This might be transfer portal recruiting season but that didn’t stop the Gators from wrapping up the recruitment of a huge name in 2025 landing guard Alex Lloyd.
If you’ve been following Florida basketball recruiting recently Alex Lloyd might be a name that’s familiar to you. He’s been on Florida’s radar for a number of years, but after a dominant season playing for Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale the Gators were sure he was a guy they needed to get, turning their recruitment into a full court press. Lloyd has been a steady riser over the last year and a half and now sits as the 45th ranked player in the country and 6th in the state of Florida.
When Todd Golden was hired he said he was going to make recruiting the state of Florida a priority, and the commitment of Alex Lloyd furthered that game plan after landing 2024 guard Isaiah Brown who hails from Orlando. Two of the players ranked above Brown in the state of Florida are the Boozer twins, Cameron and Cayden, so you can look for the Gators to continue to push to dominate the state of Florida in recruiting.
Lloyd grew up a Gators fan and always dreamed of playing in Gainesville. He was quick to take calls from the new staff after they were hired two years ago when some players were waiting to see what the product on the floor would be, and that sentiment stuck with the coaches.
As a player, Lloyd checks a lot of the boxes you want from a guard. He’s got good size at 6’4”, he can create for himself, he can make shots, and he loves to defend. Watching Westminster Academy it’s easy to see his high-end upside as he contributes in every aspect of the game and fills up the statsheet. It seems like he’s always good for 20 points with a handful of assists and rebounds while also chipping in a couple of steals on the defensive end–oftentimes plays that turn into dunks on the other end.
Lloyd can play extremely fast–and speed is clearly an identity that Golden is looking to establish with the Gators. He has the legs to sprint up and down the floor for 40 minutes, and the ball skills to make moves in traffic even at a high tempo.
There is also huge upside on the defensive end with Lloyd’s mix of size, mobility, and competitiveness. Even as a 2025 he’s dominant on the defensive end playing against some of the top teams in Florida, and for a Florida team that’s looking to improve their defense as a program these are the types of players you need to pursue.
With the commitment, Lloyd becomes the first player in Florida’s 2025 class. Given the current climate of college basketball it’s not as often that players commit before their senior season, and this speaks to a player that loves the school he’s headed to and a team that’s confident in the abilities of the player. While Lloyd is currently ranked 45th in the country, don’t be surprised to see that number climb before he ends up on Florida’s campus in 2025.
It’s unknown exactly how many high school players the Gators will be looking to add in 2025 (see the fact they only have one player in the 2024 class, or two if you count 7’6” preferred walk-on Olivier Rioux) so if they’re going to take a commitment–you know they are extremely high on that player.
Lloyd’s other offers came from Miami, Florida State, St. John’s, Dayton, and FAU, among others.