Tyrie Cleveland to Florida: 4-Star WR Decommits from Houston, Joins Gators

Wide receiver and potential special teams ace Tyrie Cleveland flipped his commitment from Houston to Florida during national signing day on Wednesday.

Derek Tyson of ESPN passed along the news, which gives the Gators an even more outstanding group of incoming wideouts.  

Mark Berman of Fox 26 provided comments from Cleveland about the choice:

Berman also highlighted some further insight into the decision from one of the receiver's family members:

Cleveland is a 4-star recruit who rates as the No. 33 overall prospect in the 2016 class and also checks in as the No. 2 receiver in the group, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. Losing a player of that caliber is a major setback for Houston.

Zach Abolverdi of SEC Country passed along comments from the coveted playmaker over the weekend about his visit to Florida. He said he felt comfortable with how the coaching staff treated him and came away confident he can make a quick impact.

"It's just the mental part of the game coming from high school to college that I have to get used to," Cleveland said. "They need to get me to know the plays and understand everything with the offense. Then I’ll be good to go."

Cleveland is a dynamic threat capable of making a multifaceted impact for the Gators.

His first involvement may come on special teams as a returner. He possesses tremendous acceleration and breakaway speed that makes him a threat every time he catches a kickoff or punt. The transition is a bit easier in that role, too.

That said, it probably won't be long before he starts seeing some snaps on offense. And once he becomes completely comfort with the Gators' system, he should develop into one of the team's most important players.

With the addition of Cleveland, it's shaping up to become a terrific day for Florida, which 247Sports currently ranks as the No. 6 class for 2016.