John Bol, a four-star center in the 2024 recruiting cycle, committed to Florida on Saturday over Connecticut, Michigan, Missouri, Texas, USC and Wake Forest. Bol also contemplated skipping the college basketball route and joining Overtime Elite, which is a developmental professional basketball league for 16–20-year-olds based in Atlanta.
“I’m going to the University of Florida,” Bol told 247Sports. “It’s a good program and it’s a really good fit for me. Ultimately, my goal is to make it the NBA and I feel like me being at Florida is the best fit for me. The SEC, how they play there, the style of play is one that I feel like if I go there, I will be successful and ultimately make my goal. Florida is a program where I also think we can make a run. I think that we can make a run and win a championship too.”
Bol, who plays at Sunrise Christian in Wichita, Kansas, is ranked as the No. 29 prospect overall and the No. 3 center in the 2024 recruiting cycle. He is the highest-ranked prospect Florida coach Todd Golden has landed since he joined the Gators program from San Francisco last season.
“Coach Todd, he’s a young coach but really experienced, a really good guy and a really good coach too,” Bol told 247Sports. “There are a lot of things that I liked about him. I like the way that he talks and I really like the way that he coaches. I was there for a couple of practices and he’s out there with the guys and active. He’s not just on the bench shouting out what to do. He’s also showing them what to do and how to do it. He’s a really good dude and I think he will be able to help me.”
The 7-foot-1 big man helps Florida jump to No. 26 overall in the 247Sports 2024 team rankings and third in the SEC behind Texas A&M and Auburn. Florida’s other commitment in the class is four-star guard Isaiah Brown, who committed to the program last month.