One of Florida basketball’s top-ranked recruits made it officially official Wednesday.
CJ Ingram, a 4-star recruit at Montverde Academy, signed with Todd Golden and the Florida Gators on Wednesday morning at Montverde's signing day. Ingram committed to Florida in August.
"It's a super wonderful feeling that I was anticipating for a while now," Ingram said. "No matter what was going on with the Gators and Coach Todd, I was always committed."
The No. 22 ranked prospect in the Class of 2025 (according to 247sports) is a Gator legacy, of course. His father, Cornelius Ingram, played at UF from 2004-2008 after a star-studded career at Hawthorne. He mainly focused on football, where he was a key contributor at tight end on Florida’s 2006 National Championship team.
However, CI walked on with the Florida basketball team under Billy Donovan in the 2004-05 season. Like his father, CJ Ingram starred for the Hawthorne Hornets his first three years of high school. Also like Cornelius, CJ played football and basketball.
Yet Ingram wants to forge his own path at Florida, independent of his dad.
"It's a blessing to play where my dad played, but we all take different paths," he said. "I took up all the information he gave me like a sponge, but I'm obviously focusing in on basketball."
On the gridiron, he was the quarterback for back-to-back state title winning teams. In 2023, he had nearly 3,000 total yards and 44 touchdowns. He was the Gainesville Sun’s Small School Offensive Player of the Year, and the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 1R Player of the Year.
His feats in basketball, though, were just as impressive. His final season at Hawthorne, he averaged 24 PPG and was the Sun’s Small School Player of the Year. The Florida Dairy Farmers named him their Class 1A Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024.
CJ received an offer from Florida in June, and after months of waiting, announced he’d transfer to Montverde in Central Florida for his senior season. For the Eagles, CJ averages a team-high 12.5 PPG and 6.8 rebounds per game.
The Eagles are 18-5 on the season.
Ingram thinks he'll be more prepared to play as a freshman at Florida because of the competition he faced at Montverde. In addition, he said he soaked up information from Eagles' coach Kevin Boyle.
"I've learned that even with my athletic ability, you still got to have real skill," Ingram said. "You got to play with guys just as strong, if not stronger, than you. You got to play smarter and develop a higher IQ."
Even though Ingram learned invaluable skills, he missed the Hawthorne community immensely this season — a community that shaped who he is will be just down the road from him.
"Hawthorne means the world to me. That's why it was so difficult to leave. It's where I grew up and where my roots are," Ingram said. "No matter where I go, Hawthorne, Florida, will be on the TV, so hopefully I can continue to have success and put my hometown on the map."
247Sports has Ingram ranked as the No. 5 small forward in the country and the No. 4 recruit in Florida. He is Todd Golden’s highest ranked commit and joins Westminster Academy’s Alex Lloyd as one of two signees.
Overall, Ingram said Gator fans will see a player who just cares about winning and will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.
"I'm someone who will get the job done and bring a lot of excitement to the team," Ingram said.
The No. 2 Gators travel to LSU Saturday at 6 p.m.
(This story was updated to add new quotes and information.)
Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him by email at [email protected] and follow him @Noah_ram1 on X/Twitter.