has put Florida cornerback Ben Hanks III on its list of sleeper breakout candidates for 2026, a pick that points to a much bigger role ahead for the redshirt freshman. Adam Rittenberg made the selection on Thursday morning, putting a spotlight on a player who spent most of last season on the edge of the rotation.
That search is drawing attention now because Florida is entering a new era under first-year coach Jon Sumrall, and Hanks already showed enough in a limited sample to make people look twice. In three games last season, he finished with 8 tackles, 1 interception and 2 pass breakups, production that stands out even before the calendar turns to 2026.
The numbers help explain why the pick landed, but they also create the first wrinkle. is calling Hanks a sleeper even though he was highly recruited, stayed in state and arrived in Gainesville with the profile of a player many thought would be noticed sooner rather than later. At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, he gives Brad White’s defense the size and route recognition that can change a secondary quickly when the snaps start to pile up.
He also carries a familiar name. Hanks is the son of Ben Hanks Jr., an All-SEC linebacker at Florida, which makes the breakout case feel less like a gamble and more like an overdue turn for a legacy player whose first real chance may be coming just as the program resets around him.
The real question now is not whether Florida sees upside in Hanks. It is how much of the defense he will actually own in 2026, because ’s pick only matters if spring practice carries into fall game days and the three-game sample becomes the beginning of something larger.
