Four-star 2019 CB Chris Steele commits to Florida at Army All-American Bowl

Football

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Two all-star games, two new commitments for the Florida Gators. Following a lengthy recruitment that included a change of heart, four-star cornerback Chris Steele (Bellflower, CA) announced Saturday at the 2019 Army All-American Bowl that he has committed to Florida.

Steele (6-foot-2, 187 pounds) is now the Gators’ top ranked commitment as he is rated as the 40th best prospect in the Class of 2019 by the 247Sports Composite. He chose UF primarily over in-state USC, which is just 20 miles from his hometown.

“They always say that home is wherre the heart is, and my heart is at the real DBU. I’m a Florida Gator,” Steele said when announcing his commitment on NBC. “… Florida is DBU. They have a tradition of producing those DBs. … I feel like we can national championships. To be able to have my mom’s dream comes true means everything in the world to me because I do everything for her.”

After visiting Florida in May and June, many believed Steele would commit to the Gators at that time, but he instead decided to make a pledge for the Trojans in July. He decommitted in October, reopening his recruitment without taking any additional visits.

The decision by Steele is huge for Florida as it not only gives head coach Dan Mullen a star at a position of need, it boosts the Gators’ 2019 class to No. 11 in the country after it started the day at No. 15.

He is the second major commitment for Florida this week as four-star wide receiver Arjei Henderson (Richmond, TX) committed at the 2019 Under Armour All-America Game on Thursday.

Steele is the 23rd pledge in the Class of 2019 for theGators. National Signing Day less than five weeks away. He is Florida’s highest-rated defensive back prospect since Jalen Tabor in 2014.