Latest news with #CJHester
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Florida Receives Exciting Recruiting News on Thursday
Florida Receives Exciting Recruiting News on Thursday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Florida Gators have started the month of July with a bang on the recruiting trail. After landing four-star defensive lineman Kendall Guervil on Wednesday, Billy Napier's Gators got some more great news on Thursday afternoon. Advertisement Four-star safety CJ Hester, who is ranked No. 20 among all safeties in the country in the 2026 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, announced his commitment to UF on Thursday through Rivals' Hayes Fawcett. Hester chose the Gators over their SEC rivals, the Auburn Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs, and in-state challenger, the Miami Hurricanes. "I'm ready right now, Go Gators,' Hester said. The Cocoa, Florida, defensive back becomes Florida's 16th overall commit in the class and the ninth with four-star status, per On3. Hester is also the third defensive back and second safety commit to the Gators, with CJ Bronaugh (four-star cornerback) and Kaidan Hall (three-star safety) being the others. Advertisement Hester totaled 72 tackles, 10 pass breakups and four interceptions last season in his junior year at Cocoa High School, per MaxPreps. He will join co-defensive coordinator Ron Roberts and defensive backs coach Deron Wilson, looking to solidify a Gators' secondary that has been on the rise in recent years. Florida Gators defensive back Jordan Castell (14) celebrates after Bryce Thornton's (18) Pendleton-Imagn Images Napier and UF are not done going after defensive backs in the 2026 class, however. They will now turn their attention to a pair of five-star recruits in safety Bralan Womack and cornerback Chauncey Kennon. Womack is the No. 12 overall recruit and the top-ranked safety in the country in the Top247 rankings. Florida will have to wait for Womack's announcement, as his commitment date is set for August 23. On the other hand, the Gators will get a decision soon from Kennon, who is the second-best corner in the nation, according to the Top247 list. He will decide on his future this Sunday. Advertisement After landing one 2026 four-star commit on Wednesday and now another with Hester on Thursday, things are heating up for UF in the recruiting game, as the prime time for commitments is just getting started. Related: Florida Loses Local 5-Star to SEC Rival This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Florida Leads Pack for Top 2026 Defender
Florida Leads Pack for Top 2026 Defender originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier comes into 2025 on the backs of an 8-5 season, which was his first winning record since taking the job in 2022. Advertisement Recruits are beginning to sense Florida's momentum, including four-star cornerback CJ Hester. On3's Chad Simmons reported that the Gators are continuing to trend for the prospect on Monday. Florida is also making moves with a pair of defensive linemen from the 2026 class. The Gators were a finalist for four-star defensive lineman Preston Carey and were predicted to land four-star defensive lineman Kendall Guervil. Hester is a native of Cocoa, Florida, and listed at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds. Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier.© Melina Myers-Imagn Images Hester is the No. 24 cornerback in the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2026 class. Florida is the clear favorite in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, with a 95.9% chance to land him. Advertisement The next closest schools are the Syracuse Orange (1.3%), the Georgia Bulldogs (<1%), the Auburn Tigers (<1%), and the Iowa Hawkeyes (<1%). Florida has visited with Hester the most out of any team during his recruitment. The Gators recently had their fifth, which was an official visit back on May 30. The Gators would have two cornerbacks committed from the 2026 class if Hester picks his in-state school. Florida's 2026 class is led by four-star CJ Bronaugh, four-star defensive lineman JaReylan McCoy and four-star receiver Marquez Daniel. Napier has taken Florida to a pair of bowl games since his first season. In 2022, the Gators faced the Oregon State Beavers in the Las Vegas Bowl and lost 30-3. Advertisement He earned his first bowl win last season by beating Tulane 33-8 in the Gasparilla Bowl. Florida opens the 2025 season against Long Island on August 30. Related: Florida Gaining Ground With No. 1 OT Recruit This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
30-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Iowa football 2026 recruiting target nears commitment date
As the Hawkeyes navigate through the summer, Iowa football is looking to add the final pieces to its 2026 recruiting class. One name that Iowa fans should have on their radar is class of 2026 defensive back CJ Hester. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound defensive back is out of Cocoa High School in Florida and will announce his commitment on Tuesday, July 1. Iowa offered Hester on Jan. 30 and the Hawkeyes managed to get Hester on campus recently for a June 20 official visit. The Hawkeyes are among the final six schools for Hester, alongside Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Miami and Syracuse. Hester is regarded as the nation's No. 16 cornerback per On3. According to On3, Hester is the 121st-ranked player nationally and the No. 14 player from the Sunshine State. On3, Rivals and ESPN each rate Hester as a four-star prospect. If Iowa adds Hester to its class on Tuesday, Hester would join Marcello Vitti and Ronnie Hill as defensive back commits in the Hawkeyes' 2026 class. Iowa currently has 13 commits in its 2026 recruiting class and the class is ranked 37th nationally per On3. Here's a look at Hester's junior season highlights with Cocoa High School. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Three Predictions: Florida, Syracuse, Carsyn Baker
Jeff McCulloch/ Rivals national recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. has predictions on a potential commitment run for Florida, Syracuse's success recruiting receivers and a speed running back that could be playing college football out-of-state. CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy | Rivals Five-Star roster | Schedule/info THE FLORIDA GATOR RUN HAS ARRIVED Nick Lucero/ Advertisement Official visit season is congruent with commitment season and many programs should see the numbers run up in the class of 2026, especially those with little volume in the rising-senior class to date. Florida fits that bill with just two commitments entering last weekend. The program has already doubled that number and with the group of prospects expected to see The Swamp in the coming weeks, we don't expect that momentum to slow down. The offensive line may be low-hanging fruit in this exercise, with in-state standouts Chancellor Campbell and Javarii Luckas taking official visits in back to back weekends. Whenever Javeion Cooper reschedules his trip to Gainesville, that one will pick up momentum as well. Elsewhere in the state the buzz remains with Florida for blue-chip defensive back CJ Hester after his weekend in town, too. Beyond the state line, Florida is feeling good about recent visitors such as pass rusher JaReylan McCoy and running back Carsyn Baker, among others. We would be surprised if the commitment list isn't sitting in double-digits a few weeks from now. Advertisement SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH FLORIDA FANS AT 1ST AND TEN FLORIDA SYRACUSE WILL HIT BIG AT WIDE RECEIVER The more national recruiting battles Fran Brown and company jump in on, the stronger the confidence behind the pursuit gets. Syracuse holds a top-20 class with multiple blue-chippers already on board, but it has its eye on a major headliner at the wide receiver position to potentially be locked down over the next month. The top in-state recruit, and one of the nation's hottest wideouts on the trail, is one. Messiah Hampton is a Rochester native, some 90 minutes from campus, and he has felt the press from Brown and company since they took over in Central New York. Oregon and Miami are the top contenders working on an upset ahead of a June 13 decision date. Advertisement The big national name SU is pushing for, and also contending with, is Calvin Russell. The two-sport star from Miami won't be an easy win over the Hurricanes, where he has serious family ties, but SU has hosted him a few times and should get a return trip in the form of an official visit as Oregon, LSU, Florida and many others jockey for position ahead of Russell's July 5 verbal commitment date. Those big brands once made these recruitments easier to project, but in this era and with the momentum SU has created, we're calling the shot for the Orange to snag one of these class headliners in the coming weeks. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH SYRACUSE FANS AT SPEEDY RB BAKER PLAYS BEYOND THE STATE OF GEORGIA We mentioned Florida feeling good about Baker coming out of an official visit two weekends ago, and the feeling is mutual as far as we can tell. There is some visit shuffle, with Ohio State now out of the picture, in this one as a potential verbal commitment inches closer. Georgia and Georgia Tech both had a hand on the in-state recruit's list but that momentum seems destined for the past tense at this time. Along the with Gators, Florida State and South Carolina could be among the favorites for one of the nation's fastest running back recruits. Should the timeline remain accelerated and the visits come together as we currently hear they are – with FSU on deck to host Baker this weekend – then playing outside of state lines in college appears to be a safer bet with the blue-chipper. Florida may be the trendy selection as of this writing, but the remaining visits could challenge that notion in short order.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
CJ Hester, John Volker give Michigan football two new running backs via transfer portal
For the second time in 48 hours, the Michigan football team has added to its running back corps. First, Saturday evening, UMass transfer CJ Hester made his pledge to join the Wolverines, which he shared on social media. Assistant coach Tony Alford's running back room had dwindled to two primary options − Jordan Marshall and Alabama transfer Justice Haynes − after Ben Hall's decision to enter the portal earlier this month. Advertisement "Beyond blessed to announce my commitment to the University of Michigan!," Hester posted with a picture alongside coach Sherrone Moore. "Thank you to everyone who's supported me on this journey. Maize and Blue, let's work! #GoBlue #Committed." Hester began his career at Western Michigan in 2023 − U-M's now defensive line coach Lou Esposito was the defensive coordinator at the time − and ran 29 times for 124 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and a pair of touchdowns. Then a season ago he transferred to UMass, where as a sophomore he rushed 119 times for 529 yards (4.4 yards per attempt) and four touchdowns. New offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey has also been known to use his backs out of the backfield in the passing game and Hester flashed a bit of that ability, too, with 14 catches for 58 yards for the Minutemen. Hester, a Cincinnati native (Wyoming High School), shares a hometown with Marshall and now also a potential role in the backfield. Advertisement U-M locked up the commitment after he visited Ann Arbor this weekend during the spring game. The Wolverines weren't done there. On Monday afternoon they added former Princeton running back John Volker. An incoming graduate student, Volker spent the past four years at Princeton, where his playing time grew each year. A 6-foot, 210-pound back from Fair Haven, New Jersey (Rumson-Fair Haven Regional), he ran 245 times for 1,183 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and 17 touchdowns. In 2024 was likely his best season, when he had 89 carries for 514 yards (5.8 per rush) and six scores, including a career-long 75 yard rush as he was named Honorable Mention All-Ivy League. Like Hester, he also has decent hands coming out of the backfield, catching 31 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns at Princeton. Advertisement Fun fact: His brother, Charlie, also played football at Princeton but is now on the United States Bobsled team. Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@ and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: CJ Hester, John Volker give Michigan football new two running backs
