Florida basketball picked up its first commitment from the Class of 2026.

Jones Lay, a 7-foot, 230-pound center, announced his verbal commitment to the Gators on Tuesday, Sept. 9. The commitment comes after Lay recently had an official visit this past weekend.

Lay is out Moravian Prep in Hicky, North Carolina and ranked the No. 132 overall player in the class, according to Rivals. He is also the No. 20 ranked overall center and No. 3 in North Carolina.

The three-star recruit also held offers from South Carolina, Bryant, Loyola Marymount, Georgia Mason and Old Dominion.

Cole Cloer, a small forward rated the No. 5 prospect in Florida by 247Sports, also took an official on Sept. 7.

Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at aabadie@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @AndrewAb

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