Safety Filsaime’s commitment pushes 2024 class to No. 6

Florida ended Thursday night’s spring game faced with plenty of questions but also with one of the nation’s top recruits on board.

Safety Xavier Filsaime, the second-rated player at his position, committed to the Gators to push their 2024 class to No. 6 nationally, according to 247Sports.

The 6-foot-1 Filsaime, who hails from McKinney, Texas, also looked strongly at Georgia, LSU, Oregon and USC. His decision delivered UF coach Billy Napier a big recruiting win on a lackluster night.

The Orange team’s 10-7 victory over the Blue was the lowest-scoring spring game since records have been kept dating to 1996. The game featured shaky quarterback play, several poor center snaps, two missed field goals and several dropped passes.

Meanwhile, the defense stole the show under new coordinator Austin Armstrong after ranking among the worst units in the SEC in 2022 under Patrick Toney. Armstrong’s group record 9 sacks and put the clamps on the Gators’ attack.

Filsaime will bring a productive presence to the back end. He finished 2022 with 92 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 3 passes defended and a blocked punt, per MaxPreps.

Filsaime was among 300 recruits Napier said visited Gainesville. Five-star quarterback commit DJ Lagway was on hand as he tries to help UF coaches secure one of the nation’s top classes.

Among their seven commits, four are among the top-50. Myles Graham is the No. 4 linebacker and the son of former Florida tailback Earnest Graham, a 1,000-yard rusher in 2002. Linebacker Adarius Hayes of Largo is ranked No. 5 and 44 overall, two spots behind Graham.

Given the top-end quality of Florida’s class, the Gators have a 94.60 average player ranking tied with Georgia, current owners of the No. 1 class in 2024.