GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida football head coach Urban Meyer announced the 2009 Gator recruiting class on Wednesday afternoon.
2009 University of Florida Signees
Nick Alajajian
Offensive Line
6- 4 ● 280 ● Freshman, H.S. Naples ● Naples
A true freshman who enrolled at UF in January of 2009…PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Participant in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl…Ranked as the fourth-best offensive tackle in the 2009 class by Rivals.com and ranked as a five-star recruit by Scout.com…Helped lead Naples High School to a 16-0 record and 2007 Class 3A State Championship…Gave up only one sack in the entire 2007 season…Three-year starter for Naples…Missed six games in his senior season due to an ankle injury… Received Marco Island YMCA’s Male High School Athlete of the Year in 2008…Selected to MaxPreps 1st All-American Team…Claims biggest strengths are his footwork and agility…Chose Florida over FSU, Miami and Georgia…Coached by Bill Kramer.
Jon Bostic
Linebacker
6- 2 ● 225 ● Freshman, H.S. Wellington ● Palm Beach Central
A true freshman who enrolled at UF in January of 2009…PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Selected to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl…Ranked as the fifth-best Inside Linebacker prospect according to Rivals.com…Had over 100 tackles in his junior season…His father, Jon Bostic Sr., played three seasons for the Detroit Lions in the NFL…Selected UF over Miami, LSU, FSU and Clemson…Coached by Rodney Harris…In 2008, he rushed the ball 75 times for 458 yards and six touchdowns…Member of the ESPNU Top
150… Claims greatest strengths are his speed and aggressiveness… Helped lead Palm Beach Central to the eighth-best defense in Palm Beach County.
Gary Brown
Defensive Tackle
6- 4 ● 275 ● Freshman, H.S. Greensboro ● West Gadsden
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A menacing defender who committed to Florida as a junior…Amassed over 40 sacks over his final two seasons…Selected as an Under Armour All-American in 2008… Was an FSWA All-State First-Team 1A selection as a junior and senior…Ranked as the second-best defensive tackle in the country by ESPN.com and Scout.com…Had 26 sacks and 114 tackles (84 solo) with 20 for a loss as a junior…Was a member of the track & field team while also playing pitcher and first base for the West Gadsden baseball team…Coached by Antonio Bradwell…Chose Florida over Florida State, Miami, Arkansas and Notre Dame.
Andre Debose
Wide Receiver
5- 11 ● 176 ● Freshman, H.S. Sanford ● Seminole
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Led Sanford to the Class 6A title over Miami-Northwestern by catching the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds….Accumulated more than 2,000 yards at wide receiver, running back and quarterback…Rushed for 1,332 yards on 117 carries and scored 12 touchdowns…As a part-time quarterback, he completed 25 of 44 pass attempts for 353 yards and four touchdowns…Returned 10 punts for 236 yards and 14 kicks for 497 yards…Caught 27 passes for 664 yards and six touchdowns…Ranked No. 30 nationally in the ESPN 150….Played in ESPN/Under Armour All-Star Game, catching a 90-yard TD pass… Named First-Team 2008 EA Sports All-America Team…Named to the Orlando Sentinel’s All-Southern Team…Ranked sixth out of 120 top recruits by Mobile’s Press Register Super Southeast…Ranked second as a five-star wide receiver and the top receiver after a catch by Rivals.com…Finished his junior season with 712 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing; 204 yards and one touchdown passing; and had 18 catches for 270 yards receiving…State track champion as a member of Sanford Seminole Track & Field team…Posted four personal bests during the 2008 season:
10. 68 in the 100-meter dash, 22.21 in the 200-meter dash, a 23’ 2.5” long jump, and a triple jump length of 44’ 7.25”…Coached by Mike Cullison…Selected Florida over Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami and Southern Cal.
Josh Evans
Defensive Back
6- 2 ● 185 ● Freshman, H.S. Irvington, N.J. ● Irvington
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Rushed for 1,403 yards and 14 touchdowns and completed 123 of 190 pass attempts for 1,856 yards and 18 touchdowns in his career at Irvington…Also recorded 78 tackles and seven interceptions on defense during his senior year…Named the Star-Ledger Essex County Player of the Year and a was a first-team all-state selection as a senior…Led his high school track team to the Group 3 Track co-state championship title competing in hurdles, relay and high jump…Chose Florida over Oklahoma, Pittsburgh and Purdue…Coached by Darnell Grant.
Dee Finley
Safety
6- 1 ● 193 ● Freshman H.S. Auburn, Ala. ● Auburn H.S./Milford Academy
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Attended Prep School at the Milford Academy for a year in 2008…Coached by Bill Chaplick at Milford…Participant in the Under Armour High School All-American Game in 2008…USA Today second-team All-American…Class 6A all-state selection in Alabama…Amassed 70 tackles and seven interceptions as a senior for Auburn…Registered 50 tackles, picked off eight passes and returned three back for touchdowns as junior…Credited with seven pass breakups in his junior season…Also brought back a punt return for a score…Reeled in nine passes for 98 yards and touchdown as a receiver…Hauled in three touchdowns as sophomore on just seven receptions for 70 yards…Racked up 50 tackles and interception as a sophomore…Four-star recruit by Rivals.com and rated as the fifth-best safety prospect. No. 10 in the ESPN 150 and the top safety prospect…Coached in high school by Tim Carter.
Mike Gillislee
Running Back
6- 0 ● 190 ● Freshman, H.S. DeLand ● DeLand
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Rushed for 1,149 yards on 227 carries for a 5.1-yard average…Ran for over 900 yards as a sophomore and over 1,200 yards as a junior…Carried 28 times for 200 yards (7.1 average) and scored the game-winning two-point conversion in DeLand’s 29-28 win over Mandarin…Considered South Carolina, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State, among others…Also played slot receiver at DeLand for head coach Kevin Pettis…Ranked the No. 7 running back by Rivals.com and was tabbed the No. 8 all-purpose back by the organization.
Jon Halapio
Offensive Guard
6- 4 ● 300 ● Freshman, H.S. St. Petersburg ● St. Petersburg Catholic
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Played all five positions on the offensive line…Named First-Team All-Pinellas County as a senior as was referred to “an immovable object on the line” by the St. Petersburg Times…Also played on defensive line for St. Petersburg Catholic…Played in the Pinellas County All-Star Game…Aims to lower his 40-yard dash time from 5.1 to 4.9 before he arrives in Gainesville…Has a vertical jump of 26-1/2 inches…Bench presses 340 pounds and squats 515 pounds…Was named the Offensive Lineman Most Valuable Player at the Gainesville NIKE Camp…Has a 3.0 GPA…Chose to play for the Gators over Colorado and Notre Dame…Coached by Tod Creneti.
Jonotthan Harrison
Offensive Line
6- 3 ● 279 ● Freshman, H.S. Groveland ● South Lake
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Participated in offense/defense All-American Bowl…Before choosing Florida, he also considered Miami, FSU and Boston College…Participated in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl…High school teammate of current Gator Jeff Demps…Versatile athlete that can play any of the five offensive line positions…Selected as the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl Offensive Lineman of the Year…Selected to the Orlando Sentinel’s All-Central Florida First Team…Rated as a Four-Star Offensive Guard Prospect by Rivals.com…Coached by Walter Banks.
Edwin Herbert
Defensive Tackle
6- 3 ● 295 ● Junior, TR Fairfield, Calif. ● Armijo/City College of San Francisco
A junior college player who enrolled at UF in January of 2009…Can bench press 465 pounds…A four-star tackle and the No. 26 overall JUCO prospect according to Rivals.com…PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Competed at the City College of San Francisco for two seasons…Recorded 36 tackles last fall for coach George Rush…Totaled 48 tackles, three tackles for loss and six sacks in the ’07 campaign… Chose the Gators over North Carolina State, Arkansas and Tennessee…Was originally slated to play for Army coming out of Armijo High School…Coached by Mike Singer in high school.
Jelani Jenkins
Linebacker
6- 1 ● 200 ● Freshman, H.S. Olney, Md. ● Our Lady Good Counsel
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Earned first-team Washington-Post All-Met honors and was first-team all-state in Maryland…Played in the Under Armour All-America Game…Highest-rated outside linebacker by Rivals.com and the 10th-best player overall…Selected as a first-team 2008 EA Sports All-American…Named the Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year in both 2007 and 2008…Rushed for 22 touchdowns on 87 carries during his senior season and made 70 tackles on defense…First player in the 71-year history of the District’s Pigskin Club to earn both Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors…Will travel to Los Angeles later in February as one of five national finalists for the Watkins Award, the high school equivalent of the Heisman Trophy…Registered 60 tackles, four sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and recovered two fumbles as a junior on defense….Rushed for 791 yards and 16 touchdowns that season…. A standout sprinter in track, he has recorded a 4.4 40-yard dash…Chose Florida over Notre Dame, Penn State, Southern Cal and Stanford…Coached by Bob Milloy…His GPA is above perfect 4.0, owing to extra credit to Advanced Placement in the classroom… His parents devised a three-page matrix of their son’s college choices, breaking down schools by such categories as world academic ranking, graduation rates, diversity and number of NFL draft picks in the past five years…His father, Maurice Jenkins, is a renowned architect in the Maryland/Washington D.C region…His mother, Stephanie Hall played basketball at Howard and is a black belt in karate…The name Jelani is Swahili for “mighty”.
Kedric Johnson
Defensive End
6- 4 ● 215 ● Freshman, H.S. Palmetto ● Palmetto
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Recorded 41 tackles, 24.5 sacks, 27 quarterback hurries, four pass breakups and an interception for a touchdown during his senior season…Finished his junior season with 40 tackles and 19 sacks, giving him 43.5 sacks his junior and senior seasons combined…Awarded the Bradenton Herald Co-Player of the Year…A first-team all-state selection as a junior…Owns a 4.69 40-yard dash, bench max is 255 pounds and has a 35-inch vertical…Coached by Bob Bowling.
Kyle Koehne
Offensive Lineman
6- 6 ● 300 ● Freshman, H.S. Indianapolis, Ind. ● Cathedral
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A two-year starter at right tackle who shifted to left tackle his senior year at Indianapolis Cathedral…Received first-team all-state honors by the Associated Press and Indiana high school coaches…Led Indianapolis Cathedral to the 2008 Class 4A state championship, its second championship in the last three seasons…Named the Indiana Player of the Year by the Indianapolis Star…Graded out at 82 percent his senior season…Benches 320 pounds, squats 420 pounds, has a
24- inch vertical jump and runs the 40-yard dash in 5.3 seconds…Earned Scout.com All-Combine honors after a successful performance at the U.S. Army Combine…Named the 2008 Indianapolis Player of the Year…Garnered 2008 All-City and All-Marion County high school football honor teams…A Class 4A all-state selection as a junior…Coached by Rick Streiff.
Xavier Nixon
Offensive Tackle
6- 6 ● 285 ● Freshman, H.S. Fayetteville, N.C. ● Jack Britt
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Named the High School Maxwell Award winner among offensive linemen…Named first-team all-state on the offensive line…In addition to his time on offensive line, collected 50 tackles while playing on defense…Led Jack Britt to the Class 4-AA state championship game…Played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl…Selected as a First- Team 2008 EA Sports All-American…Named a U.S. Army All-American Bowl Player of the Year finalist…Chosen as the Cape Fear Region Player of the Year…Named to Parade Magazine’s High School All-American team…The North Carolina ESPN Rise Gatorade Football Player of the Year…A 2007 AP all-state selection…Both parents are in the U.S. Military and have served in the Middle East…Father has been stationed in Afghanistan, but was approved for leave to see Nixon commit to the Gators at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in Orlando, Fla…Coached by Richard Bailey.
Desmond Parks
Tight End
6- 6 ● 215 ● Freshman, H.S. Greer, S.C. ● Greer
A true freshman who enrolled at UF in January of 2009…PRIOR TO FLORIDA:
2008 second-team all-state selection…Had 30 catches for 450 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior…Recorded 29 catches for 403 yards and five touchdowns as a senior…Participated in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl…Chose Florida over North Carolina, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Clemson, and Duke…Member of the ESPNU Top 150…Coached by Will Young.
Jordan Reed
Quarterback
6- 3 ● 225 ● Freshman, H.S. New London, CT ● New London
PRIOR TO FLORIDA: As a junior, he completed 122-of-222 passes for 1,706 yards and 28 touchdowns…Threw only two interceptions…Also rushed for 370 yards and eight touchdowns…Three-year starter for the New London Whalers…Known for his great size and incredible arm strength…Led New London to an undefeated regular season in 2007…Chose Florida over Connecticut, Oregon, Boston College and Maryland…Coached by Jack Cochrane…Ranked by Rivals as the 10th-best dual-threat quarterback and the second-best prospect from the state of Connecticut…Member of the ESPNU Top 150…Finalist for the 2008 Joe Montana High School Quarterback of the Year.