Brunswick huge target Heze Kent commits

Brunswick tight end Heze Kent committed to the Florida Gators football program.
Several Jacksonville-area high school football players announced their college commitments.
The National Federation of State High School Associations will require double first bases in high school baseball starting in 2027.

Billy Napier and the Gators are adding a big — really big — football prospect from the opposite side of the Florida-Georgia line.

Brunswick tight end Heze Kent announced his commitment to Florida on July 12, selecting the Gators ahead of Florida State, Miami and Texas.

At 6-7, 300, Kent is a four-star prospect and an all-purpose weapon for Brunswick. He caught 41 passes for 983 yards and eight touchdowns, rushed 32 times for 211 yards and eight more scores and even averaged a double-double (17.2 points, 14.4 rebounds and a 31-point game) on the basketball court.

In 2024, he helped Brunswick to a 10-2 record in the Georgia High School Association. Because of his size, analysts have projected him at various positions in college, including offensive tackle.

More from the week in Jacksonville-area football recruiting:

Wide receiver Vernon Stephens became the latest Nease football standout to commit to the Division I gridiron, announcing his commitment to Army.

The 6-foot, 205-pound Stephens selected Army over offers including Georgia Southern and Georgia State. He caught 19 passes for 347 yards and six touchdowns last year, splitting catches in a receiver corps that also included Maddox Spencer, Tyler Ghazanfari and rising senior Brayden Felder.

Middleburg running back Gino Addison announced his commitment to North Carolina Central.

Addison rushed 110 times for 722 yards and nine touchdowns during his junior season at Bradford. He’s one of several players drawing college attention on a Middleburg team that could surprise people again in 2025.

Bradford, Columbia top Jaguars Prep event

Looking for high school football’s best teams in Northeast Florida? Schools to Jacksonville’s west are staking a summertime claim.

Bradford topped Columbia in the final of the Jaguars Prep Nike 11-On tournament, held at Providence this year because of continuing renovations at EverBank Stadium. The 7-on-7 competition serves as a traditional tune-up ahead of the start of official practice on July 28.

Already among Northeast Florida’s high school quarterback prospects to watch in the 2028 class, rising sophomore Cy Cubbedge commanded the Tornadoes’ air attack with confidence and composure under scorching skies.

The left-hander, who saw part-time duty as a freshman last fall, threw only one interception during Bradford’s seven victories in the competition.

Meanwhile, Columbia emerged victorious in the Lineman Challenge, which matched five-man line groups in a series of physical tests.

Zack Grimes, Jaden McCray, Jaylen Underwood, Josiah Rossin and De’manuel Jones came out on top in the final tug-of-war against White, with First Coast and West Nassau also in the final four.

Bradford finished 9-2 and Columbia 5-6 in 2024.

Verger captures AAU long jump

In one of the final events of a busy week on the track at the University of North Florida’s Hodges Stadium, Nethan Verger saved the best for last.

The Orange Park rising senior leaped 24 feet, 2 1/4 inches to win the men’s 17-18 long jump at the week-long AAU Club National Championships.

Verger’s mark surpassed his distance from the FHSAA championships in May, when he finished second. His distance of 25 feet, 3/4 inch from the Pepsi Florida Relays in April ties him for seventh on the MileSplit national high school list for 2025.

More local achievements from the AAU meet:

Recent Bartram Trail graduate Ethan Fox won the discus for the men’s 17-18 division, throwing 173 feet, 7 inches. He also took second in the shot put.
Sandalwood’s Paetton Perez ran 1:01.63 for first place in the 400-meter hurdles in the girls 15-16 division.
Oakleaf rising senior Rayna Lawson placed second in the women’s 17-18 division of the 100-meter dash in 11.93.
Raines’ Iason Williams took second in the boys 15-16 division of the 400 hurdles in 56.20.
Fletcher’s Jaidyn Haywood ran 1:57.85 for second place in the boys 15-16 division of the 800.

Sharks reel in state lacrosse honors

The Florida State Lacrosse Coaches Association rolled out its All-State awards in boys lacrosse, with five first-team selections from Class 2A runner-up Ponte Vedra among the leaders of the pack.

Selected to the first team for Class 2A were Ponte Vedra attack Mason Hauseman, Ponte Vedra midfielders JP Dolan and Blake Powers, and Ponte Vedra defensemen Ryker Kemp and Tate Smith.

Second-team honorees in attack were Creekside’s Grady Insel and Braxton Lee, Nease’s Nik Perkins and Ponte Vedra’s Matthias Schulz; in midfield, Nease’s Zac Azotea and Jackson Coughlin and Ponte Vedra’s Carter Magnano; at long-stick midfield, Creekside’s Ethan Anderson; in defense, Nease’s Brandon Strout and Ponte Vedra’s Lucas Chigounis; at faceoff specialist, Ponte Vedra’s Luke Greco; and in goal, Bartram Trail’s Will Duncan and Nease’s Austin Azotea.

For Class 1A, first-teamers were Bolles midfielders David Caldwell, Jack Cox and Nate Towers, Episcopal attack Tre Carter, Episcopal midfielder Jackson Soud and Bolles FOGO Greer Boree. Boree announced his commitment during the week to Yale.

Named to the second team were, from Bolles, attackmen Cole Hunt and Nolan Preston, long-stick midfielder Cam Zielinski, defenseman Tucker Chappell and goalie Will Martell; from Episcopal, attack Robert Adams, midfielder Dylan Hauser, long-stick midfielder Evan Tuttle, defenseman Colton Augustine and goalie Jude Kobrin.

The FSLCA’s statewide player of the year awards went to St. Thomas Aquinas long-stick middie Kyan East for Class 2A and Palm Beach Gardens Benjamin attack Jayden Vega for Class 1A.

New rule: First base, times two

Seeing double on the first-base line in a couple of years? There’s a good reason for that.

The National Federation of State High School Associations announced that it will require the use of double first bases beginning in the 2027 season, the most significant of several rules changes coming to high school baseball.

“It will immediately address running lane violations, and it will further protect the players from the violent collisions that have occurred at first base,” said NFHS director of sports Elliot Hopkins in a statement on the ruling.

Under the plan, the white portion of first base would be in fair territory with the colored portion in foul territory. In most circumstances, when there is a play at first base, batters would have to touch the colored portion of the base, while the fielder would remain on the white base. Failure to do so could lead to calls of interference (when committed by runners) or obstruction (by fielders).

Once a runner is on base, any plays returning to the base would require touching the white section of the bag.

Raines tops locals on Preseason 300

Raines led seven Jacksonville-area teams in High School Football America’s Preseason 300 list for the United States.

The Vikings, Florida High School Athletic Association runners-up last year at Class 3A, placed 116th to lead all Northeast Florida.

Also in the rankings are St. Augustine (147), Nease (158), Bolles (209), Camden County (214), Mandarin (229) and Oakleaf (280).

Florida was the most-represented state in the HSFA 300 with 52 teams, followed by Texas (38), Georgia (28) and California (25). Mater Dei of California opened at No. 1, with IMG Academy fifth and St. Thomas Aquinas 10th for the Sunshine State.

Around the area

First Coast third baseman Khalin Daniels committed to Paine baseball. … Menendez pitcher Brooks Taylor committed to Brewton-Parker baseball. … Paxon catcher Michael Belcher committed to Benedict baseball. … Ridgeview infielder Peyton Kirk committed to College of Central Florida softball. … MaxPreps named St. Johns Country Day pitcher Brayden Harris and Trinity Christian outfielder Brady Harris to the Underclass All-American team for baseball. … Nease named Tim Gebauer as the inaugural head coach of the school’s flag football program. … St. Johns Country Day named Rodney Keller head girls weightlifting coach. … University Christian named Eric Higginbotham head cross country coach. … Former Trinity Christian first baseman Todd Lott, now with the Kane County Cougars, was selected for the independent American Association of Professional Baseball All-Star Game on July 22 in Fargo, N.D.