The Florida Gators are among the five finalists in the recruitment of 7-foot-1-inch center Jackson McVey out of Overtime Elite in Atlanta.
He’s down to Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Florida State, and Stanford, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. The Gators offered him on Sept. 21 following an official visit.
Todd Golden is developing Florida into one of the nation’s top landing spots for big men, following the success of Tyrese Samuel and Micah Handlogten during the 2023-24 season. Most recently, Golden added the world’s tallest teenager, 7-foot-9-inch Olivier Roux, as a walk-on to the Gators roster with hopes of developing him into a polished Division I product.
Overtime Elite is a basketball league for 16 to 20-year-old athletes. Players are signed to a $100,000 contract or, in the case of players such as McVey, are offered a scholarship to retain college eligibility.
OTE offers “the power of a personalized, self-directed approach to education,” according to the organization’s website. “Our athletes are empowered with the agency and opportunity to create their path to mastery of grade level content at their own pace, with the support of our content-specific, professional Learning Facilitators.”
McVey is a three-star recruit by 247Sports and On3’s measure, but ESPN grants him four-star status.
The On3 industry ranking puts him at No. 217 nationally and No. 23 among centers in the class of 2025. He’s also the 15th-best player out of the state of Georgia.
The On3 recruiting prediction machine believes Florida State to be the front-runner to land McVey, giving the Seminoles 45.4% odds, but Florida is a close second at 39.7% and Georgia Tech (12.1%) is a distant third.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida basketball makes top 5 for 7-footer out of OTE Atlanta
