Florida Gators land high-upside DL Cain Van Norden
Jon Sumrall and the Florida Gators have added another piece to their 2027 recruiting class, landing a commitment from defensive lineman Cain Van Norden on Friday night. The Bishop McNamara (Md. ) three-star chose UF over Georgia, Ole Miss and Maryland, according to Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett.
Each of the four were set to get official visits this summer, but Van Norden has opted to lock in with the Gators. Florida’s staff pushed for him as hard — or harder — than any of the other programs on his list. And that ultimately paid off.
“They’re recruiting me pretty hard, probably the hardest,” Van Norden told Gators Online earlier this month. “Everything is going well. (Defensive line) coach (Gerald) Chatman came up to see me a few weeks ago and then (assistant defensive line) coach (Jonathan) Saxton and the defensive coordinator ( Brad White ) came to see me last week, so we are building a strong relationship.
” BREAKING: Class of 2027 DL Cain Van Norden has Committed to Florida, he tells me for @Rivals The 6’7 285 DL chose the Gators over Georgia, Ole Miss, and Maryland His nickname is Big Sandwich https://t. co/NOb7X6RRat pic. twitter.
com/rnyS2DVoML — Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 15, 2026 The 6-foot-7, 265-pounder is new to football, primarily playing basketball for his high school before trying out the gridiron. Once that happened, the offers started pouring in. He amassed more than 20 in total, and eventually took visits to Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Ole Miss, Georgia, and eventually Florida.