2013 Gator Commitment #12: QB Max Staver of Brentwood Academy, Brentwood TN

[deep_threat]

QB Max Staver 6-5 235 ****
Brentwood Academy
Brentwood, Tennessee
6.18.2012 Commitment

**********

We can probably expect Max Staver to be a Gator now that Cord Sandberg has verbally committed to Mississippi State - which was the other school up there with UF in Staver's top 2. This isn't too bold of a prediction is it? I'm pretty confident in our chances now. We still haven't offered him though.

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/385364/highlights/2105386

[deep_threat]

http://insider.espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/evaluation?id=128644&_slug_=max-staver&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fcol lege-sports%2ffootball%2frecruiting%2fplayer%2fevaluati on%3fid%3d128644%26_slug_%3dmax-staver

[tbullard92]

Staver is camping at Tennessee this week.

[StrangeGator]

Dual threat kind of player. He can hurt you with his arm or he could trip and fall on you.

[The_Graygator]

According to the G'ville Sun today, Staver looks to be our's if we want him.

[Gatorrick22]

Man he's got some decent wheels to go along with his big arm. Me likey.

Please sign this kid up now.

[The_Graygator]

The article in the G'Ville Sun today said we're probably going to offer him within the next week and that there's a real good chance he'll commit.

[deep_threat]

He committed! "@DerekTysonESPN: QB Max Staver has committed to UF after being offered today. #Gators"

[atlantagator86]

I really like what I see in the video. He's got a nice release and he leads his receivers well. And he runs pretty well too.

One thing I notice is that his O-Line looks pretty bad. That might have something to do with his mechanics on his left leg being a little weak.

But I think this kid could be the real deal.

[Nicho]

Awesome. This is shaping up to be a very solid, balanced class.

[Ahab]

Here are some highlights from the Elite 11 camp.

http://msn.foxsports.com/video?videoid=3b488678-f309-fd86-5ff7-0b07d0704dfa&src=v5

[Ahab]

“I called them and they asked me if I was ready to be a Florida Gator, and I committed on the spot,” said Staver

http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20120618/ARTICLES/120619595/1189?Title=Gators-pick-up-QB-commit-for-13-class

[G8RNTN]

He better learn to step into his throws instead of semi off balance throws, Bcse these SEC defense will love those!! I think he could turn out to be a very solid qb overall though.

[Dreamliner]

Strapping young man. Strong arm. Quick release. Surprisingly nimble.

What's not to like ?

[1984Gator]

Looks like he might be OK but since when do we have such an appetite for 3 star players? We are on a roll but I was hoping for a few elite guys to fill the ranks in between.

[GATORAZ]

Looks like he might be OK but since when do we have such an appetite for 3 star players? We are on a roll but I was hoping for a few elite guys to fill the ranks in between.

4 star on ESPN has all the tools you want needs to work on mechanics stop worrying about stars CWM could care less about them

[DuPontGator]

4 star on ESPN has all the tools you want needs to work on mechanics stop worrying about stars CWM could care less about them

**Could not** ;)

[Gatorules]

Looks like he might be OK but since when do we have such an appetite for 3 star players? We are on a roll but I was hoping for a few elite guys to fill the ranks in between.

Don't we already have a 5* and a 4* at the qb position?

[rivergator]

link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60qjw58NCBw)

[PSGator66]

That reciever would be a nice get too!!

[Dreamliner]

The more I see the more I like. He's got mad skillz.

[scubadude007]

That reciever would be a nice get too!!

EXACTLY!

Staver is the real deal at QB, hope he brings #8 with him, that dude's a play maker!

[UFOWNS]

That #8 is CJ Sanders and he's only a freshman in that film (c/o 2015). He already has offers from Stanford, MSU and Tennessee. Definitely a guy to keep an eye on and hopefully a pipeline to keep open

http://247sports.com/Player/CJ-Sanders-14833?pi=3809

[sbcg8r]

Staver needs about 2 years to be ready for SEC play, so this works out perfectly for us. We're gonna have some serious QB battles over the next several years.

[1984Gator]

4 star on ESPN has all the tools you want needs to work on mechanics stop worrying about stars CWM could care less about them

It's not this one player that concerns me, it is the 9 3 star players we have selected so far including the last 5 in a row. We have historically been able to recruit a more elite class of players at Florida. If Muschamp is a better talent evaluator than everyone else then I suppose we'll be OK but if not, our team will be less talented in future years. It seems odd that we chased away 4 and 5 star recruits so that we could add younger 3 star projects to the stable. We could still add another 10 players this year. I'm hoping we can close the deal on some of the best.....

[sbcg8r]

I guess we'll see..... At Auburn, Muschamp had some awesome defenses with mostly 3* guys. Several went to the NFL as well.

[deep_threat]

It's not this one player that concerns me, it is the 9 3 star players we have selected so far including the last 5 in a row. We have historically been able to recruit a more elite class of players at Florida. If Muschamp is a better talent evaluator than everyone else then I suppose we'll be OK but if not, our team will be less talented in future years. It seems odd that we chased away 4 and 5 star recruits so that we could add younger 3 star projects to the stable. We could still add another 10 players this year. I'm hoping we can close the deal on some of the best.....

I don't think you need to worry about stars. Check out all of the other elite programs in the country and you will see they are chock full of 3 star commitments. Its always been like that. We will obviously get our share of 4 and 5 stars, too. And btw Ivie was a 4 star

[wewagator]

One thing we must all understand is that these kids are evaluated by the coaches at the various camps, etc. This fall many of them, meaning Florida recruits, will probably move up one or maybe two levels. I believe Max Staver falls in this category....his skill level is really good for a three star.

[gatornib]

This argument about the irrelevance goes on and on. If you don't believe in stars, what do you believe in? The ability of Gator coaches to identify superior talent? That's more a religious belief than an empirically verifiable phenomenon.

A 3-star QB might be OK, but he might not too. The thing that troubles me was the line in the Gainesville Sun today:

"After missing on the nine out-of-state QBs they offered, Muschamp and offensive coordinator Brent Pease had Staver camp at Florida on June 9 and his impressive performance made him the top target at the position."

We missed out on nine QBs? Ugh.

Rivals has Max Staver as the 27th best pro-style QB. Rivals has a separate ranking of dual-threat QBs, and 12 of them have at least 4-stars. So that means according to Rivals, Staver is (at best) the 39th best ranked QB in the country. If you're happy being ranked 39th at the end of the season, then I guess that's OK.

Why didn't any of those other nine QBs that UF offered accept? Maybe they thought that with Driskel and Brissett in the mix, playing time would be hard to come by. I hope so. The inability to land top QB talent is worrisome though.

[Tr3yGator]

It's not this one player that concerns me, it is the 9 3 star players we have selected so far including the last 5 in a row. We have historically been able to recruit a more elite class of players at Florida. If Muschamp is a better talent evaluator than everyone else then I suppose we'll be OK but if not, our team will be less talented in future years. It seems odd that we chased away 4 and 5 star recruits so that we could add younger 3 star projects to the stable. We could still add another 10 players this year. I'm hoping we can close the deal on some of the best.....

Muschamp is building an elite class. Look at how many of these guys got invited to the opening. The recruiting services make plenty of mistakes especially this early in the process. A bunch of these guys will receive bumps once their senior seasons are over if they stay away from injury, especially Adam Lane and Hearns who were injured last season. Keanu Neal was under the radar when he committed but most of the services have caught up and ranked him accordingly. The only guys I think we shouldn't have taken as early are Hawkins, Dillard, Bell, and Lawson(Character concerns). But the rest of the class is solid to elite especially at positions of need. You won't find many 5 star guards/centers out there, and we needed them this cycle. Plus, I'm not sure what service you're using but they all have biases, I prefer ESPN because I think they give the right bias, Southeast > Cali > Texas. I think Rivals gives Lane, Staver, Outlaw, and maybe Hawkins that 4th star after their senior season.

[deep_threat]

Gatornib, its because elite quarterbacks don't want to come here with Jeff and Jacoby being only sophomores, and knowing that next year the staff will probably pursue a high profile quarterback. Staver just helps for depth reasons. An elite quarterback doesn't want to go to a school where he is just a depth filler. We'll get one next year

[GATORAZ]

It's not this one player that concerns me, it is the 9 3 star players we have selected so far including the last 5 in a row. We have historically been able to recruit a more elite class of players at Florida. If Muschamp is a better talent evaluator than everyone else then I suppose we'll be OK but if not, our team will be less talented in future years. It seems odd that we chased away 4 and 5 star recruits so that we could add younger 3 star projects to the stable. We could still add another 10 players this year. I'm hoping we can close the deal on some of the best.....

matters what service you are using ESPN has all our guys as 4 stars. Have you watched these guys tapes? Do you think these recruiting services know more about football than CWM? Do these recruiting services rank guys on there grades and SAT scores? What players are you concerned about? We will have one of the highest ranking classes come February even though it doesnt matter

[Nicho]

Rivals has Max Staver as the 27th best pro-style QB. Rivals has a separate ranking of dual-threat QBs, and 12 of them have at least 4-stars. So that means according to Rivals, Staver is (at best) the 39th best ranked QB in the country. If you're happy being ranked 39th at the end of the season, then I guess that's OK.

I'm not sure this analysis holds very much water at all. For one thing, if you must rely on the recruiting sites to validate our class, you really ought to use the overall class ranking: #3 at the time of this post. I'd be happy being ranked #3 at the end of the season. ;)

Also, you should know from watching the most recent BCS title game that an elite caliber QB is not essential to winning a national title. AJ McCarron, Jarrett Lee, Jordan Jefferson... I don't see any first or even second round draft picks in that group, do you?

Finally, one major reason a lot of our recruits are below 4 stars right now is how early in the cycle we are accepting commitments from them. In the past, the bulk of kids would commit sometime during their senior season, when recruiting sites have had enough time to do a comprehensive evaluation of prospects and rank them against one another. Quite a few of our recruits were under the radar until the moment they pledged to UF, but you can rest assured that many of them will be gaining stars as NSD draws closer.

[Ahab]

I wouldn't bank on committed players moving up the rankings much. Recruiting services typically favor uncommitted prospects since that boosts their traffic.

[MiracleMax]

I didn't think his release was all that smooth. Looks a bit like he's shot putting the ball. I question how much zing he's able to get on long throws that have to get to the receiver before the SEC DB gets there.

[DieAGator]

His size is great- 6'6", 235. He should have excellent field vision, durability and confidence. I'd like to see a QB ranked top 30 but we will see how the season plays out. He obviously wasn't our first choice but could turn out to be a great pick up.

[elrongator]

I disagree with the position that we have landed five kids in a row that hold only three star rankings. This is flat out inaccurate.
I agree with the concept of some of them moving up in rankings over the span of their senior years based on their being injured as juniors.
As far as the Qb position is concerned I remember a kid named Kerwin Bell out of a town called Mayo that nobody ranked anywhere coming in and getting the job done here.
I also remember guys called Bobby Sablehouse and Brock Berlin being all world five star can't miss studs flopping worse than the box office for Green Lantern.
We are ranked consensus top 5 as a team by the recognized services now.
I'm cool with that.

[wewagator]

I really like the comment that Nicho made that players are committing earlier and as a result have lower star ratings than if they waited to commit during their senior year.

We all know about how highly rated Tim Tebow and even Chris Leak were when they committed. How highly rated were Florida quarterback greats Kerwin Bell, Wayne Peace, Doug Johnson, Rex Grossman, and even Steve Spurrier?

[Ahab]

I didn't think his release was all that smooth. Looks a bit like he's shot putting the ball. I question how much zing he's able to get on long throws that have to get to the receiver before the SEC DB gets there.

ESPN Insider has a detailed scouting report on him that raves about his arm strength. Says he needs to work on his foot work and ball handling technique but overall they're very high on him. Have him as a 4 star.

[Gatorules]

I really like the comment that Nicho made that players are committing earlier and as a result have lower star ratings than if they waited to commit during their senior year.

We all know about how highly rated Tim Tebow and even Chris Leak were when they committed. How highly rated were Florida quarterback greats Kerwin Bell, Wayne Peace, Doug Johnson, Rex Grossman, and even Steve Spurrier?

I'm pretty sure Peace, Johnson and Spurrier were rated pretty high.

[missourigator]

We can't really lose. Either we sign a bunch of 4 and 5 stars and brag how great our recruiting is, if we get them. Or if we don't, we can talk about how great are coaches are in finding or evaluating talent. Recruiting is an in-exact science. Coaches and/or recruiting services all make mistakes. The proof will be on the field.

[thedyc09]

None of our "3-stars" are average Joes. Many of them are players who aren't as polished or 100% developed as 5-stars, but who nonetheless have elite measurables or elite skillsets or off-the-charts motors. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a championship football team. If these guys get the kind of coaching we expect them to get at Florida, they will eventually challenge for a championship.

[diehardgator1]

If I am not mistaken every one of these players are 4 star on ESPN

[Danielmaddie]

If I am not mistaken every one of these players are 4 star on ESPN

Everyone on ESPN is 4 stars except for Joey Ivie, he is our lone 3 star

[sbcg8r]

And Ivie will be a 4* soon. He has a very impressive offer list.

[gtr2x]

Kind of interesting that a Tenn kid would come to Fla. Kind of sucks for the Vols unless they already have some hot shot qb commits, not a lot of home grown talent in that state, they cant afford to have many defections.

[nawlinsgator]

It's not this one player that concerns me, it is the 9 3 star players we have selected so far including the last 5 in a row. We have historically been able to recruit a more elite class of players at Florida. If Muschamp is a better talent evaluator than everyone else then I suppose we'll be OK but if not, our team will be less talented in future years. It seems odd that we chased away 4 and 5 star recruits so that we could add younger 3 star projects to the stable. We could still add another 10 players this year. I'm hoping we can close the deal on some of the best.....

Maybe you should mark the names down and keep an eye on theose 3 stars come signing day. I highly doubt they all stay 3 stars. Rating services are always playing catch up.

[wewagator]

What does 1984gator mean by Muschamp chasing off 4 and 5 star players so they could recruit younger 3 star player?

[Nicho]

What does 1984gator mean by Muschamp chasing off 4 and 5 star players so they could recruit younger 3 star player?

He's talking about guys like Gerald Christian who transferred out, which is ridiculous because it was ultimately their decision. Not Muschamp's fault that they opted to bail instead of buy in.

[The_Graygator]

Don't we already have a 5* and a 4* at the qb position?


Yes, but after this season, one of them will probably transfer when the other is the established starter.

[StrangeGator]

Kind of interesting that a Tenn kid would come to Fla. Kind of sucks for the Vols unless they already have some hot shot qb commits, not a lot of home grown talent in that state, they cant afford to have many defections.

Brentwood Academy is a little different than most other Tennessee high schools, drawing upscale Nashville families who are not necessarily life long TN residents. UF has signed at least one QB from that school in the past and I think we've had one or more walk-ons from Brentwood.

[StrangeGator]

I would not normally be excited about a three star QB, but Staver has exceptional size and arm strength to build on. Plus he looks like a guy who has been playing the position for while. His footwork is very natural. Doesn't look like he's thinking about it at all (unlike Driskel). Like many posters have mentioned, he has time to develop. He'll be a redshirt sophomore before he'll have to compete for a starting position.

[ufgator4ever]

Well. Three stars are better than two stars, or the no stars that didn't fill out the last two classes.
Muschamp isn't a great hc, but like zook will give him his recruiting dues.

[StrangeGator]

Well. Three stars are better than two stars, or the no stars that didn't fill out the last two classes.
Muschamp isn't a great hc, but like zook will give him his recruiting dues.

You know this already? Why didn't you inform Foley?

[Dreamliner]

Hehe, that was a short hook.

[RayGator]

Go Gators!

[deep_threat]

He exceeded expectations at FNL. In my eyes, he went from questionable take to almost believing this is the stud we need. Has GREAT size, powerful arm, can scramble around really well, loves to be a Gator. Lets hope he plays smart!

[g8r925]

This kid as got a cannon for a arm, Im thrilled that we have this kid, especially due to the fact that he's thrilled to be a gator.

[thedyc09]

Not sure if it was mentioned earlier in the thread but USC commit Jalen Ramsey also attends Brentwood Academy. And Staver has been pushing UF on him. And Ramsey has family that are big Florida fans. And the luster is wearing off the SoCal visit that led him to commit. And he's become good friends with VHIII. And we just so happened to lose a CB commit.

[deep_threat]

Not sure if it was mentioned earlier in the thread but USC commit Jalen Ramsey also attends Brentwood Academy. And Staver has been pushing UF on him. And Ramsey has family that are big Florida fans. And the luster is wearing off the SoCal visit that led him to commit. And he's become good friends with VHIII. And we just so happened to lose a CB commit.

What are you trying to say :laugh:

[malscott]

the guy is insanely good.

[thedyc09]

What are you trying to say :laugh:

It's been a while since the AR forum had some good news. Just letting everyone know there's some smoke out there. Not necessarily a fire, mind you, but definitely some noise.

[StrangeGator]

It's been a while since the AR forum had some good news. Just letting everyone know there's some smoke out there. Not necessarily a fire, mind you, but definitely some noise.

This came up on the Tre Bell decommitment thread. Hope this happens soon.

[Tebowism0823]

I believe he flips.

[RayGator]

I believe he flips.

I haven't seen seen anything new on him for a long time. As far as I know he still is committed to the Gators. We are getting close to Signing Day.