Gators DB Target Loia Valade Sets Commitment Date
West Boca Raton (Fla.) three-star safety Loia Valade on Monday revealed he will announce his commitment on June 27, and the Florida Gators are among the four finalists. Valade (6-0, 190 pounds) will choose between Florida, Auburn, Miami and Texas A&M.
Valade is rated as the No. 41 safety, according to Rivals, and as high as the No. 505 overall recruit in the class of 2027, according to the 247 Sports Composite.
Blessed!
- Loia Valade 2027 (@loia_valade) May 18, 2026
Committing @coachDylanPotts@samspiegs@ChadSimmons_@shaynep_media@CharlesPower@SeanW_247Sports@adamgorney@Andrew_Ivins@Choice1Mgmt@247recruiting@RivalsHSpic.twitter.com/oyzym4Pg19
As it stands, the Gators appear to be the frontrunners for Valade's services, holding a prediction from On3/Rivals' Steve Wiltfong to ultimately choose Florida over his other finalists. That being said, the Gators will have to work to hold onto his commitment if he chooses Florida with an official visit slate that includes the Aggies on June 12 and the Tigers on June 19.
He will visit Florida on June 4.
Valade, now at West Boca Raton in Florida, spent his sophomore and junior seasons at Chattanooga (Tn.) McCallie, recording 31 tackles, three pass deflections and two interceptions, including a pick-six, in that span. He also spent time on offense, recording 664 yards and seven touchdowns over the last two seasons.
That being said, Valade will play safety in college, and should he choose the Gators, he would be the second commit at the position alongside four-star Kailib Dillard. He could be Florida's 17th commit in the class with four-star receiver Elias Pearl, who is also predicted to choose Florida, set to
announce his decision on Tuesday at approximately 1:30 p.m.
In addition to Valade and Pearl, the Gators hold various predictions to land four-star receiver Amare Patterson, four-star edge rusher Frederick Ards III, four-star defensive lineman Tyler Alexander and three-star corner Kamauri Whitfield.
Florida Gators 2027 Recruiting Class
Florida Gators on SI is tracking all of the Gators' moves in the 2027 recruiting class in our official tracker. Florida's 2027 recruiting class is ranked as high as fifth nationally, according to the 247 Sports Composite, with a strong chance to push for a top-three class over the summer.
- 5-Star OL Maxwell Hiller
- 4-Star QB Davin Davidson
- 4-Star RB Andrew Beard
- 4-Star WR Tramond Collins
- 4-Star WR Anthony Jennings
- 4-Star TE Jackson Ballinger
- 4-Star OL Elijah Hutcheson
- 4-Star OL Peyton Miller
- 4-Star CB Amare Nugent
- 4-Star CB Aamaury Fountain
- 4-Star S Kailib Dillard
- 3-Star TE Tommy Douglas
- 3-Star DL De'Voun Kendrick
- 3-Star DL Stive-Bentley Keumajou Yondui
- 3-Star DL Cain Van Norden
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/florida as Gators DB Target Loia Valade Sets Commitment Date.
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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 9:16 AM.