The Florida Gators 2025 recruiting class looked as if it couldn’t be recovered back in September but winning can change everything. After winning three-straight games to close out the season, the Gators signed the No. 11 class in the country after ranking in the 60’s in the summer. At the receiver position, the Gators signed three players who complete an underrated haul when it comes to skill players who signed with Florida.
Vernell Brown III
Florida’s highest-ranked signee in a 2025 class that includes a total of 23 players is 5-star WR Vernell Brown III. The Jones receiver out of Orlando stands at 5-11, 170 pounds and is a true playmaker. In just two seasons played as a junior and senior at Jones High School, Brown totaled 158 receptions for 2,727 yards and 21 touchdowns. The 5-star standout is a player who I think plays very early as a freshman, similar to what we saw from Tre Wilson when he stepped on campus.
Brown was also a two-time state qualifier in the triple jump and owns a personal-best 43-7.25 in the event. The two-way player for Jones High also scored four times on special teams (3 punt returns and a kickoff return). Both Vernell Brown III and Gators’ receiver Tre Wilson are very similar players who will have similar impacts throughout their careers.
“Some players are more ready than others. I learned a long time ago, like, you typically kind of wait and see,” Napier said on Brown. “Some of the guys that you think aren’t ready, they end up being ready. The ones you thought would be maybe aren’t. If you pick one that’s mature enough, has the character, the football intelligence, has the skill set. I think his skill level is up there. VBIII impresses in the seven-on-seven setting, all these combines and camps, but he’s good with pads on. That’s what I like about him. He probably plays his best ball with helmets and shoulder pads on.”
“He’ll have every opportunity. He’ll be here early,” Napier said on Brown getting an opportunity to play early. “He’ll get his reps. We’re going to play the best player. Big punt returner, kick returner. He’s been dynamic in those regards. You think back to Tre Wilson. He played as a rookie, but he was not midyear. He had a hamstring issue that first summer.”
Brown was the No. 33 overall player and No. 8 WR in the Class of 2025 that hauled in 42 scholarship offers, according to 247Sports composite rankings. Things got scary with Vernell Brown’s recruitment as a senior with the Ohio State Buckeyes looking to be a big contender for the 5-star, but the Gators were able to get his signature in the end. Brown is early enrolling and will also be practicing with the team for bowl practices.
The Florida Gator legacy is the son of Vernell Brown II, who was the Senior Director of Student-Athlete Development/Alumni Relations in 2022 before leaving to become a certified NFLPA and NIL agent.
Naeshaun Montgomery
One of Florida’s most underrated signees in the entire class is 4-star WR Naeshaun Montgomery. The 6-1, 165-pound receiver out of Miami Central received a total of 50 scholarships offers and was pursued by teams like LSU, Penn State, Miami and Louisville towards the end of his recruitment.
Montgomery is originally from Rhode Island and attended Cardinal Newman High School before transferring to Miami Central and making a name for himself as a prospect where he averaged 20 yards per catch as a senior. The 4-star receiver brings a vertical element to this offense that is very similar to what we’ve seen with Elijhah Badger this season, and I think we can expect DJ Lagway and Montgomery to form a similar connection throughout the years. The Florida signee is the No. 175 overall prospect and No. 22 WR in the Class of 2025 as a 4-star prospect, according to 247Sports composite rankings. Montgomery totaled 41 receptions for 788 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons as a sophomore and senior. Montgomery will be one of 18 players who step on campus and early enroll in January.
“It was great just knowing as a head coach he knows how to develop receivers as well as coach Gonzales, and I really like the history they have with all the receivers,” Montgomery said.
Yes, it would’ve been nice to land 5-star receiver Dallas Wilson, but Naeshaun Montgomery is a diamond in the rough that Gators fans should be excited about.
Muizz Tounkara
3-star WR Muizz Tounkara was one of 10 prospects the Gators managed to flip in the final few weeks before National Signing Day. The former Arizona commit totaled 29 offers and is the No. 788 overall prospect and No. 114th receiver in the country, according to 247Sports composite rankings. The 6-4, 195-pound receiver finished his senior season with 30 receptions for 455 yards and 5 touchdowns to go along with one touchdown on a kick return. As a junior, Tounkara recorded 41 catches for 411 yards and 4 touchdowns while scoring 3 more times on special teams.
“Coach Napier is a head coach with a background of coaching wide receivers, he definitely has an emphasis on airing the ball out which gives guys like myself optimal opportunity to showcase our skills,” Tounkara said.
Florida’s receiver room needs players who will make those contested catches down field, and that’s exactly what they will get from the Texas native alongside Naeshaun Montgomery due to their size and speed. Tounkara also has a former background in track where he got reps as a sophomore in the 4×100 and 4×200. The former Clear Springs High School standout will not be early enrolling when January rolls around.