The Florida Gators are finished with a busy month of June and have now turned their attention to Friday Night Lights, as they will host a lot of big-time prospects in the Swamp
The Gators took advantage of the month of June as they were able to get a lot of their top prospects on campus for visits and camps.
GatorCountry brings you a recruiting mailbag to answer your questions on the 2022 class as well as the 2023 class.
Dagatorfan: What is the OL, RB and LB recruiting looking?
AS: We will start with running back where Florida is trending up for Terrance Gibbs who could announce his decision at any time now. Florida will also host Jaylon Glover on campus for Friday Night Lights and the Gators are trending in the right direction for him as well. At linebacker the focus is on Shawn Murphy and EJ Lightsey to go with Shemar James at the position. The offensive line board is where things get shaky quickly. Tyler Booker is still the top target but Alabama is trending up for him, Preston Cushman will announce next week and Ole Miss is likely the pick there. They’re recruiting Jacob Hood, Layton Nelson, Daughtry Richardson, and Addison Nichols but right now they don’t lead for any of those guys. They’re hoping to get Hood on campus for Friday Night Lights.
Ufgatordad: Are we still considered the outright leader for Gibson? Miami seems to feel pretty confident, and I was not sure if the UGA offer changes anything. If we lead, any idea of when we can expect a commitment?
AS: Jaydon Gibson doesn’t have a true leader right now, but UF and Miami are still the top teams for him. Gibson wants to take some July visits first but a commitment in early fall is something that has been mentioned before.
Ufgatordad: Seems like we’ve quietly maintained a lead for Evan Stewart. Is that actually the case, or more just in the thick of things. Have a feeling this is one we can land, especially with Nick. Do you feel that way?
AS: I don’t get the impression that Florida leads for Stewart but I do think they have a good shot with him. They need to get him back on campus again this fall to make me feel really good about their chances though.
Ufgatordad: Think we have what it takes to pull in Kamari Wilson?
AS: Florida has the momentum for Wilson right now but Georgia has been the team to beat for a while now and right now they would be my pick but if Florida can get Wilson back on campus in July before he announces a decision then I think Florida can pull it off.
Ufgatordad: Any update on Nolen? Are we still there in the thick or fading?
AS: Florida absolutely is in the thick of it for Walter Nolen and he says he may take a visit to Gainesville for Friday Night Lights which would be huge for the Gators. The Gators really need another visit with Nolen and his family.
Jcmiller910: What RB’s will we end up with in this class? I know its likely that Hampton will go to UNC and Alston to LSU. Are we still sitting good with Gibbs? Also, what is the point of the dead period for a few weeks especially after having a year and half of no kids on campus. It seems pretty silly by the NCAA. Thanks Andrew!
AS: My picks are Jaylon Glover and Terrance Gibbs right now. Those two seem like the most likely with Kaytron Allen sitting behind those guys. As far as the dead period goes, the staffs around the country wanted it to get a break before the last stretch of recruiting and then fall camp starts up.
Atllagator: Do we hold on to Humphrey or does he flip to AM or Bama?
AS: I think Florida holds onto Julian Humphrey unless Texas A&M offers and then I think it will become very interesting. Humphrey really likes Florida, but I also know he likes A&M and several A&M players and commits. It really is tough to say right now until A&M offers if they do.
Atllagator: Why take the commitment from Jamarrion Burt so early?
AS: Florida liked Burt’s workout last month and they decided they were ready to take his commitment. A lot of people have said that Burt had a good spring so it’s a case that Burt may have improved a lot since the fall.
Atllagator: Anything new on Jamari Lyons?
AS: Lyons still has Florida very high in his recruitment, but South Carolina got Lyons on campus twice in June and have made things interesting. Lyons has said he may be in Gainesville for Friday Night Lights so again that would be big for Florida.
Woollybooger: Voice your opinion on the NIL deal struck by Miami, and will the fact they are in a big market city make it more difficult for Florida than first thought.
AS: I think it was a good idea to strike that deal as everyone gets a piece of the pie instead of just a select few. I think that market should help Miami a lot but remember that the Gators have boosters and alumni in a lot of big markets as well so the Gators should be fine.
Woollybooger: Also does Blades have the green light if he can pass the two classes that are incomplete?
AS: Yes, I’m told that Blades has the green light when he finishes up the required classes. The Gators want another veteran defensive back on the roster.
Gator_nica: We seem to be trending in the right direction as of late. What has changed in that regards? Are kids more interested after seeing three years of the product on the field? Did we finally get coaches who can recruit?
AS: First, I think it’s funny that in this mailbag there’s one question talking about the momentum being in the right direction and the other going in the wrong direction. That describes recruiting to a T as things can change at the snap of the finger. Florida’s off the field staff deserves a ton of credit as guys like Kelvin Bolden, Keiwan Ratliff and Corey Bell all did a great job of getting big names on campus in the month of June.
Juggernautz: What areas of the country do you think we should concentrate more on recruiting wise?
AS: Florida has done a good job in the state of Texas, but I continue to say that the Gators need to put as much focus on the states of Florida and Georgia as anywhere. The Gators have to start winning more instate battles to get to where Dan Mullen wants to be.
Juggernautz: Other than Evers, who do you think is our next best ambassador of recruiting in the ’22 class?
AS: Isaiah Bond has been very vocal for the Gators so far and has helped Nick Evers recruit for the class. Julian Humphrey was also helping the Gators recruit while out at the Opening this past week.
Juggernautz: What are the dates of the early signing period & NSD for the ’22 cycle?
AS: December 15th is the early signing day and February 2nd is the normal signing day this year.
Travlingator: How many 5* recruits do you expect us to get out of the several that we are in the hunt for? Which ones do we have the best shot with.
AS: Guys like Walter Nolen, Shemar Stewart, Jeremiah Alexander, Kamari Wilson, and Evan Stewart are all five stars. I think Florida has the best shot with Nolen, Wilson and Stewart right now. Florida needs to get all three of those guys back on campus again and it’s expected that Kamari Wilson will be in town for FNL and Nolen has said it’s possible. Florida has definitely gained ground on Wilson as of late.
Gatorteachuf: Coming out of the long dead period, it seems like we were going top 5 class. Feels like that momentum has disappeared with a lot of recruits. Were we foolish to get our hopes up?
AS: A lot of the momentum disappeared to some extent as other schools have picked up commitments, but Florida still leads for several guys and expect to land one or two commitments this month. The biggest thing hurting Florida is that a lot of its top targets have committed elsewhere. Fans don’t like seeing a guy like Devin Moore commit to Notre Dame.
Skgator1: Why does FSU have a Top 5 class? Are they better at relationship building with coaches and parents? Sure isn’t product on the field.
AS: Parents and kids love Mike Norvell and he’s very good at building relationships without a doubt. A lot of coaches that I know, and trust told me from the start that getting players wouldn’t be an issue for Norvell as he was very personable and good at building relationships. The question has always been out there about how he would do on the field.
NYGator96: How will the boosters use the NIL ruling to their advantage with regards to HS recruiting? Could it potentially make the bagmen less relevant?
AS: Booster should be able to help because most of them have big businesses that can get these guys to advertise for them. For example the way Miami was able to use the big training company to get all of its guys paid. I don’t think it makes much of an impact at all on the bagmen to be honest.
Gator_n_Bmore: Do we land Skinner or Delp? If not who do we blame for not capitalizing on just having the highest drafted TE in NFL history?
AS: Right now, I lean towards Jaleel Skinner going to FSU and Oscar Delp going to Georgia. I don’t know that there’s one person to blame here but just an overall disappointment that you weren’t able to capitalize on Kyle Pitts’ great year.