Is Baker the first of many to come?

Florida fans have been waiting for recruiting to pick up and for the Gators to get on a roll start landing some top-notch prospects.

Well, the time may be coming as Friday the Gators landed linebacker Jerome Baker and that could get the ball rolling for the Gators. July and August could be huge months for Florida on the recruiting trail and Baker’s commitment could be the catalyst for all of it.

The Gators currently sit at 10 verbal commitments, which is only higher than Missouri, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt in the SEC.

However, don’t be scared, Gator fans, because at this time last year Florida only 8 verbal commitments and they went on to have a good recruiting year despite having a bad season on the field.

Last year, the Gators started their recruiting roll in July and that’s very likely for Florida now that Baker has committed. Florida has several prospects that are announcing their decision in the coming weeks and the Gators are arguably the favorite for several of them.

The next Florida target scheduled to announce his decision is offensive lineman George Brown (6-5, 265, Cincinnati, OH Winton Woods) who will likely decide between Florida and Kentucky on July 25th. Brown is scheduled to visit Florida on July 21st and he has long been a guy that has talked about the Gators. Right now I see Brown committing to the Gators.

July 25th is an important date; a day that Florida fans should circle on the calendar because it’s Friday Night Lights and the coaches always seem to have a prospect or two commit to them at the event.  I’ll have an early visitor list for the event up the first of next week so after that we can speculate on guys from that list.

Just three days after Friday Night Lights running back Ray-Ray McCloud III (5-9, 176, Tampa, FL Sickles) is scheduled to announce his decision and as of right now he will choose between Florida and Clemson. McCloud has talked about being at Friday Night Lights and that will certainly help Florida, but even if he doesn’t show up I see McCloud committing to the Gators on the 28th of July.

Three days after McCloud announces another Florida target is scheduled to make his decision as linebacker Adonis Thomas ( 6-3, 218, Lawrenceville, GA Central Gwinnett) will decide between Alabama and Florida. Thomas is visiting Alabama next week and could be at Florida for Friday Night Lights but those plans aren’t finalized yet. Thomas’ family has long preferred him at Florida as they don’t have a great relationship with Alabama but you can never under estimate Nick Saban. Right now my pick is Thomas to Florida unless Alabama can convince the parents of Thomas that the Tide is the right pick.

So with all of that being said the Gators could pick up three more commits in the next three weeks and there is a possibility for more.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see linebacker Tevon Coney ( 6-0, 221, Palm Beach Gardens, FL High) make a decision at the end of the month and he’s down to Florida and Notre Dame with the Irish trending up right now.

It’s recruiting and anything can happen, but right now I think Baker just got the ball rolling in the right direction for Will Muschamp and company.

It’s going to be a fun month so buckle up and tune into Gator Country.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.