Gator Country

Florida football coach Will Muschamp works with safeties during spring practice. His extra attention to the secondary has set Florida up for success in recruiting defensive backs. / Gator Country photo by Saj Guevara

Florida football coach Will Muschamp is known as a defensive coach and, perhaps more importantly, he is known for working closely with the secondary.

Prospects take notice of that and it has shown as the top cornerback in the country in Vernon Hargreaves III has committed to the Gators for the Class of 2013. Florida has a shot to land one of the best safeties in the Class of 2013 as well in Marcell Harris.

With that being said, prospects from the Class of 2014 have already started receiving offers in the secondary.

Here are five prospects to watch for in the Class of 2014 as the Gators will look to build on the impressive haul of Class of 2013 prospects:

Cross City (Fla.) Dixie County cornerback Duke Dawson- The 5-foot-11, 184-pound Dawson picked up a scholarship offer from Florida this summer after working out at a camp. Dawson admits to growing up a fan of Florida State, but said that Florida leads for him early on. Expect Dawson to visit Florida this fall.

Marietta (Ga.) High cornerback D.J. Smith- Smith is considered one of the top cornerbacks in the Southeast region and has impressive coverage skills. The 6-foot-, 180-pound Smith has said Florida, Alabama and South Carolina stand out to him, but those close to Smith believe Florida leads for him.

Washington D.C., Friendship Collegiate Academy cornerback Jalen Tabor- The 6-foot, 181-pound Tabor visited Florida this summer and picked up an offer from Florida. Tabor said he grew up a Florida fan but he is also friends with Eddie Goldman, who signed with Florida State in 2012. This one could come down to the Florida schools.

Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) University School cornerback Quincy Wilson- Wilson picked up a scholarship offer during the spring and visited Florida this summer. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Wilson is really impressive in his coverage skills and is able to play man defense well.

Virginia Beach (Va.) Bayside safety Quin Blanding- The 6-foot-2, 196-pound Blanding is considered one of the top prospects in the country, regardless of position. Blanding has a lot of interest in Florida and said he will visit soon. If Blanding visits Florida will be in contention for the run-stuffing safety.

About the author

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.

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