Breaking down Florida football’s recruiting class: Gators add pass-catching threat at TE

Florida Football committed another pass-catching threat over the weekend, landing a pledge from three-star wide receiver/tight end Tae’Shaun Gelsey.

According to the 247Sports.com composite, Gelsey is ranked as the 72nd best high school player in Florida. He caught 48 passes for 859 yards and 9 TDs for Jacksonville Riverside High last season.

Gelsey chose the Florida alligators over offers from Tulane, Alabama State, Appalachian State and Arkansas State. Although Gelsey is listed as a wide receiver on his recruiting profile, he was recruited by UF head 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 has eight commitments and is ranked No. 66 in the country by the 247Sports composite.

Here’s a look at UF’s commitments and potential targets:

Florida Football Commitments for 2025

Jalen Wiggins

Position: Edge presser

Height Weight: 6-foot-5, 255

School/hometown: Rickards HS/Tallahassee

Assessment: Four stars (by 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: HS/Tampa Plant

Assessment: Four stars (by 247 sports)

The Skinny: Rushed for 476 yards and 15 TDs on 77 carries (6.2 yards per carry) while catching 22 passes for 358 yards and 4 TDs in the 2023 season.

Jeramiah McCloud

Position: DL

Height Weight: 6-3, 280

School/hometown: Gadsden County HS/Havana

Assessment: Three stars (by 247 sports)

The Skinny: Finished the 2023 season with 55 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 12 sacks to help Gadsden County go 6-5 and reach the Florida 2S playoffs.

Micah Jones

Position: YOU

Height Weight: 6-5, 245

School/hometown: Madison Central HS/Madison, miss.

Assessment: Three stars (by 247 sports)

The Skinny: Finished the 2023 season with 168 receiving yards and 1 TD. According to the 247Sports composite, Jones is the No. 28 tight end overall and the No. 15 recruit in Mississippi for the 2025 class.

Chad Gasper

Position: RB

Height Weight: 5-10, 200

School/hometown: Katy Jordan HS/Fulshear, Texas

Assessment: Three stars (by 247 sports)

The Skinny: Rushed for 300 yards and 2 TDs in nine high school games in 2023 while adding 8 receptions for 127 yards.

Hayden Craig

Position: P

Height Weight: 6-2, 190

School/hometown: Bridgton Academy/Bridgton, Maine

Assessment: Three stars (by 247 sports)

The Skinny: A left-handed kicker/punter, Craig is the fifth-ranked punter on the counter by 247Sports. At the 2024 Kohl’s Eastern Showcase Camp for punters and kickers in May, Craig’s best punt was 46 yards with a hang time of 4.31 seconds.

Joshua Moore

Position: W.R.

Height Weight: 6-4, 205

School/hometown: West Broward HS/Pembroke Pines

Assessment: Three stars (by 247 sports)

The Skinny: Moura Finished the 2023 season with 50 receptions for 835 yards and 9 TDs, helping lead West Broward to the 4M playoffs. Choose UF over offers from Miami, Florida State, Arkansas and Auburn.

Potential Florida Football Targets for 2025

Vernell Brown III

Position: W.R.

Height Weight: 5-11, 170

School/hometown: Jones HS/Orlando

Assessment: Five stars (per composite of 247 sports)

The Skinny: The son of former UF cornerback/wide receiver Vernell Brown Jr., the younger Brown is a dynamic offensive and running back threat. He caught 70 passes for 1,363 yards and 10 TDs on offense, while scoring four more TDs on special teams (3 punt returns and one kickoff return). Brown also has offers from Florida State, Miami, Ohio State and Alabama.

Solomon Thomas

Position: Old testment

Height Weight: 6-4, 315

School/hometown: Raines HS/Jacksonville

Assessment: Five Stars (by 247 Sports)

The Skinny: He is committed to FSU, but there are rumors that Florida is working hard to land him. Thomas visited the UF campus earlier this month and also visited LSU. He is rated as the top offensive recruit in the 2025 class and would address UF’s weakness at tackle that the Gators tried to address in the transfer portal with the additions of Devon Manuel (Arkansas) and Brendan Crenshaw-Dickson (San Diego State).

Tavion Wallace

Position: LB

Height Weight: 6-1, 215

School/hometown: Wayne County HS/Jessup, Georgia.

Assessment: Four stars (by 247 sports)

The Skinny: Florida and Florida State are the top two choices for Wallace, the 54th-ranked player in the country and the sixth-best linebacker in the country, according to the 247Sports composite.

Hylton Stubbs

Position: s

Height Weight: 6-2, 195

School/hometown: Mandarin HS/Jacksonville

Assessment: Four stars (by 247 sports)

The Skinny: Miami has emerged as the favorite to land Stubbs, although Florida is still in the mix. Stubbs visited the UF 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, California.

Assessment: 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.

This article originally appeared in The Gainesville Sun: Florida football 2025 recruiting class, commitments and goals