Former five-star receiver Johntay Cook II chooses Washington over the Florida Gators

Former Texas Longhorns receiver Johntay Cook II, a prominent transfer portal target for Florida, pledged his services to Washington on Saturday, choosing the Huskies over the Gators.

Cook II is a former five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class and has two years of eligibility remaining. He appeared in 20 games for the Longhorns, recording 16 receptions for 273 yards and two touchdowns during that time.

Cook II’s commitment to Washington comes after 247 Sports national recruiting analyst Mike Roach recently placed a crystal ball on Cook II landing in Washington. He visited the Huskies before announcing his commitment.

He also recently visited Florida December 21-22. After his visit, On3’s Pete Nakos predicted that Cook II would commit to the Gators. However, it appears that the Gators have begun to distance themselves from Cook II in recent days due to an already crowded receiver room.

Even though Cook II is headed to Washington, the Gators have still managed to assemble one of the best receiver classes in the country this recruiting cycle.

The Gators signed and added a four-star high school receiver class consisting of five-star Dallas Wilson, five-star Vernell Brown III, four-star Naeshaun Montgomery and three-star Muizz Tounkara Former UCLA starter J. Michael Sturdivant was also added via the transfer portal.

Both Wilson and Brown III are in the top 10 of On3’s industry rankings, and it’s the first time since 2003 that Florida has signed two combined five-star receivers in the same class.

The Gators will also return receivers Eugene Wilson III, Aidan Mizell, Kahleil Jackson, Tank Hawkins and TJ Abrams next season.

Since the portal opened, the Gators have added a total of four transfers while losing 19 players, 13 of whom are on scholarship. Gators illustrated tracks all movements in the Florida transfer portal here and counts the Gators’ squad number here.