The Florida Gators are entering a new era of football for the program with head coach Jon Sumrall taking over the reigns from former coach Billy Napier.
For too many years, the Gators have been mired in mediocrity. A once-proud program has become used to losing. That was unacceptable and made Florida make an aggressive change.
Sumrall has his work cut out for him. He will need to build the program back up to contention. It won’t be a one-year process, but the Gators are in much better shape now than they have been over the last few years.
With that being said, everything will start with recruiting and the transfer portal. Florida has to do a better job of bringing in elite talent.
Keeping that in mind, Sumrall has his sights set on one elite five-star quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class.
Florida, Jon Sumrall Among Top Teams for 5-Star QB Elijah Haven
Elijah Haven is one of the best recruits in the nation for the 2027 recruiting class. As of right now, the Gators seem to have put themselves in a position to potentially land a commitment from him, although there is a lot of work to be done.
Hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Haven is ranked as the No. 1 overall quarterback in the 2027 class by On3 Sports. He has also received the ranking of being the No. 14 player in the nation.
On3 Sports has also shared the top teams in contention to land Haven’s commitment.
Currently, the Alabama Crimson Tide have a 78.6 percent chance of landing him. However, Florida comes in at No. 2 with an 18.9 percent chance.
Those numbers can turn around quickly. Just because the Gators are trailing in percentage points doesn’t mean that they’re very far behind the Crimson Tide. Aggressive recruiting from Sumrall could turn the tide back in Florida’s favor.
Who Is Elijah Haven & What Kind of Player Can He Become?
Andrew Ivins of 247 Sports shared an extremely interesting comparison for Haven during his scouting report back in April of 2025. He compared the young signal caller to current Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
Becoming anything close to the kind of quarterback that Brissett has been throughout his career would be a massive win for Haven. Even though Brissett is not a star at the NFL level, he has created a longstanding professional career for himself.
During the 2025 high school football season, Haven earned the honor of being named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Louisiana. He is among the top rising young stars in high school football.
This is exactly the kind of move that Sumrall needs to find a way to make.
Obviously, the Gators will need to put in a lot of work to land his commitment. At this point in time, the team is clearly one of the top contenders to come out on top.
Florida Gators Among Top Contenders to Land Elite 5-Star QB