Florida basketball recruiting: Four-star Malik Reneau commits to Gators, kicks off 2022 class

Basketball

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After consecutive seasons of disappointing hauls in recruiting and a slow start in building its Class of 2022, Florida Gators basketball hauled in a big name Wednesday as four-star power forward Malik Reneau (Hialeah, FL) committed to the program. He is currently playing at Montverde Academy.

Reneau (6-foot-8, 210 pounds) committed to Florida primarily over Florida State but had a list of finalists that included Indiana, Memphis and Miami, among others. He has one year of high school remaining.

“They’ve been recruiting me for a long time. It’s family with them,” he said when explaining his decision. “They’ve just been there for a while, and it’s really a family-type of vibe for me.”

Reneau is the No. 43 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite and would be the highest-rated post player to sign with the Gators since Chris Walker (Class of 2013) if he follows through on his verbal pledge.

He averaged 17.2 points and 8.5 rebounds this summer while playing on the Nike EYBL tour.

Tremendously skilled and intelligent on the court, Reneau must increase his size and strength to compete at the next level. There’s little doubt he will be able to do that given his frame and the success of Florida athletic trainer Dave Werner in transforming players’ bodies once they join the program.

With Reneau’s commitment, the Gators’ 2022 class debuts at No. 26 overall in the 247Sports Composite team rankings. It’s the third-highest rated class with just one player committed.