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Florida high school football recruiting: Early signing period announcement guide

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Florida high school football recruiting: Early signing period announcement guide


The early signing period typically is filled with drama and this year is shaping up to be more of the same.

Several committed players could flip, while a handful of top uncommitted players are scheduled to announce on Wednesday. Chaminade-Madonna wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, Mainland defensive lineman/edge LJ McCray and Largo linebacker Adarius Hayes are committed players who are being heavily pursued by other schools.

Then there’s always the unexpected surprise. (Think Travis Hunter flipping from Florida State to Jackson State in 2021 or Cormani McClain’s mom announcing the former Lakeland star would not be signing with Miami on the first day of the early signing period last year.)

Here’s a rundown of some of the key in-state signings on Wednesday.

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9 a.m.

Norland CB Larry Tarver Jr.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Tarver, who played a key role for the Vikings Class 2M state runner-up team, committed to Maryland in June. Nebraska has been pushing hard and had Tarver in for an official visit in late October.

9:30 a.m.

Jones QB Trever Jackson

Jackson, an Elite 11 finalist, decommitted from Ole Miss in October. He visited Virginia earlier this month; Tulsa and UNLV have offered since Jackson decommitted. It’s possible Jackson waits until later to sign.

10 a.m.

Mainland DL/EDGE LJ McCray

The 6-foot-6, 270-pound McCray committed to Florida in October, but Florida State and Auburn remain in the picture. McCray has talked about embracing the idea of helping to rebuild the Gators, so it appears unlikely that he flips.

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Mainland DB Zavier Mincey

Mincey is one of the nation’s premier defensive backs. He will decide between Alabama, Florida, Florida State and Miami on Wednesday, but won’t reveal his decision until Jan. 6 at the All-American Bowl.

Mainland LB Rodney Hill

Hill committed to Tulane during the summer. But a recent coaching change at Tulane and a strong late recruiting pitch from USF head coach Alex Golesh has made this interesting.

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11:30 a.m.

Venice CB Charles Lester

Lester, a Florida State commit, earned his way onto this list with his cryptic social media post Monday, “nli arrived but from what university.” He could just be trolling everyone, but there’s always the chance that Deion Sanders is trying to pry another elite cornerback from Florida.

11:45 a.m.

Melbourne Central Catholic WR Ric’Darious Farmer

Farmer initially committed to Pitt on Christmas Day before flipping to UCF in August. West Virginia is one of the schools that has made a strong impression late in the process.

12 p.m.

Chaminade-Madonna WR Jeremiah Smith

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The top-ranked player in the nation has been committed to Ohio State for more than 12 months, but Florida State and Miami have continued to recruit him.

Chaminade-Madonna QB Cedrick Bailey

The 6-foot-6, 195-pound signal caller has thrown for more than 3,000 yards and 47 touchdowns the past two years, has been committed to NC State since March. Miami made a late push, but Bailey reaffirmed his commitment to the Wolfpack last week.

Gulliver Prep CB Amare Sanders

Sanders, who had 54 tackles and two interceptions in 2023, announced a top five of Duke, Louisville, Nebraska, Miami and Virginia on Dec. 1.

Miami Central LB Vincent Shavers

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Shavers committed to Miami in May, but decommitted last week. He took an official visit to Nebraska this past weekend and is expected to sign with the Huskers.

12:30 p.m.

American Heritage S Xavier Lucas

Lucas, a three-star safety who had 26 tackles and four interceptions, committed to Wisconsin in August, but Miami is trying to flip him and got Lucas to take an official visit this past weekend.

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1 p.m.

Tampa Catholic CB/ATH Jameer Grimsley

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Alabama commit took an official visit to Florida on Dec. 8. With some of the late losses in Florida’s class, flipping Grimsley would be big for the Gators.

1:15 p.m.

Largo LB Adarius Hayes

Hayes has been committed to Florida since January, but Miami has made a strong push down the stretch and got Hayes on campus for an official visit this past weekend.

Sumner ATH Greg Smith III

Smith, who played quarterback and defensive back for the Stingrays, saw his recruiting take off midway through the season. He’s considering Florida, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Virginia and others.

4 p.m.

Carrollwood Day EDGE Solomon Williams

Williams, ranked No. 18 on the USA Today Florida Network top 100, has a final five of Alabama, Clemson, Oregon, Texas and Texas A&M.

Carrollwood Day RB Anthony Carrie

Carrie, who rushed for 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023, decommitted from Michigan State in November. He’s visited Georgia Tech, NC State, South Carolina and Texas A&M the past two months.

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Carrollwood Day WR Izaiah Williams

The speedy 6-foot, 172-pound receiver/kick returner committed to the Gators in May, but Texas A&M’s new coaching staff has been in constant pursuit and got Williams in for an official visit this past weekend.

6 p.m.

Miami Central DL/EDGE Armondo Blount

Blount, who reclassified to the class of 2024 in September, initially committed to Miami before flipping to Florida State. He’s been trending Miami the past few weeks.  



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11 hospitalized, including 2 kids, after boat explosion in Florida

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11 hospitalized, including 2 kids, after boat explosion in Florida


Nearly a dozen people, including two children, were hospitalized after a boat explosion and fire in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Memorial Day evening, officials said.

The incident was reported around 5:45 p.m. Monday near the New River Triangle, not far from the Lauderdale Yacht Club on Southeast 12th Court.

U.S. Coast Guard officials said there were 13 people on board the boat when there was an explosion.

“For reasons that we don’t know yet, a boat exploded, it tossed people into the water, good Samaritans came over right away and started rescuing them,” Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue spokesman Frank Guzman said. “It’s too soon to know how this happened. We have a fire investigator on scene, as well.”

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Footage from a surveillance camera captured the moment the fireball erupted on the boat, and showed multiple people spilling into the water.

Guzman confirmed there were 11 patients, including two children, who were initially taken to Broward Health Medical Center.

“A number of the patients had significant burns and are being transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where they have a burn unit,” Guzman said. “A lot of them had burns to much of their body.”

Officials at Jackson Memorial said they received 10 patients, including eight adults who were in good condition and two children who were in fair condition. One patient had to be intubated.

Antonio Rivero said he was with family members on the boat when it went up in flames.

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“Tried to fuel up the boat, and must have been a gas leak and, you know, spark went off and explosion,” Rivero said. “One of the guys’ pants were blown off, so it was bad.”

Rivero, 32, suffered burns to his arm, but his wife, Cassandra, and their two children remained hospitalized Monday night.

“They’re OK because they’re on a lot of meds, but other than that they’re fine,” he said.

At least one witness reported seeing an explosion and said they saw multiple people with burn injuries who were brought to the yacht club docks.

The victims had burned legs and bathing suits that appeared ripped and burned to shreds, the witness said.

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Two other witnesses said they were on a dinghy at the sandbar when the boat exploded.

“When they went to start their boat up, it just exploded. There was a huge fireball and people were kind of falling off the boat,” Bret Triano said. “We were at the sandbar too and we just tried to go help out.”

Triano and Marisa Toomesn were able to rescue some of the victims.

“There were a couple boats trying to pick people up and one guy just didn’t get picked up so we went over to him,” Triano said. “He was screaming.”

“He was burned pretty badly,” Toomesn said.

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“He was saying, ‘Save me. Please, don’t let me die. I’m so hot, I need water,’” Triano said. “He just kept repeating, ‘I want water, I want water.’”

Aerial footage from Chopper 6 showed Fort Lauderdale Police, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Broward Sheriff’s Office assisting Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue.

Crews were seen examining the boat involved, which was tied up to a nearby sea wall.

Guzman said crews also rescued a dog that had been on the boat that wasn’t injured.

The FWC and fire officials will investigate the cause of the explosion.

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Duck terrorizes Florida neighborhood, sending 1 to hospital

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Duck terrorizes Florida neighborhood, sending 1 to hospital


CAPE CORAL, Fla. – Neighbors say an uninvited guest is causing chaos on their street in Cape Coral.

A Muscovy duck has not been a friendly visitor, with neighbors saying it has chased and bitten people, even sending one person to the hospital.

“I had my eyes closed, (and) all of a sudden I felt a jab on my hand and it was bleeding,” neighbor James Sepulveda said.

Wildlife officials say the duck is protected by federal law and can be removed, but only by humane methods.

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Neighbors say they are trying to keep their distance from the unfriendly duck.

Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.



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Donna Kelce subtly supports son Travis’ Florida date night with Taylor Swift

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Donna Kelce subtly supports son Travis’ Florida date night with Taylor Swift


Donna Kelce showed her support for her son Travis Kelce after he stepped out for a romantic date night with Taylor Swift in Florida.

The 72-year-old matriarch “liked” a fan photo shared via Instagram of the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and the “Lover” songstress dining at Harry’s in West Palm Beach on Friday.

The snap showed the couple cozied up in a booth while sipping on some drinks.

Donna Kelce subtly showed support for her son Travis Kelce and his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, after their date night in Florida on Friday. Denver Post via Getty Images
The Kelce matriarch “liked” a fan photo of the couple dining at Harry’s in West Palm Beach. Instagram/@markmorrisonofficial

The pair appeared to be in good spirits, as the pop star was beaming during their night out in another photo shared by British singer Mark Morrison.

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An insider told TMZ that Swift and Travis, both 35, arrived at the restaurant hand-in-hand.

The football star sported a patterned button-down shirt and tan pants, while the “Love Story” singer stunned in a white off-the-shoulder dress for the outing.

They appeared to be in good spirits for the outing. Instagram/colombian__necktie84
Swift and Travis have maintained a low profile in recent months. GC Images

The lovebirds’ date night in Florida comes as Travis has been renting a $20 million house in Boca Raton while prepping for the 2025-26 NFL season.

He reportedly moved into the waterfront pad in April.

The “Cruel Summer” hitmaker and her beau have been keeping a low profile since Travis and the Chiefs lost the 2025 Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles in February.

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They were previously seen together on Mother’s Day in Philadelphia. NBC
Page Six was told the duo has been enjoying a “nice escape” from the spotlight. GC Images

The duo resurfaced for a Mother’s Day brunch with Donna in Philadelphia earlier this month.

Last week, WNBA star Caitlin Clark confirmed pals Swift and Travis have been in “vacation mode” — spending their downtime traveling and having discreet restaurant dates.

“A lot of their time is spent at home just relaxing. Despite their fame, they’re really just like any other couple,” an insider previously told Page Six in April.

“A lot of their time is spent at home just relaxing,” an insider said in April. Getty Images
Swift and Travis have been dating since 2023. GC Images

“They like to cuddle on the couch and watch movies, play board games, spend time with family, cook dinner together and just hang out,” the source added.

We were told the couple’s “nice escape” from the spotlight has allowed them “to feel a bit of normalcy for the first time in a long time.”

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Swift and Travis have been dating since summer 2023.





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