Florida has found themselves locked in the biggest recruiting story of the 2025 class, and they might soon get an answer about whether they’re going to come away successful.
Cameron Boozer, the 2nd ranked player in the class of 2025, and his brother Cayden Boozer, the 21st ranked player, have combined to form one of the biggest college basketball recruitments in recent history and certainly the most high stakes that the Gators have been in on in some time.
The sons of former NBA player and Duke legend Carlos Boozer, the thought has always been that they were destined to be Blue Devils–though they always pushed back on that sentiment and said that the recruitment was going to be open. They also have said on a number of occasions that their recruitments were independent of each other and that they weren’t necessarily a package deal–though by all accounts they will be heading to the same program next fall.
Cameron Boozer is a big forward that does all the big-time star things–creating offense out of nothing, and making highlight reel plays at the rim and with the jumper. He also does the little things–controlling the glass, moving the ball, and playing rock solid defense. Cayden is the perfect player to compliment his brother as a point guard with great size and a high level of basketball IQ. He’s someone who doesn’t need the spotlight and is a willing passer, and he would fit in seamlessly with any talented players around him.
For a time it looked like the Boozers were going to take their decision later in the fall or the winter, but sources close to the recruitment are now saying they’re looking to make a decision quickly in order to focus on their final year of high school basketball. A list of the final schools they are considering consists of Duke, Miami, and Florida.
At one point the Gators were considered to be in a strong place for this recruitment, but I have recently heard that as of right now they are still very much in consideration–but are behind the Blue Devils and Hurricanes. This is, of course, bad news for Florida and Florida fans, but the Boozers were quick to tell schools when they weren’t being considered and it’s how they got down to a final three schools so quickly so if the Gators really were out–they would have been told by now. That means the Gators are still in the mix, though it’s looking like it could be a challenge for them to win the recruitment. Something that may not be in Florida’s favor is the fact that the Boozers now want to make their decision a bit more quickly as opposed to taking the decision into the college season. There was some thought that the Boozers were going to want to see some of the on-court product this season before making a decision, which makes a lot of sense given the programs they are considering. Both Florida’s Todd Golden and Duke’s Jon Scheyer have just two years of high-major coaching each, and some people in the Boozer’s camp would like to take in as much on-court information as possible before making a decision. Miami, the other school they are strongly considering, are coming off last season where they finished on a dreadful 10-game losing streak. It seems that seeing what all these three teams look like on the court could have value to such a big decision, but they may make the choice before November when basketball tips off.
On3’s Joe Tipton, as sharp a recruiting expert as there is, referred to the Gators as a “dark horse” in the recruitment which summarizes the situation well–you certainly can’t call them a favorite at the moment, but they’re certainly not out of the running. The Boozers have had multiple visits to Gainesville both officially and unofficially, and I’m told Florida would make the necessary NIL commitment to land players of this stature.
While no commitment date is set, the Boozers could make their decision quickly and the Gators will hope they have done enough to be the surprise winners.