Four-star CB CJ Hester Commitment Prediction
Hector
Hector
Four-star cornerback CJ Hester is set to announce his commitment this week. While a commitment date hasn’t been finalized, Hester is set to make his decision on either June 1st or June 3rd. He’s down to six schools and will choose between Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Miami, and Syracuse.
CJ Hester is a 6’1”, 185-pound cornerback out of Cocoa High School in Cocoa, Florida. Hester is a four-star recruit. He’s the 23rd-ranked cornerback in the country and the 47th-ranked recruit out of the Sunshine State.
During the recruiting process, Hester has received over 35 offers from some of the best football programs in the country. He holds offers from schools like Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, LSU, Miami, Syracuse, and Texas.
Hester has been busy on the recruiting trail this summer, taking official visits to five of his six top schools. His first official visit was at Auburn University during the May 16th weekend. Auburn’s cornerback coach, Wesley McGriff, is the primary recruiter for Hester. McGriff has plenty of ties in the state of Florida and was an assistant coach at UF during the Dan Mullen era.
After his official visit to Auburn, Hester made his way to Gainesville for an official visit with the Florida Gators. Hester has been one of Florida’s top defensive back targets in the Class of 2026. Florida’s cornerback coach, Deron Wilson, is the primary recruiter for Hester.
During the June 6th weekend, Hester made his third official visit to Syracuse University. The Orange has a solid recruiting class and is looking to add more defensive backs, with only two committed at the time.
After the Syracuse official visit, Hester took another official visit to the University of Georgia during the June 13th weekend. Georgia’s defensive back coach, Donte Williams, is the primary recruiter for Hester.
In his final official visit, Hester went to the University of Iowa. The Hawkeyes have made Hester a priority target and have also developed some good defensive backs who have made their way to the NFL. Iowa’s defensive coordinator, Phil Parker, is Hester’s primary recruiter.
The Miami Hurricanes are the only program in his top six that he hasn’t used an official visit. Hester has previously taken an unofficial visit to the University of Miami. The Hurricanes have a strong 2026 recruiting class. Miami has the sixth-ranked 2026 recruiting class in the country with 19 commits, including three defensive backs already in the class.
With all that said, I think CJ Hester will announce his commitment to the University of Florida. The Gators have historically recruited well in that area, including two Super Bowl champions, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Jawaan Taylor. This would be a very nice recruiting win for the Gators. Hester is a great athlete with track speed and was a state qualifier in the high jump.
Prediction: Florida Gators
