Florida basketball is set to have a monster recruiting weekend as 5-stars Beckham Black and Colton Hiller will both be on campus.
Coach Golden’s tenure at Florida has been about identifying underrated prospects like Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon as well as having the NIL resources to go out and land top transfers like Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin, but he’s yet to get a marquee high school recruit. On one hand, he hasn’t really had to–with talent on the roster so many resources had to be pointed in the direction of retention, and for a team trying to win right away the transfer portal was the focus. The current staff is one that likes to be cerebral in their recruiting, not tossing out a ton of offers and arriving a bit later in recruitments to make their pitch once it is decision making time.
It looks like that might be changing.
Florida is likely to lose a lot of talent following this season, and going after 5-stars more aggressively than they have in the past seems to be a changing focus. Florida recently entered the Cayden Daughtry sweepstakes (the #3 player in 2027) and they’re also aggressively after Beckham Black and Colton Hiller.
Black is the #2 ranked player in 2027 and is a 6’3” point guard hailing from Duncanville, Texas–though he’s currently playing in Orlando. He is also the brother of NBA player Anthony Black. A 5-star for some time now, Black did see his stature rise even more this summer after a dominant EYBL season that saw him average 21.7 points and 5.4 assists per game, and he has the kind of game that should transfer to the high-major level immediately. Black’s first step is extremely quick, and at 6’3” with a solid frame he’ll be ready for the physicality of college. Wherever he goes, he’ll be expected to start and play a ton with the ball in his hands. Arkansas, Duke, North Carolina, and all the other schools you’d expect to be in the mix for the #2 player are all involved, and it’s unknown when he’ll make his decision. Getting a visit at this point should be a great sign for the Gators.
Also visiting is Colton Hiller, the #1 ranked player in the class of 2028. If you follow football recruiting, you might know that his older brother Maxwell is the #2 ranked player in the 2027 class and is committed to the Gators. The basketball staff is hoping this helps the case, as it would be pretty incredible to have the #2 ranked player in football and the #1 ranked player a class later in basketball at the same program. Knowing that the family is producing some of the best athletes in America, you can probably guess how Hiller plays–with strength, physicality, and athleticism. At 6’6” and 210 pounds Hiller already looks physically like a college senior, yet he won’t even set foot on a campus for two years. There is a joy to the way that Hiller plays and an energy level that’s unmatched, all to go with a pro-ready frame and solid shotmaking and rim finishing. As a 2028 player there isn’t any rush for Hiller to make his decision, but it’s great for Florida to get him on a trip from his home in Pennsylvania. Duke, BYU, Alabama, and soon to be just about everyone has offered Hiller.