Florida lands 4-star 2018 running back Dameon Pierce

Florida isn’t stopping any time soon in the 2018 recruiting cycle.

After a torrid stretch that shot them up the rankings, they added another four-star player Sunday. Running back Dameon Pierce of Bainbridge, Georgia committed to Florida, announcing the move on Twitter:

Pierce gives Florida 17 hard commits in 2018 and eight of them are now four-stars or higher. Their class will leapfrog LSU and sit 7th nationally and 2nd in the SEC behind Tennessee according to 247Sports’ projection.

Dameon Pierce is a Top 200 player in the 2018 class, ranking 186th nationally. He’s also a Top 10 running back in the class, ranking ninth overall among all backs. In Georgia, Pierce is a Top 25 player, ranked 21st among all Peach State recruits.

The main point here is that Jim McElwain and the Gators are getting a pretty talented player.

Before committing to Florida, Auburn had been pursuing the former Alabama commit pretty hard. In fact, although it was just three picks, the Tigers were the leader in the Crystal Ball. He had gone on an unofficial visit to Auburn back on July 22, but also visited Florida twice in the span of six days. Evidently, The Swamp allured Pierce quite a bit despite Auburn gunning for him.

In gaining Dameon Pierce, Florida gets a running back who has amassed 60 touchdowns in his high school career. In 2015, Pierce racked up 33 touchdowns in a season where he rushed for over 2,000 yards. Accomplished is one word to describe the player that the Gators are getting.

When he arrives on campus, Pierce will join a pretty crowded backfield. Jordan Scarlett may be around if he sticks for his senior season. If he doesn’t, Lamichal Perine and presumably Adarius Lemons and Malik Davis will be around. Lemons and Davis are each 3-star recruits coming into the fold this year, so a heavy presence will be in tow already. With that said, Dameon Pierce has the talent to stand out in the field once he gets to Gainesville next fall.