Florida Gators recruiting notebook for May 30th

The Florida Gators recruiting buzz got a good pick me up last week when defensive tackle Jordon Scott committed to the Gators over Florida State and others. It was Florida’s sixth commitment in the class of 2017, but the coaching staff has done a good job of creating their own buzz while out on the road recruiting this month.

Gator Country brings you this Florida Gators recruiting notebook to get you caught up on all the latest buzz and news surrounding the Gators recruiting efforts. Several big name prospects released top groups this week and the Gators made the cut for those prospects.

Also in this notebook we will get you caught up on what to expect next week, as Florida will host several prospects on campus and the Gators will get the camp season underway on Friday night.

Here’s our notebook:

 

Offensive lineman Kai-Leon Herbert (6-4, 279, Plantation, FL American Heritage) announced his top six schools last week and they were Florida, Miami, Michigan, Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee. Herbert has said in the past that Florida led for him and the offensive lineman plans to visit Gainesville this summer. Herbert and Gators quarterback commit Jake Allen are very good friends.

 

Defensive end Zach Carter (6-4, 237, Tampa, FL Hillsborough) named a top four last week that consisted of Florida, Clemson, South Florida and Tennessee. In the past Carter had said Florida and Clemson were his top schools and the defensive end says he plans to visit Gainesville this summer.

 

Defensive tackle Alec Jackson (6-5, 270, Montgomery, AL Jefferson Davis) named his top 10 schools in order on Friday afternoon. Jackson named Florida his leader followed by Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina, USC, Tennessee, Texas, LSU, North Carolina State and Miami. The Gators recently offered Jackson and the defensive tackle says he plans to visit Gainesville this summer. Auburn is the team to watch for Jackson.

 

2018 cornerback Isaiah Bolden (6-3, 177, Jacksonville, FL Bartram Trail) visited Gainesville last week with his teammates, as he wanted to see the Gators facilities. Bolden announced his top 10 on Friday and says that he may make a decision this summer as Florida, Florida State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Miami, Auburn, Michigan, Georgia and South Florida. The Gators are the favorites to land the Jacksonville prospect.

 

Now that most schools are out for the summer, you will start to see prospects visiting Gainesville and other schools for either visits or camps. The Gators will get that underway this coming week as several big time prospects are scheduled to visit Florida.

 

Florida athlete commit Kadarius Toney (5-10, 175, Prichard, AL Blount) is scheduled to visit Florida from Friday-Sunday for his visit to Gainesville. Toney is a solid commit to Florida despite the recent Alabama offer but the Crimson Tide are pushing hard.

Safety Ken Handy-Holly (6-2, 194, Jackson, AL High) will be visiting Gainesville with Toney from Friday-Sunday. Handy-Holly is very familiar with Florida and he’s looking to spend more time with defensive backs coach Torrian Gray.

Cornerback Brad Stewart (6-0, 194, New Orleans, LA McDonogh 35) is scheduled to visit Gainesville from Wednesday through Friday for his visit to Gainesville. Stewart has a lot of interest in the Gators but says he isn’t close to making a decision yet.

Defensive back Elijah Blades (6-3, 170, Pasadena, CA Muir) has a plane ticket booked to visit Florida from Thursday-Saturday. Blades has a lot of interest in the Gators and has said Florida and Arizona were his top two schools. Utah and Nebraska are also in the mix as Blades wants to make a June decision.

Defensive tackle Tyrone Truesdell (6-3, 325, Augusta, GA Laney) plans to visit Gainesville on Saturday and Sunday. Truesdell has a lot of interest in the Gators and says he has family in St. Petersburg, which makes Florida even more interesting in his eyes. Truesdell believes he can play early in Gainesville.

 

Not only will Florida be hosting prospects on visit this week but the Gators will also get their camp season underway on Friday night. Florida will be hosting a 7-on-7 tournament on Friday night and have a linemen camp on Friday night. Florida will continue camp on Sunday, which starts a full week of camps mixed in with several satellite camps the following week. June is a very busy month for the Gators coaching staff.

Stay tuned to GatorCountry.com as we will have a full list of teams that will be participating in the 7-on-7 tournament.

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.