A Quick Look at Recruiting (Updated April 28)

[GothamGator]

Thought it would be helpful to have a quick list that shows who we are recruiting in upcoming classes and who is currently on our team. Feel free to chime in about recruiting in general or to start new threads about specific recruits. The lists of our targets - particularly for 2011 - are not complete.

By the way, if you are not an insider, you are really missing out on Franz's reports in Inside the Net. He covers what's going on at UF and around the SEC is painstaking detail. It's great stuff.

Each service's ranking of the player is shown along with the rating. ESPN rates on a scale of 1 to 100, while Scout and Rivals rate by one to five stars. ESPN's ratings are a little out of date, while Scout and Rivals are up to date.

ESPN Rankings for 2010 were updated in mid-January. Other rankings are from October.

Updates
July 1 - Closed out 2009 class and added new Rivals rankings for 2011.
July 2 - Added new Scout rankings for 2011; added C. Randle and Z. Price to 2011.
July 5 - New Scout and Rivals rankings for 2010
July 6 - Added J. Horford to 2010.
August 4 - N. Tishman to UF.
August 5 - Fab Melo to Syracuse.
August 24 - Vargas to transfer.
September 29 - Poole to Kentucky.
September 30 - Prather to UF.
October 1 - Update Scout 2010, 2011 rankings; added a few new targets.
October 2 - Update Rivals 2010, 2011 rankings.
Jan 18 - Added Ricardo Ratliffe, JUCO PF, to 2010; major update of ESPN's rankings.
Jan 22 - Added Ray McCallum, 2010 PG.
Jan 29 - Patric Young named McDonald's All American!
Feb 8 - Added Kadeem Jack, 2010 PF.
Feb 27 - Added Kendall Williams, 2010 SG.
March 4 - Added Will Yeguete, 2010 PF.
March 12 - Kendall Williams to New Mexico; Michael Gbinije to Duke.
April 1 - Horford to Michigan; added Brandon Young and Chris Denson to 2010.
April 8 - A. Rivers decommits.
April 9 - Added J. Steele to 2010. Added information on Mike Rosario as a potential transfer.
April 13 - R. Ratliffe to Missouri.
April 14 - B. Knight to Kentucky; R. McCallum to Detroit.
April 19 - Added C. Larson and M. Carlino to 2010 and S. Wilbekin to 2011.
April 19 - M. Rosario to Florida!
April 20 - W. Yeguete to Florida!
April 21 - C. Larson to Florida!
April 22 - S. Wilbekin to Florida!
April 28 - CJ Leslie to NC State; Matt Carlino to UCLA.

Current Roster
(last year of eligibility in parentheses)
Guards: Erving Walker (2012), Kenny Boynton (2013), Nimrod Tishman (2013)
Wing or Combo Forward: Chandler Parsons (2011), Adam Allen (2012)*
Post Players: Vernon Macklin (2011), Alex Tyus (2011)**, Kenny Kadji (2013)***, Erik Murphy (2013)

* - Injured; status unclear.
** - Has submitted paperwork for NBA draft but not hired an agent.
*** - Assumes he receives a redshirt for last season.


Recruits
(Boldface are verbal commitments)

Potential Transfer
(rankings are from high school)
Mike Rosario (6-3, PG) - ESPN 96, #16; Scout ****, #43; Rivals ****, #55 - former McDonald's AA has committed to the Gators!

2010
(abbreviated list)
Brandon Knight (6-3, PG) - ESPN 97, #4; Scout *****, #2; Rivals *****, #1 - committed to Kentucky.
C.J. Leslie (6-9, PF) - ESPN 97, #11; Scout *****, #12; Rivals *****, #14 - committed to NC State.
Cory Joseph (6-3, PG) - ESPN 96, #16; Scout *****, #22; Rivals *****, #7
Patric Young (6-8, PF) - ESPN 95, #13; Scout *****, #18; Rivals ****, #28 - signed with Florida! Named to McD AA Team!
Casey Prather (6-6, SF) - ESPN 95, #35; Scout ****, #55; Rivals, ****, #64 - signed with Florida!
Ray McCallum (6-1, PG) - ESPN 95, #34; Scout *****, #25; Rivals, ****, #60 - Committed to Detroit
Stacey Poole, Jr. (6-5, SF) - ESPN 94, #51; Scout ****, #58; Rivals ****, #27 - signed with Kentucky
Ricardo Ratliffe (6-8, PF) - ESPN 94, #78; Scout ****, JC; Rivals NR, JC- Committed to Missouri.
Brandon Young (6-3, PG) - ESPN 91, NR; Scout ***, NR; Rivals ***, #147 - Signed with DePaul in the fall but asking out of his LOI.
Matt Carlino (6-2, SG) - ESPN 93, NR; Scout ****, not in top 75; Rivals ***, NR - committed to UCLA.
Cody Larson (6-9, PF) - ESPN 92, NR; Scout ****, not in top 100; Rivals ***, NR - committed to Florida!
Jon Horford (6-9, PF) - ESPN 92, #116; Scout ***, not in top 100; Rivals ***, not in top 150 - Al's little brother just committed to Michigan.
Chris Denson (6-2, PG) - ESPN 87, NR; Scout NR; Rivals ***, NR - Columbus, GA senior is starting to get high major offers.
Will Yeguete (6-7, SF) - ESPN 84, NR; Scout ***, not in top 100; Rivals ***, not in top 150 - committed to Florida!
Scottie Wilbekin (6-2, PG) - ESPN 85, NR; Scout **, not in top 75; Rivals NR - committed to Florida! Gainesville junior will skip his senior HS season and join class of 2010.
Jalen Steele (6-3, SG) - ESPN 87, NR; Scout **, NR; Rivals ***, NR - Has been released from his LOI to Auburn and is taking visits.

2011
(abbreviated list)
Rakeem Christmas (6-9, PF) - ESPN 97, #13; Scout *****, #3; Rivals *****, #4
James McAdoo (6-7, PF) - ESPN 98, #3; Scout *****, #2; Rivals *****, #6 - committed to N. Carolina
Austin Rivers (6-3, PG) - ESPN 98, #2; Scout *****, #4; Rivals *****, #8 - has decommitted from Gators
LeBryan Nash (6-6, SF) - ESPN ?; Scout *****, #11; Rivals *****, #5
Bradley Beal (6-3, SG) - ESPN 96, #15; Scout *****, #10; Rivals *****, #7 - Committed to the Gators!!!
Adonis Thomas (6-6, SF) - ESPN ?; Scout *****, #6; Rivals *****, #11
Johnny O'Bryant (6-9, PF) - ESPN ?; Scout *****, #9; Rivals *****, #13
Michael Chandler (6-10, C) - ESPN 96, #16; Scout *****, #13; Rivals *****, #10 - committed to Louisville
Wayne Blackshear (6-4, SG) - ESPN 96, #23; Scout *****, #12; Rivals *****, #18
Michael Gbinije (6-5, SF) - ESPN 97, #12; Scout *****, #14; Rivals ****, #29 - committed to Duke
Myck Kabongo (6-0, PG) - ESPN 96, #14; Scout *****, #16; Rivals *****, #24 - committed to Texas
Damien Leonard (6-4, SG) - ESPN ?; Scout ****, #30; Rivals *****, #14
P.J. Hairston (6-6, SG) - ESPN 95, #32; Scout *****, #19; Rivals *****, #25- committed to N. Carolina
LaQuinton Ross (6-7, SF) - ESPN 97, #10; Scout ****, #15; Rivals ****, #42
Marshall Plumlee (6-11, C) - ESPN ?; Scout ****, #24; Rivals ****, #41
Kevin Ware (6-4, PG) - ESPN ?; Scout ****, #46; Rivals *****, #22
Mike Shaw (6-8, PF) - ESPN ?; Scout ****, #40; Rivals ****, #44
Chasson Randle (6-2, SG) - ESPN 96, #31; Scout ****, #49; Rivals ****, #45
Zach Price (6-10, C) - ESPN 91, not in top 60; Scout ****, #38; Rivals ****, #66 - committed to Louisville
C.J. Barksdale (6-7, PF) - ESPN ?; Scout ****, #28; Rivals ****, #78
Rodney Hood (6-6, SG) - ESPN 95, #35; Scout ****, #53; Rivals ****, #91
Shane Larkin (5-11, PG) - ESPN ?; Scout ***, not in top 75; Rivals ****, #96


Class Rankings
(updated April 20)
2008 - Scout #9, Rivals #10, ESPN #2
2009 - Scout #17, Rivals #15, ESPN #20
2010 (so far) - Scout #14^, Rivals #18*, ESPN #10*
^ - Ranking is without Larson or Wilbekin
* - Ranking is without Yeguete, Larson or Wilbekin.

[MJGator8104]

Thanks, Gotham.

[ScoobaDawg]

Gotham..check your PM

[g8tr82]

Scooba, I'm coming to the FB game out there, where is there something to do? I'll be in a sky box for the game.

[jsrtreeson]

Patric Young is now a five star on scout

[gatorlover974]

Rivals and Scout updated their rankings today... for 2010

[themistocles]

So, who are the priorities.

I appreciate that Knight and Melo are pretty high priorities.

Who are the most likely Small Forwards?

Who is behind Knight at PG?

Will the Gators add another PF or Center if Melo decides to go elsewhere?

[HiFiGator]

Originally Posted by g8tr82

Scooba, I'm coming to the FB game out there, where is there something to do? I'll be in a sky box for the game.

I would strongly suggest the Silver Star Resort and Casino in Philadelphia, Ms. It is about 45 miles away, but it's worth the drive. They have some really great restaurants and if you like to gamble, they were very liberal with their "comps." For those who aren't familiar with the term, when you play in the casino, at either table games or slot machines, they will give you a players card. This entitles you to freebies from the casino. Obviously the better perks go to the larger players. But some casinos are much better than others. The Silver Star was excellent, with their freebies.

[themistocles]

How about Prather.

[gatornate10]

What is the possibility of BK being in the 10 class?

Also is Christmas, Rivers, and beal a real possibility for the 11 class?

[g8tr80]

We should sign 10 every year. That would ensure that at least one will be left their sophomore year.

[hocgators]

Originally Posted by g8tr80

We should sign 10 every year. That would ensure that at least one will be left their sophomore year.

Your logic seems to have merit!

[gatordmd]

I was talking to someone "in the know" and he has said that if Brandon Knight comes to UF then the Austin Rivers things is up in the air.
Everyone says that Brandon Knight is the man but they say that Austin Rivers is the second coming.
Both are from Florida so I think we need to keep the guys from our home state here.
But you have to think of the one and done deal with Brandon Knight. I know Austin Rivers comes from good stock (and money) so he is more likely not to jump to the NBA at the first sign of money.
They say that a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush (or something like that) because there is murmuring about how Austin Rivers commitment is not that solid so if you can land Knight....

[GothamGator]

You talk to some people, and they say that Austin doesn't want to play with Knight. You talk to others, and you hear that they are buddies and would love to play with each other.

Who knows. The only thing I know for sure is that some kids like being at a school with lots of talent because they know they'll win championships, and some people want to go someplace where they are "the man." I suspect the former is more accurate for Austin Rivers, but that's just a guess.

Ask Bledsoe if he's happy he went to Kentucky even thought they already had John Wall on board.

[tampajack1]

Originally Posted by gatordmd

I was talking to someone "in the know" and he has said that if Brandon Knight comes to UF then the Austin Rivers things is up in the air.
Everyone says that Brandon Knight is the man but they say that Austin Rivers is the second coming.
Both are from Florida so I think we need to keep the guys from our home state here.
But you have to think of the one and done deal with Brandon Knight. I know Austin Rivers comes from good stock (and money) so he is more likely not to jump to the NBA at the first sign of money.
They say that a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush (or something like that) because there is murmuring about how Austin Rivers commitment is not that solid so if you can land Knight....

Austin Rivers is great, but he is not the 2nd coming. He plays with some pretty good players at Winter Park, but they have yet to win a state title. He needs to improve dramatically as a defender and as a point guard. He has the talent to do it, but I would rather have Shane Larkin come in with Brad Beal in 2011. Shane would be a 4-year player and has outstanding point guard and defender skills right now.

[Melrose]

I Go To School With The Prather Kid. Seen Him For About 4 Year Now. Kid Is Ridiculous! He Will Improve Us. Kevin Durantish With Good Work Ethics. Very Humbled

[gatordmd]

That is so awesome to hear.
In basketball especially recruiting is so important.
Getting quality guys, teaching those quality guys and then keeping those quality guys.
Then it starts to perpetuate itself.

[DuvalGator]

A few questions for those that understand the recruiting process more than I: So we have 11 scholarship players now, ie Fricke and McClanahan are walk-on's, right? Why again did we not sign another 2 scholarship players for this year's team? It is assumed that Tishman was a mistake and won't be given a scholarship, right? Will he stay as a walk-on, or go back to Israel? If so, we have Tishman and Werner scholarships to give, so we can sign 4 more players, right (ie Kadji and Allen will be actively participating scholarhsip players next year)?

[MJGator8104]

Originally Posted by DuvalGator

A few questions for those that understand the recruiting process more than I: So we have 11 scholarship players now, ie Fricke and McClanahan are walk-on's, right? Why again did we not sign another 2 scholarship players for this year's team? It is assumed that Tishman was a mistake and won't be given a scholarship, right? Will he stay as a walk-on, or go back to Israel? If so, we have Tishman and Werner scholarships to give, so we can sign 4 more players, right (ie Kadji and Allen will be actively participating scholarhsip players next year)?

From what I understand as I'm not an insider and just read the boards, we are planning to sign four players. We already signed two in the early signing period and should sign another guard and big.

[Aardvark]

Any new news on Knight?