The Florida Gators are finished spring practice and have now turned their attention to recruiting, as they will host guys on virtual visits until the dead period is lifted.
The dead period is expected to be lifted in June and the Gators have already loaded up the first weekend of the month with several official visitors.
GatorCountry brings you a recruiting mailbag to answer your questions on the 2022 class as well as the 2023 class.
Check out the mailbag here to get all the answers to your questions.
OklahomaGator: Has any decision been made on camps, on campus visits, in person coaching visits, etc?
AS: Florida will have Friday Night Lights but no decision has been made on camps in June yet but it’s looking more likely that Florida will just focus on visits and getting guys on campus. In-person coaching visits are still on hold as the dead period will likely go into the quiet period where coaches can only visit kids when they come on campus.
Jpgator: How many slots available for transfers? Who are prospects out there? Especially OL?
AS: It’s tough to put an exact number on this because the NCAA still hasn’t come out and said the scholarship limit for next year with some seniors returning and using the extra year. I do know that Florida believes they can take a couple of transfers and they’re waiting until spring practice finishes for all the teams in hopes of going after some guys.
Polkgator: What’s the DL board look like? How many CB’s do you see us taking? Who is on the board at CB? Thanks
AS: On the defensive line, Christen Miller, Enai White, Jihaad Campbell (more of an outside linebacker), Eli Hall, Kenyatta Jackson, Walter Nolen, Jamari Lyons, Daniel Lyons, and Chris McClellan are all guys that Florida is going after hard in this class. Any of those guys could commit now if they wanted too.
At corner, Florida would like 3-4 in this class, and Earl Little, Azareyeh Thomas, Jarrell Stinson, and Nick Cull are the top guys on the board right now. Florida is in a good position for Thomas and Cull and could flip Stinson from Auburn because of his relationship with Wesley McGriff.
Pan: From my poor vantage point it appears this years board and interest are from the recruits is better.
Do you think this year we break the ceiling we’ve been limited to, in terms of high quality players across the board but especially at OL, LB. Where we win the recruiting battle over our competition not just for the stars but for the best players.
Is this the year it comes together?
AS: Linebacker is looking better this year with Shemar James, EJ Lightsey and Jaron Willis all looking hard at Florida but as far as offensive line, outside of Tyler Booker there’s not one guy who I feel great about landing in this class at this time. Overall though Florida is in line to win some battles for several top guys and that will continue as long as Florida continues to shine on the field.
Singles: What are the chances Sam McCall makes it back in our class?
AS: Slim to none at this point. I just don’t see a scenario were McCall returns to the class.
Acewade1: How are we looking for Azareyeh Thomas? I know the staff has been recruiting him hard and he really likes Florida and the way he can be used in the defensive scheme.
AS: Thomas has built a good relationship with the staff and like you say he likes the defensive scheme the Gators have laid out for him. Thomas hasn’t named a leader yet but if I were picking one, I would say Florida is that team heading into visits. Georgia Tech and Clemson can’t be taken lightly here but Florida has done a great job.
Alligatoralley: Your thoughts on Booker? Always scary when trying to compete with Saban and Kirby for a 5* OL.
AS: Florida has done a great job of recruiting Tyler Booker and that starts at the top as Dan Mullen has personally been recruiting the lineman to Florida. From the time he was offered until now, the Gators have had multiple coaches recruiting him and recruiting him hard. I like Florida’s spot with him right now.
Juggernautz: Do we have any recruits that may want to play more than one sport(football) & may be accommodated?
AS: Tre Donaldson is the biggest one and Mike White is recruiting him to play basketball as well. Both White and Mullen have told him he can play both if he wants to in college. CJ Hawkins also plays basketball but it seems like he will just focus on football going forward.
Kdm: When do you think we are likely to have some more commits?
AS: I honestly don’t believe you will see many if any commits until visits take place in June. A lot of guys see the finish line of the dead period and want to get on some campuses before they make a decision now.
Ufgator84: How will the staff work such a large group on June 4-6? They have to prioritize some guys.
AS: Each position coach will have their own guys a lot of the time but Mullen will make sure to get around those guys as much as possible but there will be a small group of guys who get more attention than the others because of how important they’re to the class. It’s a tough weekend but sometimes having that guys on campus helps you because of the energy you have that weekend.
Gatorboy08: After looking at the top 25 prospects in the state of FL, I’m still a little worried we do not land many of them. IMG is stacked again this year and outside Booker, we aren’t getting much traction there. Why is that? And how are we looking for some of the other top players in the state? Players like Shemar Stewart, Wesley Bissainthe, and Kenyatta Jackson.
Also, do we still have a good shot with Markeith Williams? I remember UF made his top 3 then his recruitment just went quite.
AS: With the top guys in the state, Florida is in good shape with Tyler Booker who’s a top 10 guy, they’re in the mix but a little behind for Jackson and Stewart and haven’t really recruited Bissainthe as hard as of late. Azareyeh Thomas is another highly ranked guy in the state they’re in the mix with. The thing about the state of Florida is guys are just ok with leaving because a lot of them have family elsewhere or just wanted to experience other places.
With Williams, the Gators still remain heavily involved here and will likely get an official visit from the safety. Bama, Clemson, Ohio State, and Miami are all in the mix as well.
Polkgator: We seem to be in on many elite receivers this cycle. What is the preference of the coaching staff and who has committable offers. Thanks
AS: Evan Stewart, Gentry Williams and Jayden Gibson are without a doubt the top guys at the position and all of them will be in town on June 4th, Isaiah Horton is right there with those guys as well. Tyler Morris, Darris Clemons, Cameron Miller, Isaiah Bond, Kevin Thomas, Jay Fair, and Chandler Smith are the other guys that Florida is heavily involved with and if one of them wanted to commit today they could as the staff is trying to load up at the position this year.