NCAA Basketball Recruiting: 2019 center Omar Payne selects the Florida Gators

The Florida Gators are putting together quite the 2019 class well before the new season with their latest commitment from big man Omar Payne.

The Florida Gators aren’t wasting any time getting better on the recruiting trail after turning in a top class in 2018. After turning in the 19th rated class in 2018, the Gators are looking to build with a number of high-profile recruits. Florida is well on their way to another Top 25 recruiting class for 2019 after their latest commitment from big man Omar Payne.

He is listed as a 6-foot-9, 215-pound center and ranks 38th overall in the 2019 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. By position, he’s rated as the 10th-best center and eighth overall in the state of Florida. Payne is the second player ranked in the Top 50 to commit to the Florida Gators. Five-star point guard Tre Mann committed to the Gators back on Aug. 28. Mann is the 25th-ranked player in the 2019 class, third by position and sixth overall in the state of Florida.

Payne currently attends the prestigious Montverde Academy (FL), where former alum and current Florida Gator Andrew Nembhard also attended. He chose the Gators over Florida State, the only other school he took an official visit to. He had visits scheduled to the Ohio State Buckeyes and the LSU Tigers, but head coach Mike White was able to seal the deal right before a new season begins.

At 6-foot-9, Payne has a wingspan that measures at 7-foot-5 which makes him a solid presence in the paint. As a junior, he averaged 19 points per game at Osceola High School and is considered an elite shot-blocker. He will be looked upon by the Gators coaching staff to make an impact right away on the defensive end and then some. Florida will have Chase Johnson and Isaiah Stokes in the frontcourt for 2019-20 along with Dontay Bassett, Gorjok Gak, and Keith Stone.

Still looming for the Florida Gators is the pending commitment of five-star wing Scottie Lewis. Lewis is a 6-foot-5 highly-rated prospect from New Jersey and ranks 11th in the 2019 recruiting class. He is set to decide between the Gators and the Kentucky Wildcats in the coming days.