Florida basketball has had its eyes on Dedan Thomas Jr. for a while now, but the Liberty (Henderson, Nevada) point guard is staying home after announcing his commitment to UNLV on Sunday.

“I stayed home because I felt the most comfortable,” he said to On3’s Joe Tipton. “I got a special feeling about the school that I didn’t get anywhere else.”

The Gators were considered frontrunners in this race because of the connections the coaching staff has had to him for several years. Todd Golden saw him at a camp over two years ago and associate head coach Carlin Hartman is the father of one of Thomas’ former teammates.

Those connections didn’t pay off, though, and the top-25 recruit decided to play his college ball a little closer to home instead.

Missing out on Thomas is a significant loss for Todd Golden and Co. on the recruiting trail. Houston was the other program in play, but Thomas did announce a top six that feature Arizona, Gonzaga and UCLA.

247Sports ranked Thomas No. 22 overall in the nation and No. 3 among point guards in the class of 2024. He’s also considered the top recruit out of Nevada.

Golden and his recruiting staff will now have to pivot and try and add another player in the class of 2024.

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Story originally appeared on Gators Wire