Special report on the Florida Gators women’s basketball team:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida women’s basketball head coach Cam Newbauer announced today the signing of Jordyn Merritt (Plano, Texas) and Brynn Farrell (Ortley Beach, N.J.) to the 2020 recruiting class.
Tabbed a five-star recruit and the nation’s No. 27 overall player by ESPN HoopGurlz, Merritt becomes the highest-ranked recruit to sign with Florida since 2013. With the signing of standout Lavender Briggs a season ago and Merritt in 2020, UF has landed five-star recruits in back-to-back years for the first time since the 2012 and 2013 classes when Ronni Williams and Haley Lorenzen signed on with the Gators.
Merritt and Farrell will enter UF in the fall of 2020 as freshmen and become members of the 2020-21 women’s basketball team.
Newbauer on the 2020 Class
“We are excited to announce the signing of Jordyn Merritt and Brynn Farrell in our 2020 recruiting class. They represent the Gator Standard on the court, in the classroom and in the community and they will both have an impact upon their arrival to campus. Each having won state championships, they are proven winners with an insatiable desire to be great.”
The six-foot-two Merritt earned a 97 overall scouts grade from ESPN and is the No. 4 player in the state of Texas. The Plano High School standout has amassed over 1,500 career points and has been a steady riser the recruiting rankings. As a sophomore, Merritt helped guide Plano to its first-ever 6A State Championship finishing the season with averages of 13.7 points and 7.4 rebounds. In the state title game, Merritt grabbed a pivotal offensive rebound and scored on a putback to ice the team’s 62-58 win over Converse Judson.
Merritt, an agile and athletic forward, was tabbed the Dallas Morning News SportsDay High School All-Area Girls Basketball Player of the Year and to the All-USA Texas Girls Basketball Team that same season. As a junior Merritt took a big step forward, averaging a double-double at 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. She also has experience competing on the national stage having been invited to the 2018 U17 US National Team trails and having participated in the 2018 USA Basketball 3×3 National Championships.
“Jordyn Merritt is a compassionate leader with a unique gift for bringing people together to achieve a common goal. She is a dynamic and versatile forward that has the ability to score inside or on the perimeter.”
Farrell, who earned a four-star grade from ProspectsNation and an 89 overall scouts grade via ESPN, is an athletic slasher and creative finisher around the rim. The five-foot-ten wing averaged 18 points per game and led her St. Rose squad to its second-straight Non-Public A title this past season. The New Jersey native eclipsed the 1,000 point scoring mark just seven games into her junior season and looks poised to make her senior year her best yet. Before transferring to St. Rose, Farrell spent her first two seasons at Metuchen where she was a prolific scorer for the Bulldogs. As a freshman Farrell led the state of New Jersey in scoring, averaging 28.1 points to go with 12.8 rebounds per game.
Farrell has twice garnered all-state honors, once at Metuchen as a freshman and again this past season as a junior at St. Rose. Farrell missed all but three games of sophomore campaign due to injury. In addition to her success competing in high school, Farrell made a name for herself on the AAU circuit starring for Exodus out of New York City. She was named the MVP of the Battle of the Boro Sophomore Showcase Championship and helped her squad to a Silver Bracket championship at the Nike Championships in Atlanta.
“Brynn Farrell is a fierce competitor that plays with great toughness and intensity. As a shooting guard, she has a crafty ability to score the basketball and impact the game in a multitude of ways.”
UF’s recruiting classes have steadily climbed over Coach Newbauer’s time at the helm. After the staff’s first resulted in the No. 31 rank from ProspectsNation, the 2019 class rose to No. 26 and the future continues to look bright. In addition, the Gators have landed top 50 prospects in consecutive classes. UF went without an ESPN top 100 player for three-consecutive class (2015-17), but each year under Newbauer it has secured a top 100 talent.
Quotes from the Class
Jordyn Merritt on her commitment…
“It was an amazing experience on my official visit. That’s when I committed. The atmosphere was unlike any other campus I visited, I felt that the people around me truly had my best interest at heart. My family and I, we made this decision together and we couldn’t be more excited to join Gator Nation. The family aspect, it’s very important to me. Having people in my corner that are going to help me on my hard days and on my good days and everything in between and having that family atmosphere from Coach Cam, the team, the coaching staff and the University, it really sealed the deal for me.”
Brynn Farrell on her commitment…
“I’m very excited and very grateful to have this opportunity. It’s going to be awesome going up against the best competition in the country. The coaching staff is very family-oriented, the academics are strong and the program is up-and-coming, all those aspects separated Florida from everywhere else. I definitely want to help the program continue to grow and be on the up rise. I want to bring whatever I can to the table to accomplish an incredible season next year.”