The Montgomery standout Brayden Gordon suddenly became one of the hottest prospects in Alabama, all thanks to his ‘athlete’ status. After trimming down a long list of programs, he now has five big-name schools on his mind. One of the front-runners was Jon Sumrall’s Florida Gators. According to KSR+’s recent interview with the four-star, the Gators head honcho might have to go band-for-band with other fours to get him.

The On3’s No. 1 ATH overall from the class of 2027 has been a busy man lately, taking visits week in and week out and chatting with scouts to figure out his commitment day. On February 14, Montgomery just dropped his top five schools with KSR+.

“The reason those schools are at the top is that they showed the most interest and are a good fit for me. That’s what really made them move up.” Gordan said.

Even though he’s from Alabama, the Gators are currently looking like the team to beat. Recruiting experts give Florida a 60% chance of landing him. Although he’s favoring Gainesville, Jon Sumrall is facing competition from four other schools.

The biggest roadblock is definitely the “home-state” factor. Being from Montgomery, Gordon feels a big pull to stay in Alabama and play for Auburn. Matter of fact, he keeps visiting the program. It’s always tough to pull a top-tier kid out of his backyard, especially when the local fans and family are all pushing for him to be a hometown hero.

“Their interest in me and how you can feel the culture changing,” Gordon said when asked what makes Auburn stand out.

Then you have the Kentucky problem. Gordon has been very vocal about how much he vibes with their coaching staff. He’s built a really strong bond with their defensive coordinator, Brad White, and also his position (LB) coach, Washington. If the Wildcats continue to maintain this level of relationship, they have a chance to lock it down when Gordon visits Lexington on the 28th of March.

The third issue is just the newness of the Florida staff. Sumrall is trying to implement an “earn everything” mindset, and while Gordon says he’s impressed by the energy, there’s always a little bit of hesitation when a program is in transition. Gordon mentioned he’s still getting a feel for how he fits into their specific defensive scheme.

Finally, you can’t ignore the ACC schools like Miami and Georgia Tech. The Hurricanes lately don’t shy away from paying $750 to freshmen. They might throw some cents on April 10 and see what happens. The good news is that Sumrall has a chance to clear these hurdles when Gordon visits Florida officially this summer, but for now, it’s a tight race with plenty of obstacles in the way.

Having five hell-bent behind him makes you wonder why there is so much hype around this recruit.

Why is Gordon the crown jewel of the class of 2027?

The reason all these Power Four programs are chasing him is that he can do a bit of everything at 6’4” and 200 pounds. Whether he lines up as a wide receiver, a running back, or comes off the edge as a linebacker, he is a mismatch nightmare regardless. Coaches at his school have even said they’ve never seen a player of his caliber in the program’s history. Statistically, Gordon has been stat-padding for the last few years.

During his sophomore season, he hauled in 38 catches for 610 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also rushed for 455 yards and 11 scores on the ground. On the defensive side of things, he was just as scary, racking up 65 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks. To make it more impressive, he’s also a standout on the basketball court, averaging 14 points and over 6 rebounds per game.

Because of that versatility, major recruiting sites like On3 and Rivals have him ranked as the No. 1 athlete in Alabama. Although he’s technically listed as an “athlete” (because he plays everywhere), most big-time college programs are looking at him as a future outside linebacker or “Wolf” defender who can use his speed to hunt down quarterbacks. However, he is not planning to rush his commitment; the word is that he will make his decision when the timing feels right and everything falls into place.