As we get into the middle of July, in the college basketball calendar that means it’s time to focus on recruiting and for Todd Golden and his staff it’s time to go big-game hunting. Florida’s recruiting strategy has been about going after huge names at the top of the list and then finding sleepers at the bottom of the list (often international), and while that result has pulled in a couple of great names in 2025 with Alex Lloyd and CJ Ingram–they’d love to land a can’t-miss five star in 2026.
Recently they have keyed in on Caleb Gaskins, a 6’8”, 210 pound power forward from Miami that attends Columbus High School–where he got a lot of attention as a supporting player behind the Boozer twins. Playing behind two of the top players in the 2025 class meant that Gaskins didn’t always get the chance to be featured, but it didn’t stop talent evaluators from seeing his size and ability which has resulted in him being ranked 13th in the class of 2026–a clear five star distinction.
Last season at Columbus Gaskins averaged 9.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game, often sharing the floor with the Boozer twins on their way to a Chipotle Nationals Championship. This year he is certain to step up his scoring production with the departure of the Boozers, so look for his raw production to go way up.
As a player, Gaskins is somewhat of a prototypical power forward in a world where less and less of these players exist. He is an athlete with a high motor, chasing down missed shots and hunting for blocks on the defensive end and cutting aggressively offensively. While he’s not someone who can isolate in the mid-post or attack a like-size player on the perimeter at a high level he is a capable ball handler, and that trait helps him mostly in the open court. You will see him turn the ball over by over handling at times, but those might be valuable reps as a young player as he figures out what he can get away with before settling into what his role could be at the college level. Though he’s not a stretch player by any means he did start to shoot more threes later in the season, and as is the case with all frontcourt players nowadays–it’s a skill he’ll be looking to develop further.
Assistant coach Korey McCray was the one to extend the offer to Gaskins and the Gators will now be looking to set up a visit. Currently Gaskins doesn’t have any official visits set up so the Gators aren’t behind in any way, and they are confident they’ll be firmly in the mix for his services. Texas, LSU, Indiana, Ole Miss, Miami, and Baylor are the schools thought to be after Gaskins the most, though that can also be tied to the fact that these are schools that still try to get in on kids earlier than the competition, whereas teams like Florida are waiting until later in the process. These are the schools to watch for right now, but there is plenty of time left in the recruitment and coming off a National Championship the Gators will have a good opportunity to land any kid they go after.