ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Gators pulled one of the biggest recruiting surprises this Thursday evening at the Under Armour All-America Game. New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr five-star defensive lineman Gerald Willis committed to Florida over long-time favorite LSU.

"I will take my talents to Gainesville," Willis said. "Go Florida Gators!"

Willis' mother, April Justin, accompanied him on stage and found out about his choice with the rest of the country.

"It's been flipping and flopping. Last night it was Florida, this morning it was LSU, again Florida," she said. "I really didn't know which one. I didn't know exactly where he was going."

Though she'd prefer her son a little closer to home, she said she's happy for him and thinks he has found the right program.

"I love the program. It's too far, but that's the way it's always been," she said. "They always do the opposite. So now I have to go farther than Tuscaloosa now, but I think the program is excellent. It's a growing program and I think it's a good fit for him."

Willis visited Florida on Nov. 9 for the Vanderbilt game. He came away from that visit blown away by the Gators and Will Muschamp's program.

"He loved it. I could see that he felt at home, comfortable," Justin said. "He always planned to leave state, that was always a goal of his. I didn't know he was going to go that far. The goal was for them, my boys, to play together too. Landon (Collins) did try to work on him for Alabama, but he said no."

Throughout the entire process, the in-state Tigers were believe to be the eventual destination for the 6-foot-3, 275-pound Willis. In the eleventh hour, buzz started saying the Gators were going to land the strong-side defensive end. It only grew stronger hours before his eventual televised announcement.

New Orleans native and Florida tight ends coach Derek Lewis is the recruiter of record on Willis. That local tie and the way Muschamp uses his defensive linemen were the biggest reason for Willis’ surprise pick.

During the fall, Willis only took official visits to Texas A&M on September 13, Florida on November 9 and LSU on December 6. The nation’s No. 21 prospect overall according to the 247Sports Composite will enroll in classes later this month.