Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) defensive winger Jamir Perez worked on the Florida Gators Sunday after an official visit to the football program.
Florida made it available to Perez early this month (May 2) and made a quick official visit two weeks later. Perez has been visiting until the end of June, but he told SWAMP247 that he locked in on his promise to the Gators.
"It's closed," Perez said. "I promised today. So, it's the time for the crocodile. So, I don't think there's no space for anyone else anymore. I'm at home, I feel home, and now it's time."
Wisconsin and Cincinnati are considered early leaders of Perez, but the Big 10 and SEC elites slowly took over the recruitment war. Vanderbilt is the first SEC team to schedule an official visit date, and Alabama and Ohio State will soon join.
The planned official visit has not been officially cancelled, although Perez said he plans to remove it from the schedule. Expect Ohio State until the end. Cleveland Glenville is a pipeline school for the Buckeyes, and anything can happen in the summer.
It's not the first time Billy Napier's coaching staff has snapped up three-star gems from another area, but Ohio isn't a hotbed in Florida. The link comes from David Reese, who recently joined the coaching staff of the Florida Department of Quality Control.
Reese graduated from Florida in 2019 after serving as captain for three seasons. He spent a year working in his NFL career and then shifted his attention to coaching. Reese paused in Indiana and eastern Michigan (led by Jim McElwain) before returning to Gainesville in February.
Perez and Reese know each other from their EMU coaching tenure. Reese told Florida coach that the Midwest’s nose tackle was big and the tape was performing enough to make the wheels move.
Defensive line coach Gerald Chatman joined and sold Perez to Florida. He proposed a multiple position plan on a 1-Tech nose tackle and had plenty of time.
"I saw the vision, Coach Chatman gave me the vision, and everyone else gave me the vision. I was at home," Perez told Gators Online. “I told Coach Napier that he was very happy. Last night I told a few players here that I was going to do it.
Height: 6-4
Weight: 360 lbs
High School: Glenville High School (Ohio)
November 2, 2024: Syracuse vs. Virginia Tech
March 15, 2025: Wisconsin Spring Practice
April 12, 2025: Ohio State Spring Competition
Perez made an official visit to Vanderbilt on June 6, June 10, June 10, and Ohio State University on June 13, and conducted it on June 20.
| Serve | Star rating | Nath. rank | pos. rank | State level |
| 247Sports Comprehensive | ⭐⭐⭐ | 640 | 74 | 27 |
| ON3 industry ranking | ⭐⭐⭐ | 657 | 65 | 26 |
| TOP247 | ⭐⭐⭐ | N/A. | 75 | 26 |
| ON300 | ⭐⭐⭐ | N/A. | twenty three | 12 |
| ESPN | N/A. | N/A. | N/A. | N/A. |
| Competitors | ⭐⭐⭐ | N/A. | 28 | 19 |
Perez is the second commitment of Florida's 2026 recruiting class as three defensive commitments were lost in the cycle. Tampa Jesuit quarterback Will Griffin stayed with Perez.
Florida remains underperformed in the ON3 industry team rankings, although Florida’s 85.739 points ranked 49th in the country, leading only UCF and trailing Duke. However, at least three commitments are required to be included in the list.
247Sports does not have the same constraints and ranks 73rd in overall and comprehensive team rankings. Only Kentucky and Missouri Florida were present in the conference. Both programs have a promise in the books.
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