No. 1 EDGE in Connecticut Intrigued by Historic SEC Program originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier has two bowl appearances and an even 19-19 record over three seasons in Gainesville.
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In 2024, Napier hit a huge milestone, securing the first winning season and bowl win of his tenure. He is looking to build for the future through recruiting.
Florida is searching the 2027 class to find top talent and has gained interest with four-star edge rusher Mekai Brown, per Rivals’ Chad Simmons.
Simmons reported that Florida, the Penn State Nittany Lions and Rutgers Scarlet Knights are three schools emerging for Brown.
This summer, the prospect visited Florida and Penn State and is very interested in going back to Gainesville.
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Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier. Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“Florida had already offered me, but I wanted to go down and work out in person,” Brown said. “I liked it there a lot—they made it clear they really like me. I’m definitely going back.”
At the moment, Florida has some work to do, at least in the eyes of the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine. Rutgers (44.2%) is the leader, followed by UConn (13.7%), the Boston College Eagles (11.8%), Penn State (9.8%) and Florida (9.8%).
Brown is the No. 20 edge rusher and top player at the position from Connecticut in the Rivals Industry Rankings for the 2027 class.
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Brown’s last trip to Gainesville was on June 16 on an unofficial visit.
Florida is making a strong impression with multiple recruits in the 2027 class. The Gators have a jumpstart with four-star running back Tranard Roberts and are moving up in order with four-star interior offensive lineman Albert Simien.
So far, the Gators’ lone commit from the class is four-star athlete Tramond Collins. Bringing in Brown would be a fine addition.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
