4-star LB Ellis McGaskin commits to Florida

The Florida Gators have landed one of their biggest linebacker targets in the 2027 class.

Mobile (Ala.) Williamson 4-star linebacker Ellis McGaskin announced his commitment to the Gators on Saturday, giving Florida another major addition on the defensive side of the ball. He is commitment No. 22 for the SEC program.

According to MaxPreps, McGaskin finished with an eye-popping 160 tackles (106 solo), 26 tackles for loss, four sacks, four blocked punts, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and one interceptions. He is the No. 30-ranked linebacker in the Rivals Industry Ranking.

McGaskin becomes the latest recruiting win for Jon Sumrall and his staff, who spent months building relationships and positioning Florida near the top of his board. While several programs remained involved until the end, the Gators entered the final stretch of the recruitment with significant momentum.

That momentum only grew following McGaskin’s official visit to Gainesville.

“It was amazing, honestly,” McGaskin recently told Gators Online. “It was probably one of the best recruiting visits I’ve ever been on. The coaches just stepped up, emphasizing how much of a priority I am for them. It made a huge impact on me.”

Florida’s coaching staff made sure McGaskin felt that priority throughout the visit. Jon Sumrall, defensive coordinator Brad White and linebackers coach Greg Gasparato all played major roles in the recruitment. That attention did not go unnoticed.

“They all knew my name. The small things matter,” said McGaskin. “When you go somewhere, and everyone knows your name, that means you’re getting talked about in meetings. That just means a lot. They gave me the attention with 18 other recruits there, but they were out there prioritizing me.”

The official visit was key for Florida

The Gators entered official visit season battling programs such as LSU, Florida State and Georgia for McGaskin’s services.

However, Florida used its official visit weekend to create even more separation. McGaskin left Gainesville with the Gators sitting at the top of his board and feeling even stronger about where things stood.

“It pushed them even further in first place,” McGaskin said of the Gators. “I’m probably a couple of weeks away from making my decision. At this moment, it’s looking very good for Florida.”

Another major win at linebacker for the Florida Gators

Joining Ja’Bios Smith, McGaskin gives Florida another athletic defender with the size, range and versatility to fit multiple roles at the next level.

The Gators viewed him as one of the top linebacker targets on the board and made him a major priority throughout the process.

While other schools continued to push until the end, Florida never stopped building on the relationships that helped establish an early foundation in the recruitment.

Those efforts paid off with one of the biggest linebacker commitments of the cycle.

Now McGaskin is headed to Gainesville, where he will look to become another key piece of Florida’s future on defense.

Not a member of Gators Online?

CLICK HERE to join the Gators Online community! It’s the top place for passionate Florida fans to find the best insight and news in the market. 

Boasting a talented collection of experienced journalists, we dig deep into recruiting and provide breaking news and analysis on UF sports.

SIGN UP for the GatorsOnline Newsletter — Receive Breaking News, In-Depth Analysis via Email!