Texas continued its momentum on the recruiting trail Monday, flipping five-star safety Xavier Filsaime from his commitment to Florida ahead of the early signing period for the 2024 cycle, which opens Wednesday with National Signing Day. Filsaime, the No. 2 safety in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports, had been committed to the Gators since April before the McKinney, Texas, native ultimately chose to remain in his home state.
Filsaime becomes the fourth five-star prospect and 22nd player overall in the 2024 class to commit to coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns. His decision comes as Texas prepares for its first College Football Playoff appearance after finishing the regular season 12-1 with a Big 12 championship.
Florida, meanwhile, regressed to a 5-7 record in the Gators' second season under coach Billy Napier. Florida dismissed defensive backs coach Corey Raymond after the season concluded, which Filsaime told 247Sports was among the factors that influenced his decision to stay in the Lone Star State.
"I don't know the future that Florida is going to have," Filsaime told 247Sports. "Texas has the advantage with a lot of things outside of football alone. I chose Texas because of the development. It's really close to home and I know I'm going to be surrounded by guys who want to win. That's no shot to Florida, but I know I'll have that at Texas. They are going to get all of the top guys in Texas. Kids in Texas want to go play for UT, and that's why I chose them."
Texas' 2024 recruiting class ranks fifth in the country as of Filsaime's commitment, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, while Florida is five spots behind at 10th. The Gators still have a pair of five-star prospects committed to the program despite the loss of Filsaime to the Longhorns, who join Florida as an SEC member next season.
Filsaime isn't the first notable defensive back who announced plans to join Texas on Monday. Earlier in the day, the Longhorns landed a commitment from Clemson safety Andrew Mukuba, the top-ranked safety available in the transfer portal.
