In-state four-star cornerback Dominick Harris-Payne has become a high priority for the Gators' secondary.
Harris-Payne is a 6-foot-3-inch, 165-pound cornerback at Lakeland High School in Lakeland, Florida and was in Gainesville in late June for Friday Night Lights and Grille in the Ville
"It's been really good," Harris-Payne told Swamp247
. "They always keep in contact with me, just see how I'm doing."Harris-Payne consistently hears from Jon Sumrall, cornerbacks coach Brandon Harris, safeties coach Chris Collins, and linebackers coach Greg Gasparato. All of them have put in the effort to make Harris-Payne feel like a priority. Coach Harris has gone out of his way to continue to grow and build their connection.
"Our relationship is really good,"
he said He's always in contact with us. We actually have a group chat — me, him, my mom and my dad — and we just always chop it up. He's a really great coach, and he's a really laid-back guy off the field. When you get on the field and he coaches, you can tell it's like a flip that switches. I really like him for sure."
Harris-Payne has described Florida as his dream school, being from the Sunshine State. Proximity will play a factor in how he looks at the Gators.
"I think Florida's got the best talent. It's always competition, always hard work and trying to go get after it," he said. "Florida is a really great place to be, and if I could go to Florida, I would definitely be blessed, for sure."
Harris-Payne has yet to schedule his game day visits but plans to be back in Gainesville this fall.
"They just really make me feel like I'm welcome. They make me feel like it's a real brotherhood there," he said. "They're going to show me that they're going to really push to get me better as a player on the field, but as well as a man on the field. So I really love that."
Harris-Payne is also looking to visit schools like Tennessee, Notre Dame, Alabama, Louisville and Miami. He says Louisville and Miami are two schools also recruiting him as frequently as Florida. However, Florida stands alone at the top of his recruitment going into the fall.
"Definitely, really at the top," he said of Florida. "If they keep it up, they're definitely going to stay out there, for sure."
Dominick Harris-Payne's Recruiting Summary
247Sports gives Harris-Payne a three-star grade and ranks him at No. 43 among cornerbacks and No. 55 in the state of Florida on its standalone rankings. The 247Sports composite grants him four-star status and has him at No. 319 nationally and No. 35 at his position.
Rivals also has Harris-Payne as a three-star on its standalone rankings, ranking him No. 292 overall and No. 33 among cornerbacks. The Rivals industry ranking also grants him a fourth star and puts him at Nos. 272 and 27, respectively. Florida sits atop the Rivals recruiting prediction machine with 97.9%, with no other teams in the race.
ESPN has Harris-Payne at No. 253 on its ESPN Junior 300 and ranked No. 24 among cornerbacks.
Prediction/Crystal Balls
247Sports State of Florida Recruiting Reporter Zach Blostein submitted the first crystal ball for Florida to land Harris-Payne on July 8 with a 6 out of 10 confidence.
Gators Online’s Blake Alderman submitted his prediction on August 4, with 65% confidence. Corey Bender, also of Gators Online, submitted the same prediction two days later (Aug. 6) with 70% confidence.
Offers
Power Four: Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Colorado Buffaloes, Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Indiana Hoosiers, Iowa Hawkeyes, Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, Miami Hurricanes, Michigan Wolverines, Missouri Tigers, Nebraska Cornhuskers, North Carolina Tarheels, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Pittsburgh Panthers, Purdue Boilermakers, SMU Mustangs, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies, UCF Knights, Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Wisconsin Badgers.
Others: East Carolina Pirates, Florida Atlantic Owls, Florida International Golden Panthers, Liberty Flames, Sacramento State Hornets, South Florida Bulls, Southern Miss Golden Eagles, Toledo Rockets, Tulane Green Wave, UAB Blazers, UConn Huskies, UMass Minutemen, Rhode Island Rams.
Visits
June 21, 2025: Florida State camp
Nov. 1, 2025: Florida State vs. Wake Forest
Nov. 29, 2026: Florida vs FSU
April 4, 2026: Florida State
April 11, 2026: Florida Orange and Blue Game
June 20, 2026: Florida Friday Night Lights/Grille in the Ville
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida building momentum with 2028 four-star cornerback
