime Elite/San Diego, Calif.
Rating: N/A
The Skinny: Jackson is an intriguing recruit. A former basketball center who played alongside Bronny James, Jackson has switched to football, where at 6-10 he projects as a rangy tackle. He took an official visit to UF last month and also has offers from Florida State, Georgia and Mississippi State.
