Five-star CB Jalen Tabor flips to Florida

Less than a week after committing to the Arizona Wildcats during the 2014 Under Armour All-American Game, five-star cornerback Jalen Tabor (Washington, D.C.) changed his mind and has instead decided to join the Florida Gators.

The early enrollee will step foot on campus Monday, according to multiple reports.

“If You Not A Gator You Gator Bait !” he tweeted shortly after making the flip. “Following In Big Cuz Footsteps @joehaden23 ! Wearing #5”

Tabor (6-foot-1, 186 pounds), ranked the No. 24 overall player in the nation by Rivals.com, chose Arizona primarily over Alabama on Jan. 2, but his final four also included Florida and Maryland.

“Marcus Roberson [declaring for] the draft had a big part to do with Tabor’s flip, that and distance according to him,” explained Blake Alderman InsidetheGators.com.

The fourth-highest rated cornerback in the country immediately becomes the Gators’ top-ranked prospect and only five-star commitment to date this cycle.

Tabor is coming off an impressive performances both in the Under Armour game and during the week of practices leading up to the contest. Rivals.com’s recruiting analyst Mike Farrell said Taylor “provided the best coverage on defense during the week.”

The fifth defensive back to make a pledge for Florida, Tabor joins four-stars Quincy Wilson (Fort Lauderdale, FL), J.C. Jackson (Immokalee, FL), Chris Lammons (Plantation, FL) and Duke Dawson (Cross City, FL) – though Jackson’s commitment status is up in the air as of press time.

He is also the third player to join the Gators’ 2014 class over the last eight days. Four-star defensive end Gerald Willis III (New Orleans, LA) committed at the Under Armour game, and three-star offensive lineman Kavaris Harkless (Jacksonville, FL) made his pledge by flipping from Louisville on Jan. 5.

ESPN also lists Tabor as a five-star prospect but ranks him No. 15 overall in the nation.

Florida now has 21 total commitments this recruiting cycle along with a JUCO transfer.