This one is definitely a surprise as there was confidence in Gainesville that Winter Park (Fla.) DB Dakota Mitchell would wind up with the Gators.
I had been told by a source in the past that Dan Mullen’s program was confident with where they stood with Mitchell, which led to me submitting a FutureCast in January for them to land him.
For Mitchell, however, he decided that teaming up with the 2020 National Champions was the best decision for him and his future.
Today’s decision is obviously a stinger as Florida has a few things going in their favor in the staff’s pursuit of Mitchell.
The three-star prospect has connections with Keiwan Ratliff from his Rat Pak days, and he was also teammates with future Gator Ethan Pouncey. Obviously, out of all the programs he was considering, Gainesville was the closest to him as well.
UF certainly has other options at safety, most notably Palmetto High School target Corey Collier. A couple of other key names are Ahmari Harvey and Kamren Kitchens, along with Louisiana-based junior Kaine Williams.
Florida could also push to flip Mitchell down the line, so don’t necessarily count them out from signing him just yet.
Stay tuned to GatorsTerritory.
