Amid interest from LSU, Texas and more, 4-star DE JaReylan McCoy commits to Billy Napier's Florida

Four-star defensive lineman JaReylan McCoy committed to Florida's 2026 recruiting class on Saturday. The Tupelo High School (Mississippi) standout chose Billy Napier's program over offers from Ole Miss, Alabama, Texas, USC and LSU.

McCoy’s decision came after his second visit to Florida in three weeks. He cited strong relationships with Napier and defensive ends coach Mike Peterson, as well as the program’s close-knit, family-like environment, as key reasons for his choice.

“Florida has been recruiting me the hardest for a while,” McCoy told On3. “I have had some real conversations with Florida and those coaches want to see me develop. Feeling that from them is amazing.”

The 6-foot-7, 260-pound pass rusher had originally committed to LSU during the Under Armour All-America Game in January but decommitted a month later. By May, he had narrowed his options down to Florida, LSU and Texas.

Texas became a top contender in the last few months, and McCoy was expected to make an official visit on June 13. However, he opted to make another unofficial trip to Gainesville instead and eventually gave his verbal commitment to Napier's school.

In three high school seasons, McCoy has tallied over 140 tackles and 18.5 sacks. He's the No. 17 defensive lineman in the 2026 class and the No. 8 recruit in Mississippi, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

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JaReylan McCoy praises Billy Napier's potential in Florida

JaReylan McCoy became Florida’s second commitment on Saturday, joining four-star wide receiver Marquez Daniel. With their pledges, the Gators now have 10 committed players in the 2026 cycle, ranking No. 13 in the nation.

McCoy has strong faith in Billy Napier’s vision for the program.

“Coach Napier is taking Florida to a championship,” McCoy told On3. “It’s crazy that I can even be a part of something that he’s building.

"He is so real. I have never met a head coach who wants to see the players actually work at football and in the classroom just hard.”

ESPN, which ranks McCoy as a five-star recruit, notes that his commitment makes him the highest-rated defensive signee at Florida since five-star defensive end CeCe Jefferson joined the program in 2015.