Florida Football: 2017 4-star DT Fred Hansard commits to Gators

The Florida football program boosted the 2017 recruiting class with the commitment from 4-star defensive tackle Fred Hansard.

Friday, the Florida Gators started the weekend off right, landing a commitment from 2017 four-star defensive tackle Fred Hansard (Hun School. Princeton, NJ.) He made the announcement via Twitter and this news was first reported by Luke Stampini of 247Sports.

Hansard is the No. 201 player in the 2017 class, No. 11 defensive tackle, and the No. 4 player in the state of New Jersey per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Collecting 30 offers in total, he was recruited to the Gators by defensive line coach Chris Rumph and defensive coordinator Geoff Collins.

On the Florida front, he was first offered by the program September 9, 2015 and again on January 25. He then named his Top 3 choices on August 5, and Florida was in the mix. Friday, his recruitment process concluded with a commitment to Gainesville.

The Gators continue to build a solid 2017 class and in that sense, continue the momentum from what was a very solid July. With 15 commitments overall including eight of the four-star distinction, the class ranks No. 13 nationally and No. 6 in the SEC per the 247Sports Team Rankings.

What does Hansard bring to the Gators? He brings a pass-rushing threat to the program. He can get by offensive linemen with ease and use his speed to bring down the quarterback. Because he is able to create matchup problems for the offensive line, he can also make an impact in stalling any running game.

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This was another pickup for a class that has all the makings to be a special one. It will be interesting to see how Jim McElwain and his staff fill out the rest of the class.