In the search for some young frontcourt talent in the 2024 class the Gators will welcome 4-star Sammie Yeanay to Gainesville from October 5-8 on an official visit as first reported by Joe Tipton.
This will be far from the first time Yeanay has been to campus as he is originally from Gainesville. He also attended local powerhouse The Rock School, but has since transferred across the country to play at Compass Prep in Arizona, a dominant program known for producing elite talent. After several unofficial visits he’ll finally take an official visit, and the Gators will hope that a taste of home is something that will make him want to return full time.
Todd Golden and his staff have been after the local product essentially ever since they got the Florida job–understandable given their desire to keep elite local talent home. Other schools that have been on Yeanay recently are Houston, Alabama, Texas Tech, and Ole Miss, and he also took visits to Wake Forest and South Carolina.
Currently ranked 89th in the 2024 class, Yeanay has always been on the top-100 radar since the recruiting services started placing the 2024 class, always floating in the 60th-90th range. The fact that he hasn’t been able to rise further is likely due to the fact that he isn’t someone who scores a ton or puts up fancy highlights, but is instead someone who loves doing the dirty work and playing with max effort for fourty minutes. What jumps out right away about watching Yeanay play is his relentlessness on the offensive glass. As soon as a shot goes up Yeanay will start fighting like his life depends on it for position and it seems like even when he doesn’t end up with the ball he’ll get his fingertips on it for a tap or two, often forcing multiple defensive players to have to crash down and prevent him from an extra possession. His effort level doesn’t just show itself on the offensive glass as he also remains active in transition and on the defensive end, always sprinting to spots while screaming communication to his teammates.
Throughout much of his recruitment Yeanay was listed at 6’7” and 225 pounds, and that size which wouldn’t be elite for a frontcourt spot is something that may have kept him from rising a lot in the rankings. However, recently he has been listed at 6’9”, and if that is the case–look for his stock to rise even more.
Since losing the commitment of John Bol and falling out of the race for Flory Bidunga the Gators have pivoted in their frontcourt recruiting to Ryan Jones and Sammie Yeanay, who they saw play together at The Rock School before Yeanay moved to Arizona. While these two players don’t have the height of Bol or the offensive package of Bidunga they have developed frames, a love of physicality, and a high work rate–something the Gators would love to have. Recently this style of big has been effective in the SEC and the Gators could be looking to follow the trends, and that could start with Yeanay. The Gators are thought to be in a good spot for this recruitment as the hometown school who has been on him for a long time, though Houston, who has had a lot of players in the Sammie Yeanay role who have had a ton of success recently, is also considered a key player.