Florida was in need of some positive momentum with the calendar turning to June. On Thursday, the Gators got the news they needed when athlete Amari Burney, the No. 40-ranked prospect in the 2018 ESPN 300, committed.
— Amari Burney (@amari_burney) June 1, 2017
The 6-foot-2, 217-pound jack of all trades picked Florida over Virginia Tech and Ohio State. The Gators recruited Burney on both sides of the ball, with safety or outside linebacker being the long-term projected positions.
Burney is the latest highly ranked recruit out of the Tampa area to head to Gainesville. That list includes recent NFL first-round selections Vernon Hargreaves III and Dante Fowler Jr, and Atlanta Falcons safety Brian Poole.
Burney becomes the fourth ESPN 300 commitment for the Gators, joining South Florida defensive backs C.J. Smith and Divaad Wilson, and running back Iverson Clement. Rounding out the Gators' verbal list are three-star receivers Jalynn Williams and Corey Gammage, and 6-foot-7 athletic offensive tackle Jalen Goss out of South Georgia.
Florida still has a number of top targets on the board, including ESPN 300 five-star quarterback and Penn State verbal Justin Fields, receivers Jacob Copeland and national sprint champion Anthony Schwartz, offensive tackles William Barnes and Richard Gouraige, and running backs Dameon Pierce and Asa Martin.
Florida sits just outside the top 25 of ESPN's 2018 class rankings after finishing No. 13 in February following a signing day surge that included ESPN 300s James Robinson IV, Tedarrell Slaton and Christopher Henderson picking the Gators.