Saturday is a big day on the gridiron as the Florida Gators football team will kick off against Miami, and the basketball team is taking advantage of what will be an electric atmosphere in Gainesville when they bring in 2026 recruit Herly Brutus.
Golden has wanted to make recruiting the state of Florida a priority which is something he has already backed up with commitments he has landed and is something he is continuing with the recruitment of Brutus. Hailing from Umatilla, Florida, Brutus attends Umatilla High School but perhaps more notably plays AAU ball for the Florida Rebels–meaning he is a teammate of CJ Ingram, a 2025 player who just committed to the Gators. In fact, Ingram will also be on campus Saturday, hopefully aiding in the recruitment of his teammate.
Brutus stands at 6’6” and 180 pounds already and plays, well, like his name would suggest–he is a tough, physical player who loves to exert himself physically. As a 2026 player he is already well ahead of his class from a physical standpoint and he doesn’t just look like it–he plays like it. Flying around the court constantly he’s able to affect the game physically in a number of areas from guarding multiple positions to coming away with steals to finishing possessions with a defensive rebound.
Offensively Brutus is notably unselfish–while he’s capable of handling the ball, he’s not like many big, physical guards you see at this age who simply want to be bowling balls charging towards the rim. Instead, he loves to collapse the defense and pass out to an open teammate, and his willingness to pass is a positive trait that people who have seen him play love to share about. He might not be a big-time offensive player yet, but he’s someone who doesn’t have bad habits and has a team-oriented mindset and he has plenty of time to turn into a potent offensive player.
When Todd Golden started at Florida he wanted to be big and imposing, and that started in the frontcourt where he chose to play two centers last season. While there was some utility in that, it didn’t always matter that Florida had the taller frontcourt when they had to play three guards on the floor at once which led to them getting bullied on the perimeter in a number of SEC games.
Additionally, wings with size are by far and away the hardest position to get in the transfer portal. There aren’t a lot of these types of players out there, and wings with any pedigree were extremely expensive from an NIL standpoint in the portal. Bringing in wings through the high school ranks is sound roster building and you can see the Gators are looking to bring in at least one every year starting with CJ Ingram in 2025 and the focus now on Brutus in 2026.
Currently Brutus is ranked 65th in the class of 2026, and the 20th ranked player in the state of Florida, which speaks to just how strong the state is when it comes to talent in 2026. Look for the Gators to continue to recruit the state hard, particularly for these types of wing talents.
As a 2026 player Brutus hasn’t taken a ton of visits yet and isn’t necessarily close to making a decision, but there has been a lot of mutual buzz between Brutus and North Carolina. However, it’s early–and there will certainly be a number of top programs that will still get involved.
Herly Brutus, along with his teammate CJ Ingram (and possibly more names to be announced) will be in Gainesville this weekend. You might even see them around if you attend Florida’s open practice on Saturday which will take place in the O’Connell Center at 10:30 AM.