Florida football recruiting: Four-star DB Hylton Stubbs commits to Gators in massive flip from Miami

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The flip-athon continues unabated in Gainesville, Florida, with head coach Billy Napier changing the trajectory of the Florida Gators program drastically over the last two-plus weeks. The Gators have capitalized on this newfound momentum with their 11th flip on the recruiting trail, the latest coming in the form of a Cyber Monday gift as four-star defensive back Hylton Stubbs (Jacksonville, FL) committed to join Florida while moving away from in-state rival Miami less than 48 hours before the early signing period opens.

Stubbs (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) had been pledged to the Hurricanes since July standing as the program’s top-rated commitment; however, it was long believed he preferred the Gators only to be turned off by the team’s performance and head coach Billy Napier’s questionable job status early in the season. He was on campus Sunday following UF’s latest major win and ultimately became the 11th prospect that Napier has poached from a rival and/or Power Four program in the last 16 days.

Ranked as the No. 57 overall player in the 247Sports Composite, Stubbs is now the second-highest rated commitment in Florida’s Class of 2025. This as the Gators have landed three blue-chip prospects in four days while continuing to grow their class quickly with the early signing period approaching.

Four-star defensive lineman Joseph Mbatchou (Loganville, GA) returned to the UF class on Sunday after a brief respite at Texas. Four-star offensive lineman Tavaris Dice (Fairburn, GA) joined Florida on Saturday after being committed to Auburn. This after four-star EDGE Jayden Woods (Shawnee, KS) left the Penn State class on Friday.

Four-star quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. (Jacksonville, FL), four-star running back Byron Louis (Fort Lauderdale, FL) and three-star offensive lineman Daniel Pierre Louis (Loxahatchee, FL) all joined UF after backing off Florida State commitments. Four-star linebacker Ty Jackson (Loxahatchee, FL) linked up with the Gators after previously deciding to go to USC. Other recent flips include three-star defensive lineman Stephon Shivers (Brentwood, TN) from Georgia, three-star wide receiver Muizz Tounkara (League City, TX) from Arizona and three-star OL Jahari Medlock (Riverside, GA) from Cincinnati.

Florida moved up two spots to No. 10 in the 247Sports Composite team rankings, jumping Miami now that Stubbs is on board. It will look to continue flipping prospects over the next couple days with eyes on a potential top five class if everything goes its way. Even if that does not happen, the Gators have impressively boosted their standing 33 slots across the last two-plus weeks after sitting at No. 43 prior to the LSU game. UF had fallen to as low as 51st in early November.

Given where Florida started a few weeks ago, this ascension in such a short period of time is unlike anything the program has seen from a recruiting standpoint previously. It was thought that the Gators’ Class of 2025 would assuredly be the lowest-ranked during Napier’s tenure; now, the question is how much higher it might go.