Florida Gators 2014 recruiting class

[Escambia94]

As of now, the Gators have 82 scholarships and 11 seniors. There are a few more juniors that may be good enough to jump into the NFL, and there are a couple players that tend to leave the program each year. All we know now is that we are 100% sure we will have at least 14 scholarships available for the 2014 class (11 graduating seniors plus the 3 open scholarships).

 

[DRU2012]

Well, we've already "LOST" one (Def. line) for 2014, picked up 3 more, and got ANOTHER one about READY to confirm HIS (long-expected) committing any day...and that's all just this WEEK! The overall message? Don't sweat all this too much: We'll have a "decommit" here and/or there, maybe even pick one or two BACK up as things play out--IF we still want 'em, which becomes pretty DAMN "iffy" once our Coach gets the idea you might be a flake, or maybe just "playing the game" a LITTLE too much, whatever the reasons are for your public flip-flopping. Anyway, we are gonna be fine in 2014--and thereafter, I suspect.
(Btw, I guess I'm saying this as a reminder to MYSELF as much as anyone else. I've said this here before recently, but it bears repeating: I really have come to TRUST our Head Coach and his staff in the choices they make, how they go about their business in this roller-coaster ride that recruiting is, and ultimately the kind of TEAM they are building, and intend to grow, evolve and improve all-the-more with each class.)

 

[Escambia94]

I just added Chris Paul as the 7th member of the 2014 class.

Joseph Paul, OL, 6'4", 340, 3*, 3/19/2013

 

[bradRT]

DE Prospect Lorenzo Carter
You guys have any more inside info on Lorenzo Carter's recruitment at FL?

Read more about him if you like:
bit.ly/DE_LCarter

(Free breakdown as always, brought to you by my startup, RecruitTalk)
Preview--
Lorenzo Carter is a 2014 recruit from Norcross, Georgia. Generally listed as a weakside defensive end, he is athletic enough to play linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

Carter is also considered one of the top power forwards in the Georgia prep ranks. Carter has yet to express his desire to play both sports in college.

His offer list is a who’s who of college football programs: Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, USC, Notre Dame, Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, Oregon, Penn State, and Stanford have all extended early offers. Carter has yet to really cut his list.

 

[Escambia94]

DE Prospect Lorenzo Carter
You guys have any more inside info on Lorenzo Carter's recruitment at FL?

Read more about him if you like:
bit.ly/DE_LCarter

(Free breakdown as always, brought to you by my startup, RecruitTalk)
Preview--
Lorenzo Carter is a 2014 recruit from Norcross, Georgia. Generally listed as a weakside defensive end, he is athletic enough to play linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.

Carter is also considered one of the top power forwards in the Georgia prep ranks. Carter has yet to express his desire to play both sports in college.

His offer list is a who’s who of college football programs: Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, USC, Notre Dame, Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, Oregon, Penn State, and Stanford have all extended early offers. Carter has yet to really cut his list.

I do not have any inside information on this one. He looks like a good prospect and he has been given an offer, but he has not scheduled any visits to Gainesville. He has only made one visit--Tuscaloosa.

 

[bradRT]

Always tough to project SEC recruiting and it's tough to say no to Nick Saban at this point. That being said, it's very early and he's a kid who would fit in very well with Muschamp's scheme. Muschamp's done well with hybrid DE/LBs

 

[Escambia94]

Always tough to project SEC recruiting and it's tough to say no to Nick Saban at this point. That being said, it's very early and he's a kid who would fit in very well with Muschamp's scheme. Muschamp's done well with hybrid DE/LBs

Muschamp has had no choice but to do well with hybrid DEs/LBs and hybrid DTs/DEs. He is now in year three as head coach and only has two recruiting classes to completely call his own. Look at the the recruits he had to work with:

• 2011: LB Clay Burton. Bust. Moved to TE. Has brick hands. Too small and slow to be a LB.
• 2011: LB Graham Stewart. Bust. No longer on team. Attitude problems.
• 2012: LB Dante "Omari" Phillips. Bust. Could not academically qualify. Failed out of Tennessee. (Although he publicly Tweeted how much he wished he were at Florida.)
• 2012: DT Jafar Mann. Bust. Could not fit in as DT or DE. Struggling at Alabama State.
• 2012: ILB Antonio Morrison. Stud. SEC All Freshman team. We were worried about him at first due to size, but he bulked up and now has high expectations placed upon him.
• 2012: SDE Jonathan Bullard. Stud. SEC All Freshman team.
• 2012: SDE Bryan Cox. ? Too early to assess. Redshirted. If any DE were to be a hybrid, I would have assumed it would have been Bryan Cox. He looks like a LB playing DE.
• 2012: WDE Alex McCalister. ? Scout player of the week numerous times.
• 2012: WDE/LB Dante Fowler. Stud. SEC All Freshman team. Now the leader of the defense.

 

[Escambia94]

The Florida Gators picked up commitment #9 by snagging a longtime Clemson, Dalvin Cook. Dalvin is a 5'11", 190-pound, 5* running back out of Miami Central.

 

[Escambia94]

Not long after flipping a Clemson recruit after the Orange and Blue Debut, the Gators flipped a 4-star Kentucky recruit. Welcome WDE Denzel Ware, to the Florida Gators class of 2014. Denzel is 6'2", 215 pounds. He will need to bulk up another 15 to 20 pounds if he wants to play Buck, or a lot more if he wants to stick with WDE.

 

[DRU2012]

With the depth we're already building into the offensive backfield, it's amazing to me that we were able to flip that RB from Clemson (Hope he stays--forget his name, but saw a highlight sequence of his Jr. season and he looked quick-twitch FAST!). 2014 is already beginning to shape up as another great class--potentially as good as it could possibly be with fewer openings than this year.

 

[DRU2012]

Addendum: We may well have solved our QB back-up problem at yesterdays "...Debut", SD Padres signee and former Dr. Phillips standout QB was apparently sitting off-to-the-side mostly low-keying it with a coach or two stopping by to talk and discuss what he was seeing--watching with an agenda, it turns out: He subsequently has agreed to sign return to school and football with our Gators, committed to "work hard and fulfill unattained goals" with UF as an active QB, available to play this season. It is unclear how many eligible seasons he has left at this level, but what IS clear is that he is determined to make the team as the #2 QB, and that the coaching staff is quietly confident--not to mention only barely containing their relief--that he may well have the talent, experience and drive to do just that.

 

[Escambia94]

Chris Wilkes has to walk on this summer, since he spent time as a professional baseball player. If he saved up some cash he can take classes and qualify as a student, and back up Jeff Driskel this fall. That being said, I will mark him down as a non-scholarship Class of 2013 recruit, not a Class of 2014 recruit.

Wilkes will join Jacob Guy and Ryan McGriff (cousin of Florida class of '04 graduate Travis McGriff, and 3rd-generation Gator) as walk-ons competing against Tyler Murphy, Skyler Mornhinweg, and incoming freshman Max Staver for the back-up role. Wilkes will also be one of three preferred walk-ons this fall including punter Johnny Townsend and kicker Danny Krysalkis.

 

[Escambia94]

Ryeshene Bronson and Christian Miller have de-committed. It is still early, but the Gators should start picking up recruits once school lets out and they start having football camps.

 

[Escambia94]

Tuscaloosa TE C'yontai Lewis is the latest commit to Florida. Lewis, who is currently listed at 6'5", 208 lbs, will need to gain some weight before he sees the field. His highlight reels show that he should be a welcome addition to the 2014 class.

 

[Escambia94]

Immokalee, FL cornerback JC Jackson has committed to Florida during the first weekend of junior football camp in Gainesville. Expect another one or two commitments this weekend and next during camp, but be on the lookout for decommitments as other schools have camps later in the summer.

 

[Escambia94]

The Gators have received a commitment from Wyoming OL Taven Bryan for the class of 2014.

 

[DRU2012]

The way things work more'n'more these days, there'll BE a certain "shelf-shrinkage" among the early-commits for 2014--but we WILL be OK overall, in the end--BETTER than "OK", in fact...This'll end up being another premium r-class, mark-my-words: By dint of our situation, not as MANY pick-ups this time, but all top-notch and filling in needs for depth now and future continued improvement...and we're talkin' the continuing "very good"-to-"GREAT" trend.

 

[Escambia94]

Four-star DT Khairi Clark committed to Florida on Saturday afternoon despite holding offers from Alabama and Miami, which was thought to lead for his services. Most recruiting services had him going to Miami, since he visited them over a half dozen times compared to only a couple visits to Florida, Alabama, and Arkansas. Khairi will be a welcome addition to the class of 2014 if all goes well.

C'yontai Lewis gave Cam Newton a Gator Chomp during the IMG Academy camp at Bradenton, Florida. +1000 points to C'yontai!
It's great to be a Florida Gator!

 

[Escambia94]

3-star offensive/ defensive lineman Dontae Angus of Germantown, PA is the latest addition to the Gator class of 2014. His intention was to attend Friday Night Lights and announce his commitment this weekend, but he had to withdraw. Scouts say his playing style is similar to Shariff Floyd. Dontae selected Florida over Purdue, Rutgers, West Virginia, Miami, and Alabama.

4-star defensive tackle Anthony Moten decommitted from the Gators last month due to dissatisfaction at competition and depth at that position, and possibly some jealousy over fellow recruit Khairi Clark getting a higher ranking.

 

[Escambia94]

3-star SDE Justus Reed just committed to the Gators. Friday Night Lights had landed the Gators Dontae Angus just a couple days earlier.