Elite 2018 QB Matt Corral commits to Florida Gators

Earlier Saturday afternoon, we asked whether the Florida Gators could reel in any of the big fish that were splashing around The Swamp last night for Friday Night Lights.

Just after dinner, the Gators got a whopper in the boat.

Five-star quarterback Matt Corral committed to the Florida Gators’ 2018 class today, at the tail end of his first visit to Florida, announcing the decision in a tweet just minutes after a source told Alligator Army he had done so.

Jim McElwain confirmed the good news with his customary #ChompChomp tweet.

Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier was equally enthused.

Corral is a California native and former USC commit. He decommitted from the Trojans this summer, and subsequently named Florida and Georgia as his contenders. Going into this weekend, Corral was largely reported to be a Georgia lean, but he had not yet visited Athens this summer.

And now, he says, he won’t.

Corral, the nation’s No. 2 ranked pro-style quarterback in the class of 2018, named Florida his leader after last night’s event, and further reports then put the prominent passer on “commitment watch” as a result of his glowing reviews of the Gators. Corral had, in the past, stated that he wanted to commit this summer before his senior season, and a commitment to Florida tracks with that.

Florida picked up two commits on Friday, and had added five total commitments since Tuesday before Corral’s pledge. But Corral’s commitment eclipses them all, perhaps taken together, and is arguably the most significant of McElwain’s tenure as Florida’s head coach.

Corral is the highest-rated quarterback in the 2018 class other than Clemson commit Trevor Lawrence or coveted Georgia passer Justin Fields, and has a higher rating and ranking in the 247Sports Composite ratings than both Will Grier and Feleipe Franks, Florida’s previous high-water marks at quarterback under McElwain — and so Corral has a higher rating and ranking than any quarterback the Gators have had under Jim McElwain.

Landing a player of that caliber makes this weekend an unqualified success for Florida, and means you should absolutely take the time to watch Corral throw via Hudl here.

Corral is Florida’s 11th commitment in an ever-expanding 2018 recruiting class, and moves the Gators’ overall class position up to No. 17 nationally, according to the 247Sports Class Calculator.