Football season has begun, which means the recruiting camps are over for the Florida Gators recruiting and coaching staff for the summer.
The Gators had a lot of prospects come through campus for camps and unofficial visits this summer and that has helped them gain a lot of momentum on guys.
Florida’s coaching staff now has a pretty good idea on the guys that have legit interest in the Gators and which guys are simply just talking. The board has become somewhat clearer but remember, guys are always added during the season when senior year film gets out.
Over the next two days Gator Country will bring you a look at the prospects that the Gators are after on offense and on defense.
We will start with Florida Gators recruiting board on offense.
Quarterback:
Florida has has its quarterback since the summer of 2015 when Jake Allen committed to the Gators. The Gators have told Allen that they’re not recruiting another quarterback and they’ve stuck to that plan.
Right now the Gators are already recruiting quarterbacks for the 2018 class in hopes of landing one early enough to let him recruit other players.
Unless something crazy happens I expect that to remain the plan.
Running back:
The Gators are also done with the running back position after Adarius Lemons committed to Florida last month. Unless something changes with Lemons the Gators can turn their attention to looking at the 2018 running backs.
Receivers:
Florida signed a big receiver class in 2016, but are still looking to sign three receivers in the 2017 class. The Gators currently have athlete Kadarius Toney and Daquon Green committed right now. Green has become a big name prospects after having a good junior year and offseason this year.
With those two in the fold the Gators are looking for one more receiver to add to the mix and they’re after some big name guys.
Donovan Peoples-Jones (6-1, 188, Detroit, MI Cass Tech) grew up a huge Gators fan, has visited Gainesville three times already and has plans to take an official visit this fall. Michigan is the home state team and the Gators’ biggest competition for the stud receiver out of Detroit. Right now I would say it’s a very close race between the two schools.
James Robinson (6-3, 198, Lakeland, FL High) is the mystery man for the 2017 class due to some off the field concerns by many schools. Robinson likes Florida a lot, but it seems the Gators staff is waiting to see how he does this year both on the field and off the field.
Henry Ruggs (6-0, 171, Montgomery, AL. Robert E. Lee) put the Gators in his top five recently and he has been in contact with the Gators a lot lately. Right now Alabama and Auburn are the two schools most linked to Ruggs, but Florida could be a sleeper team here. The coaching staff is working on getting Ruggs back on campus for the first time since early spring.
West Virginia commit Mike Harley (5-9, 155, Fort Lauderdale, FL. St. Thomas Aquinas) is a guy that dominated Friday Night Lights and is someone the fans love due to his speed and ability to make the highlight play. Right now Harley doesn’t have a Florida offer but he’s someone that the coaching staff is keeping tabs on. If Toney or another receivers bolts from the class then Harley may very much be the guy that takes that spot.
Tight ends:
The Gators didn’t sign a tight end in the class of 2016, but plan to sign two in the class of 2017 this year. Right now Florida has Kemore Gamble committed and he looks to be solid with the Gators. Florida still has a few big name options out there for the second spot in the class.
Oregon commit Tre McKitty (6-4, 225, Bradenton, FL IMG) committed to Oregon after just one visit out there and it’s a long ways from home. McKitty seems solid to Oregon but does still talk to the Gators coaching staff, Oregon is also the tight end’s second team to be committed too. The Gators will continue to work the distance angle in hopes of flipping the tight end.
Zech Byrd (6-6, 236, Millbrook, AL. Stanhope Elmore) is looking hard at both Alabama and Florida right now. Byrd has visited the Gators twice this offseason and his family grew up big Gators fans. Byrd doesn’t seem to be in a rush to make a decision but the Gators are the team with the momentum right now.
Offensive line:
The biggest question mark right now for the Florida Gators recruiting class is the offensive line position, where they only have Kadeem Telfort committed. The Gators would like to add three more to the class with the focus being on tackles.
Here are some of the guys they’re after and this list should grow this fall.
Auburn commit Calvin Ashley (6-8, 311, Washington D.C) is on this list because he continues to mention the Gators, but he hasn’t visited in awhile and he has moved out of state. I don’t expect the Gators to be much of a factor at all for Ashley, but he’s someone to watch.
Alabama commit Alex Leatherwood (6-5, 298, Pensacola, FL. Washington) has continued to call the Gators his number two school but he continues to miss scheduled visits to Gainesville. Right now everyone is taking a wait and see approach on Leatherwood. Until he shows back up on campus the Gators appear to be falling behind. Leatherwood is by far the best lineman prospect on the board so they must continue trying.
Tony Gray (6-4, 272, Lawrenceville, GA. Central Gwinnett) is a name that appears on the board for the first time in awhile, but Gray says he has interest in the Gators and plans to visit this fall. Gray is a tackle prospect that would be a great add for Florida but Georgia may be tough to beat. The Bulldogs however are close to full.
Marcus Minor (6-4, 285, Hyattsville, MD. DeMatha) visited Florida last month and loved the visit and named the Gators in his top group of schools. Minor doesn’t have a timetable for a decision but the Gators are a team to watch closely here.
Caleb Chandler (6-5, 295, Jefferson, GA. High) plans to visit Florida this fall and the Gators with Miami are the two teams recruiting him the hardest. Chandler is interesting prospect that had a good offseason, which helped him fly up recruiting boards. The Gators have a good shot with him if the visit goes well.
Miami commit Navaughn Donaldson (6-6, 341, Miami, FL. Central) is one of the top guys on the board and he’s coming off of a good visit to Florida for Friday Night Lights. Donaldson remains committed to Miami but the Gators are giving him something to think about. Florida needs to get him back on campus again soon.
Toryque Bateman (6-7, 300, Gadsden, AL. High) doesn’t have a Florida offer yet but an offer from the Gators would put them high on Bateman’s board. The Gators will watch him closely this fall but an offer could come soon after that.