Mandarin 5-star safety Drake Stubbs flips from Miami to Florida

Mandarin knocked off Fletcher 43-21 in the season opener on Friday night. (KEVIN NGUYEN)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mandarin safety Drake Stubbs kept the hot streak going for the Florida Gators.

The longtime Miami commit and reigning All-News4JAX defensive player of the year flipped to the Gators late Monday afternoon. Stubbs’ commitment, which is nonbinding until he signs a letter of intent, is the latest win on the recruiting trail for Florida head coach Billy Napier.

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Last month, Stubbs’ teammate, quarterback Tramell Jones, flipped from Florida State to Florida. Stubbs, a Rivals five-star, had 39 tackles and two interceptions in his senior season with the Mustangs. He also forced three fumbles, the most visible one coming in a regular season game against Oakleaf where he ripped the ball loose to save a touchdown. Stubbs had 12 career interceptions, five forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in his career. He spent his first two seasons at Oakleaf before transferring to Mandarin.

Stubbs had initially committed to USC before flipping that to Miami.

Napier is poised for a hot finish. Buoyed by a strong 7-5 season behind true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, Florida is still in play for several others. Receiver Jaime Ffrench, a Texas commit and Raines offensive lineman Solomon Thomas are also Gators targets.


About the Author
Justin Barney headshot

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.

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