The Florida Gators coaches are officially rejoicing because they can now hit the road to do some in person recruiting as the dead period officially comes to an end at midnight.
But before the coaches hit the road our Gator Country members have a lot of questions about how this class is going to finish as Jim McElwain and his staff have less than a month to make relationship with these prospects and finish the 2015 recruiting class strong.
In this week’s recruiting mailbag I’ll get everyone caught up on what’s happening in recruiting in regards to the Florida Gators.
But this week’s mailbag was so big that we had to split it up into two pieces, so here’s Part I and Part II will come out first thing in the morning for you to enjoy over a cup of joe as the coaches hit the road and start visiting prospects.
Lurkingator1: Do we have any current silent commitments going into the weekend of Jan 17-18 ?
AS: There are a few kids who have said they will be attending Florida but until they go public then it doesn’t mean much.
Gatordon: How difficult is it for this staff to foster relationships with these recruits at this point in the process?
AS: They have to work that much harder but I think there is still plenty of time to have a good enough relationship with a coach to commit to Florida.
Gatordon: Which of the recruits on the Gator board do you feel most confident about?
AS: I really like Florida’s chances with Byron Cowart and Martez Ivey the most. I feel like Ivey has wanted to be a Gator for a long time now but just wanted to make sure everything was ok. With Cowart I think he wants to shine and be the guy to turn Florida around.
Gatordon: How much of a draw is early playing time at positions that we are thin, such as O-Line?
AS: Receivers and offensive linemen aren’t cocky but they know that they can come in and compete for playing time at Florida because of how bad the depth is at those positions. Linemen have to be licking their chops about the chance to play early at Florida.
Kurt_borglum: Tell me every Gator recruit for the next 4 years. Oh, okay, how about the next Gator recruit then…
AS: I honestly wish I knew the answer to this question but right now I’m going to go with Jeremiah Dinson who is committed to Kentucky and visiting Florida this weekend. Dinson really likes Randy Shannon a lot and that’s a draw for the Gators.
G8torb8it1408: How many running backs are we probably going to sign, and or how many do you think we sign.
AS: I think Florida is going to sign two running backs in this class and between 22-25 total for this whole class.
G8torb8it1408: 2. Jessica Biel, or Mila Kunis ? ……….. <———–This will be a new tradition.
AS: This may be the toughest question out there but Biel has been my woman for a long time so I’m sticking with her. I loved her in the movie Summer Catch.
Quentinc25: How many OL do you think we sign?
AS: Between 6 and 7 because it’s such a big need for Florida.
MrB-Gator: AS……are there any transfer possibilities that can play right away?
AS: Florida won’t sign any transfers until the summer at least and then there are a few that may look at Florida.
Msd: Any ideas on where Jeffrey Holland’s head is these days?
AS: Right now Auburn is the leader but the Gators will send Randy Shannon in-home and try and convince him to visit Florida in the coming weekends. Holland will visit Auburn this weekend so that’s big.
AG111: Spivey, Can you give percentages…and use a range if you like…for the below
AS:
Deondre Francois 60%
Jordan Scarlett 75%
Ryan Davis 75%
Derrick Dillon 60%
Van Jefferson 50%
Auden Tate 60%
Dexter Williams 20%
Tebownut6: This staff seems tailor-made to truly focus on and recruit the hell out of South Florida, and essentially start owning that part of the state. Is that a fair assessment? If so, when do you see us really starting to reap the rewards and plucking the “choice” guys, and which prospects (be it 2015, 2016, or beyond) do we now have our eye on and a legitimate shot at… whereas before they’d be all Miami or perhaps FSU due to recent success?
AS: I think that McElwain understands that Florida has to get back to getting prospects from South Florida on a yearly basis because there are a lot of good athletes there every year. I think Florida will make some noise down there in 2015 but 2016 and beyond is when you will the benefits of it all.
Dfalco2: AS… percentages on the big 3? (Cowart CeCe and Ivey). Realistically are you still thinking 22-25 in this class? Besides the big 3 who are the main targets for the staff and how do you feel about them signing with the good guys?
AS: I think 22-25 is the realistic numbers for sure. The other main targets are Holland, Jordan Scarlett, Deondre Francois and offensive linemen. As far as the big 3 goes I like Florida’s chances on all 3 a lot.
Brainstorm: I would love to see you post the current board (as much as you know at this point – know that it is growing) of players we like at each position in order of the likelihood we land them. Can you confirm the breakout? I am thinking 6-7 OL, 2 TE, 3-4 WR, 2 RB, 1 QB, 2-3 DE, 1 DT, 2-3 LB, 1-3 DB.
AS: I’m going to write up an article for both that will come out tomorrow afternoon with all of this but you’re dead on with the numbers. Give or a take a few on the offensive line.
Juggernautz: What prospects do you think we’re looking at that aren’t talked about much on this board?
AS: Van Jefferson, Tyree St. Louis, Quandeski Whitlow and Ryan Davis are guys that don’t get enough love on the boards that should.
Juggernautz: How impressive do you think our staff is going forward?
AS: I love this staff because of the energy and passion they have for recruiting and the game of football. McElwain will lead the charge in a positive way.
Gator_nica: At this time, are we expecting a out of the park finish, or should we temper expectations?
AS: In my opinion Florida will fill the needs they have and at this point that’s all anyone can ask of the staff.
The_Predator14452: I think you should have a recurring recruiting mailbag that you update every 15 minutes. There would only be one question in the mailbag – Do you think Ivey, Cowart, and CeCe will sign with UF? It might make your job a bit easier.
AS: Just do a ticker like ESPN. LOL it makes the job fun and I truly believe Florida gets all 3.
Sinner: – What are our chances with St.Louis?
AS: I really like Florida’s chances here. St. Louis wanted to be a Gator before but Will Muschamp didn’t push for him enough.