Florida may be adding a player to their 2024 class as forward Ryan Jones has made it known he will be announcing his commitment on October 2nd.
Currently the 67th ranked player in the class of 2024 there has been mutual interest being Florida’s coaching staff and Jones ever since Golden and company got to Gainesville and started recruiting. Golden made it known that he wanted to go after local talent in the state of Florida, and it doesn’t get more local than Jones who plays at The Rock School in Gainesville. Jones has always been open about his interest in Florida, and he has always been a target the Gators have kept a close eye on.
Standing at 6’8” and 225 pounds Jones can play either frontcourt position. When he first jumped onto the scene as a top-100 recruit he was known for his high motor and physicality, something that every coach likes to see from a frontcourt player. While his reputation has been as a brute force interior player he has worked hard on his jumper and started knocking down a respectable amount of his three-point jumpers and if he truly is someone who battles on the glass defensively and steps out beyond the arc offensively he becomes an even more intriguing player.
Jones recently announced his final eight schools which consisted of Florida, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Oklahoma State, Miami, Xavier, Missouri, and LSU. By all accounts, Jones appears to be down to Florida and Virginia Tech.
Since Jones is local he has made a number of unofficial visits to Florida but made his official visit a week ago while the football team was playing Tennessee. Jones was vocal about his enjoyment of the trip, leading many to believe he wants to stay home and become a Gator.
Right now the Gators don’t have a frontcourt player in the 2024 class after losing the commitment of 7’2” John Bol. Jones is a very different player as a 6’8” muscular specimen, but the Gators could be pivoting to someone more in the 6’8”-6’9” archetype as those are the styles of frontcourt players that have had success in the SEC in recent years. Shooting from all five positions is also something that Golden has coveted, and if Jones is for real as a shooter he suddenly becomes someone Florida’s staff is even more intrigued by.
Ryan Jones has been a player Gainesville locals have been familiar with for some time and he is someone that Florida’s staff has been involved with for quite some time, so his commitment on October 2nd is definitely a day to be circled on the calendar.