Four-star recruits tend to get a lot of attention from high-caliber college football programs. Not many players in a recruiting class can reach that high rating, and the ones who do are usually special.
Strong-side defensive end Francois Nolton Jr. fits that description to a tee. He sets out to make offensive tackles uncomfortable and does a great job of it.
Nolton, who attends Edison High School in Miami, Fla., graduates in 2022 and decided to make his collegiate decision early.
He will be moving from Miami to Gainesville to play for the Florida Gators.
Francois Nolton Jr. Commits to Florida
? ?????? @CoachDanMullen pic.twitter.com/btFZmVmnZW
— Francois Nolton Jr (@99_nolton) March 8, 2021
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Francois Nolton Jr. received offers from all across the country, but the ones that stand out come from the SEC. Programs such as Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Mississippi State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Syracuse, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and USC all wanted Nolton to shore up their defensive line, but count this as a win for head coach Dan Mullen.
Newest @FloridaGators commit, 2022 DE Francois Nolton, Jr @99_nolton talks #Gators ? and why he pledged to the coaches. #Chomp @AndrewSpiveyGC @Corey_Bender @Blake_Alderman @FootballHotbed @TrenchSetters pic.twitter.com/5cowbwOGrr
— Brandon Odoi (@Brandon_Odoi) February 6, 2021
Nolton Jr. has a strong relationship with Gators' defensive line coach David Turner, and that networking was enough to get the high schooler to commit. His teammate, wide receiver Syveion Ellis, will join Florida in 2022 as well.
DE Francois Nolton Highlights
The skills that Francois Nolton Jr. possesses jump out at you in the highlight compilation. The 247Sports Composite ranks the lineman as the 11th-best SDE in the nation, so there is true talent at play here.
Nolton is athletic enough to make the switch from defensive end to linebacker if he ever needs to, but that versatility isn't being tapped into as of right now.
In 2019, Nolton attended Miami Christian High School, and the star defensive end leveraged his success into a transfer to Miami Edison. He was a bit banged up in 2020, but still managed to accumulate four sacks and a trip to the Under Armour Miami camp in March of this year.
— Francois Nolton Jr (@99_nolton) March 8, 2021
The Florida Gators are getting a potential All-American to shore up their defense in 2022. It is way too early to think about the 2025 NFL Draft, but Francois Nolton could easily find himself there if he reaches his potential.
