Gators add a commitment from a four-star defensive back, a couple weeks after opening his recruitment up.
The Florida Gators began the month of June with no commitments in the class of 2026. Fast forward a few weeks, and the Gators now have two members in the class. The second recruit is Seffner (Fla.) Armwood 2026 four-star defensive back Jaelen Waters, who committed to the staff on Saturday. This decision follows an unofficial tour to campus on Thursday, during which it became clear that the Gators were trending.
Waters designated the Gators his number one school in January after receiving an offer and visiting campus for a Junior Day. He returned to UF’s campus several times. New offers continued to come in, with Florida State being one among them. He eventually pledged to the Seminoles on April 23, but his verbal vow was short-lived. Despite his commitment to the Seminoles, Florida’s officials continued to recruit him, causing him to reconsider. After he reopened his process, the Gators had the majority of the buzz in their favor.
Will Harris, Florida’s secondary coach, has identified the 6-foot-2, 170-pounder as his primary contact. Despite the fact that he has only been on the job for a short time, the two have quickly developed a rapport.
“Me and Coach Harris have a really close relationship,” Waters stated. “He’s been crushing on me since he got there, and he was always stopping by the school when he first got there. He’s showing a lot of love, and we get along well.
Waters is confident in Harris’ potential on the field, but he also believes he can help him become the best version of himself off the field.
“He will keep me on track and continuously check in on me. It’s not all about football for him. Outside of football, he wants to be there for me to help me grow as a man. He’ll look after me and act as a father figure in addition to coaching. He would be my position coach, so I would need that if I were to go there.”
Waters grew up in a Florida household. In addition to growing up with the team, he is familiar with some of the players on the roster from the Tampa region.
His father is a huge Gators fan and has been looking forward to his son’s opportunity to play for the Orange and Blue.
“My dad got a Gator tattoo on his arm,” Waters said of his father’s Florida passion. “My dad was overjoyed when I got that offer. I had been waiting for it for a long time until Corey Raymond was present. I’ve been waiting for it for a long time. When I received it, it was excellent.”
With their second commitment in the 2026 class officially confirmed, the Gators’ class ranking for that cycle is No. 7 on 247Sports team rankings.
The 247Sports Composite, an industry-generated average, presently rates Waters as the nation’s No. 192 overall prospect in the 2026 recruiting class, as well as the No. 15 ranked cornerback.
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