Dan Mullen and company received an early Christmas present today from one of the most coveted prospects in the 2021 class.
Five-star target Corey Collier, who checks in as the No. 1 cornerback in next year's recruiting cycle, included the Gators in his top 10 on Tuesday.
Along with UF making the cut, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State and LSU are also notable finalists for Collier's services.
Florida landing in Collier's list of top schools shouldn't necessarily come as a surprise.
The South Florida product has taken at least four trips to Gainesville since the beginning of the summer. He attended a couple of camps at UF before his 2019 season kicked off, including Friday Night Lights, and made his way to multiple home games this year as well.
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One of the matchups at the Swamp that Collier attended was for the team's Homecoming game against Auburn. Collier, who is the 14th-ranked overall junior on Rivals, was taken aback by the atmosphere at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Oct. 5.
"I like everything about it," Collier said of his Florida visit. "The crowd made it even more better for me coming here. I like the football team, the vibe in the locker-room. It just fits me."
Another aspect of Collier's time in Gainesville that stood out to him was the performance of the team's defense. After seeing the Gators hold the Tigers to just 269 total yards on offense and forcing four turnovers (three interceptions), Collier had high praise for cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray.
"Defense wins championships, so having a defense like theirs, that's like everything," Collier said. "Without a defense, there's no championships. "Coach Gray is keeping their heads going good and telling them what to do right and what they're doing wrong, and he'll keep it 100."
Collier is high on Mullen's staff's wish list in the 2021 cycle, but he has several other teammates that are on the program's radar. Brashard Smith, Jason Marshall, Leonard Taylor and Savion Collins also play for Palmetto High School, and each of them have been labeled as a priority for Florida.
Smith is set to release his top five on Christmas and Taylor will do the same on Thursday, so expect the Gators to receive even more good news in the coming days.
Stay tuned to GatorsTerritory.
