Florida football created room for a “rhino” to come to the swamp. The Gators even poached this 6-foot-6 specimen over Bill Belichick and North Carolina.
The Southeastern Conference school landed a new verbal commitment from tight end Kekua “Rhino” Aumua. The Kahuku, Hawaii native confirmed his decision with Hayes Fawcett of On3 on Monday evening. Fawcett revealed UNC was in the final running for Aumua on the college football recruiting trail.
“For the ones who believed in me, Gator boys stay hot!” Aumua told Fawcett after committing.
Belichick, meanwhile, losing out on landing an intriguing tight end talent. The eight-time Super Bowl winner thrived with stellar TE play with Rob Gronkowski.
Florida also beat Atlantic Coast Conference representative Cal and Big Ten suitor Washington for Aumua. But Billy Napier and the Gators bolster the offense in a massive way for the 2026 class.
Florida installing recruiting momentum under Billy Napier
Napier faces heavy scrutiny this fall. His Gators teams have underachieved but Florida school officials gave him a vote of confidence. He’s also coaching a potential Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback D.J. Lagway.
The Gators are creating new momentum in recruiting, however. Four-star safety Kaiden Hall chose the Gators on Tuesday. Hall even chose Florida over SEC rivals Oklahoma and Alabama. Even traditional in-state rival Florida State was in the final running for him. But Napier and his staff won over the valuable 6-foot-3 defender.
Hall and Aumua aren’t the only notable recruiting wins in Gainesville. Powerful 6-foot-5, 315-pound offensive tackle G’Nivre Carr chose Florida to kick off the Gators’ recruiting blitz. The IMG Academy star verbally committed on June 1. Carr turned down numerous SEC opportunities for Napier and the Gators — notably Georgia and Alabama.
Aumua is a Hawaii native. But he stars at IMG with Carr. Aumua looks like a prime fit for the 12-personnel look Napier loves hitting teams with.
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