DeAundrae Ballard to Florida: Gators Land 4-Star SF Prospect

Florida added DeAundrae Ballard to its 2017 recruiting class Monday night with the small forward reportedly committing to the Gators during an in-home visit.  

Jeff Borzello of ESPN reported the news. Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel confirmed the prospect's school choice.

Ballard is a 4-star prospect who rates as the No. 58 player in next year's incoming class. He also ranks as No. 12 small forward and the sixth-best recruit from the state of Georgia.

The Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy standout told Jason Jordan of USA Today back in December that a 42-point performance against St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.) is when everything started to click.

"That's the game where I realized I could be great," Ballard said. "Everything just came together for me in that one. Now I use the same strategy that I used in that game, inside-out. I've always had the confidence."

Carter Wilson of HoopSeen commented on the Gators' latest addition:

Ballard joins Shai Alexander, the No. 49 overall prospect, as hard commits to Florida for 2017. It's a rock-solid foundation with plenty of time left to bolster the group even further.

Most importantly, they are both players who are capable of creating their own offense. It's been an area of need for the Gators, which ranked a mediocre 84th in adjusted offensive efficiency last season, based on KenPom.com's ratings.

There's still time for both of them to develop before they arrive to campus, too. For Ballard, if his final high school campaign is as productive as his junior season, Florida head coach Mike White will be happy they received a commitment before his stock skyrocketed.

All recruiting info courtesy of 247Sports.