Florida football recruiting: Four-star 2026 DB Jaelen Waters flips and commits to Gators

Football

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Image Credit: GatorsFB on Twitter

While the Florida Gators continue to wait for their Class of 2025 to grow, their Class of 2026 has gotten off to a hot start. Florida on Saturday received a commitment from four-star defensive back Jaelen Waters (Seffner, FL), who became the second such pledge out of that class through the first two weeks of June.

“Great to be a Florida Gator,” Waters, whose nickname is “Seatbelt,” wrote on social media.

Waters (6-foot-2, 170 pounds) committed to Florida State just two months ago only to quickly flip to UF after a change of heart led to him leaving FSU’s class. He is now the second 2026 prospect to pledge to the Gators, joining four-star quarterback Will Griffin (Tampa, FL).

Waters is ranked as the 191st prospect in the Class of 2026 with Griffin just ahead of him ranked 150th. Combined, they give Florida the No. 7 group in the cycle, though there are still 18 months until the early signing period.

In the meantime, the Gators are attempting to continue adding prospects for 2025. To this point, they only have five commitments with just two four-star pledges. Only one of those is among the top 200 players in the nation, four-star EDGE Jalen Wiggins (Tallahassee, FL).