Florida Gators recruiting mailbag: January 19th edition

Gator Country’s popular Florida Gators recruiting mailbag is back to its weekly spot on Thursday’s as we answer your recruiting questions.

The Gators recruiting class is marching towards the end and with only a few weeks left there is still plenty of spot open in the class.

This week members had a lot of questions on the status of the Class of 2017 and we answer your questions here.

Remember to get your questions in on Tuesday for the Florida Gators recruiting mailbag each week.

 

 

JacobRenda: Chances with Oliver Martin, Devon Hunter, Levi Jones, Kai-Leon Herbert, and Jacob Phillips?

AS: I think Hunter winds up at Virginia Tech. I like Florida’s chances with Herbert heading into the visit. With Martin and Phillips it depends on if and how the visit goes. Levi Jones likes Florida a lot and the Gators have momentum but with a lot of visits to go it will be something to watch. I think it comes down to UF/FSU though.

 

Gatorfan228: What’s the story behind the recruitment of Phillips the Oklahoma LB commit? Here we are needing linebackers and less than a month before signing day we finally offer one of the best in the country. Is that all on Geoff Collins?

AS: He had a great senior year and Randy Shannon liked his film so they offered. Also Drew Hughes had been talking to him behind the scenes a lot so when Shannon was promoted the offer came.

 

Subtle_gator: Why is James Robinson stating that Oklahoma is leader but we feel very confident? Can he qualify?

AS: He hasn’t named a leader since the Under Armour game when he said Oklahoma and Florida were his leader. I think it will be close on him qualifying but there’s some people who feel he will qualify.

 

Dman26: What’s the read on Kendall Randolph? And if he’s such a Bama lock, why visit and why are we entertaining?

AS: I think he sticks with Alabama but if he visits then that causes Alabama to have to spend more time with him and less on others. It’s always a battle in recruiting.

 

Davelite93: Which recruits does the lack of staff actually affect? Assuming there aren’t any hires by the time you answer this.

AS: It only hurts in the fact that offensive linemen want to know who they’re going to get coached by and who a new coach could potentially attract to Florida. As far as Florida getting out and seeing everyone, they’re doing that now and Drew Hughes is a guy that does a great job on the road filling in for others.

 

Mikegator10: How confident do you feel about LaBryan Ray?

AS: I still believe this a Alabama/Florida battle here but with Parks now looking like he won’t end up at Alabama that means the battle is going to be tougher for Ray. I will say that Ray really has a lot of interest in the Gators.

 

Wardog: Looking towards the 2017 & 2018 class, numbers wise, how many receivers would we take this class? Since we took Cleveland, Massey, Swain, Hammond, And Wells last February. Always appreciate ya AS

AS: One to two more receivers this year and likely three next year.

 

Babablkshp: Using your legendary Spivey Senses, how close are we to filling this class including silent commits? Are we missing 5 guys or more at this point?

AS: I don’t take silent commits seriously because if they were truly committed then they would’ve committed publically. But I do think you should feel better on some guys more than others.

 

G8trGr8t: Will we over sign so that maybe we end up with 85 in the fall?

AS: 25 is the maximum number they can sign this year.

 

74gator: The magic number is now 10. What’s the positional breakdown for last remaining 10 slots?

AS: one-two receivers, one offensive lineman, three defensive lineman, one-two linebackers, two-three defensive backs. It will depend on how they do linebacker as to who they will see at defensive back. Also they could only take two defensive tackles which would open a spot.

 

Jonsantiago1: Who is one off the radar guy that we get on signing day that excites the fan base?

AS: Oliver Martin is a name on the board recently that I think Florida has a shot with and he should excite the fan base. Also a guy like Cam Spence is possible and he’s a big time player.

 

Realgator35: Secondly, how do you feel about Kadarius Toney representing at quarterback?

AS: Toney will get a shot at quarterback and I think that’s good of Florida to keep its promise to him. If it doesn’t work out there then he will go to slot receiver.

 

Juggernautz: Any new news on Adarius Lemons?

AS: Tim Skipper visited him on Monday but there’s growing concern on his academics now as his latest test score wasn’t good enough. Without an improved test score, it looks unlikely on Lemons.

 

Juggernautz: With new coaches on board can you state what areas they will be recruiting?

AS: It will depend on who comes on board and where they have the best relationships at but the panhandle and the Orlando area are open at the moment.

 

Juggernautz: Is GC going to provide text updates on NSD when a recruit’s LOI is in?

AS: Yes sir, that’s the plan as usual.

 

Realgator35: Jarez Parks? What is going on

AS: Florida has never really pushed hard for Parks and that’s still the case today. I doubt he visits this month for an official.

 

Gatachomp15: Did Henry Ruggs shutting it down with Bama play in factor with James Robinson going to Ohio State this weekend and canceling the Bama visit? Always appreciate your work, you are the goat.

AS: Alabama hasn’t been recruiting Robinson as of late because of Ruggs and Devonta Smith both showing more interest. I highly doubt Ohio State become a real threat for Robinson either.

 

RVG: Was James Blackman really going to give UF a visit before some other site leaked it and he shut down his recruiting? If it is true, and it cost Florida a visit, would UF ever limit certain reporters/publications/websites access to the program?

AS: I think some things that were leaked hurt because Jimbo Fisher was able to get on the phone and give him the speech that if he’s looking than so was FSU but I don’t blame it all on the leak. If a kid wants to visit and is truly interested in flipping then it wouldn’t matter. So it’s somewhere in between here.

 

Georgiagator478: Oliver Martin does he remind you of Switzer from North Carolina or is he better? Also what’s your feeling on the staff’s aggressiveness on the recruiting trail? Seems like the laid back approach is not working with the targets.

AS: That’s a good comparison, I’m very high on Martin and I think he’s a better C.J. Worton without all of the drama off the field. Martin can play and he showed out in the Army game this year.

As far as the aggressiveness, I’ve stated several times that while I see why Mac isn’t pushy for commitments that I also think that they need to be a little more aggressive. I think in between is a good way to go because some kinds don’t want to be pushed.

 

Gators1992: What do you believe are the reasons for Coach Mac’s inability to land a top 10 class for very likely the third straight year?

AS: Several things have hurt Florida lately, one the offense hasn’t been great, two facilities do hurt some and then third some of the assistant coaches haven’t been great recruiters. Mac is fixing the assistant coaches part but in 2018 they’ve got to start fast on the trail and push for commitments early on.

 

Tec68: First question I have ever asked in the Mailbag. Are you going to have a Mock class and if so, when?

AS: I always do my mock class the Monday after the last official visit weekend and that’s the plan again this year.

 

Hogtown: You can’t possibly feel confident that we keep Elijah Blades, do you? It seems pretty obvious that he will flip to USC or someone else.

AS: I certainly feel more confident in him sticking then flipping right now. Blades has a really good relationship with Tim Skipper and there’s still some question on if he actually visits USC or not because he’s playing in all-star game next weekend so he can’t take a visit then.

 

74gator: how do you feel about the defensive tackle Cam Spence? Any time frame for his final decision or is he still taking visits?

AS: Spence had a really good visit and I think Florida has a decent shot here. D.J. Durkin is visiting him on Thursday and McElwain will go in-home next weekend. Spence likely makes his final decision on signing day and the only visit he has left is this weekend to Louisville. The key is watching to see who Maryland hires as a defensive line coach.

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.