Florida is yet to land a commitment in the 2022 class but there is a chance that changes in the near future.
Decatur, Georgia native Chase Cormier is a player the Gators have recruited relentlessly over the last year and he could be making his decision in the near future–meaning Florida fans should be on high alert.
Standing at 6’3”, Cormier is a perfect example of a modern combo guard. He made a name for himself as a spot up shooter, known as one of the best marksmen in the class, but over the last year has added a ton to his ball handling and passing game making him someone capable of playing either point guard or shooting guard. Right now he’s in a position where he might not be a full time point guard, but is someone that will provide outstanding secondary playmaking if he’s next to a traditional point guard. Secondary playmaking is something that has become incredibly important in modern basketball and is something the Gators have lacked in recent seasons. However, you can see the staff has realized how much of a need it has been both in their recruitment of Cormier in addition to their transfer portal acquisitions in Brandon McKissic and Phlandrous Fleming who fit that skill set.
It’s easy to see how Cormier is going to score at the college level. He’s an effortless shooter who shoots an easy ball, one that comes out of his hands softly in a way that makes you always think the shot is going to fall. A lightning quick release also helps the aesthetics and effectiveness of the shot and points to a jumper that he’s going to be able to get off against high level competition.
Not only can he catch and shoot but he’s got a nice pull up game off the dribble. These shots help get Cormier into a rhythm and open up space for his driving game and show the DNA of a high level scorer. Right now his pull up shots come a lot in the midrange and you’d love to see him move back to the three-point line a little more, but that will certainly come in time.
Recently, his passing and distribution abilities have gained him a lot of notoriety. Cormier has always been known as a scorer, but he’s quickly proving he’s more than just that. At 6’3” he has average height for a shooting guard, but he’s not particularly strong yet and doesn’t have a frame that looks like it could put on a ton of weight. For that reason it might be in Cormier’s best interest long term if he were to be a bit more of a point guard, and those skills are steadily starting to reveal themselves. Cormier is unselfish and shows great vision, and it wouldn’t at all be surprising if Florida saw him as a future point guard in their system.
Cormier is currently the 117th ranked player in the 2022 class, a four star recruit.
Florida, Auburn, Georgia, Florida State, Xavier, and Arkansas are thought to be the leaders, and many think Florida is in a good position. Considering the quality of schools also in the hunt, that would be an impressive get for the Gators. Florida has had great success with guards recently and have plenty to sell to Cormier, particularly in 2022 where they will lose a couple key guards to graduation.
Sources close to the situation say he may be slated to make a decision in the upcoming weeks, so this is a name to be aware of.
Why are we still recruiting small people to play in a big man’s conference???????????
It’s exasperating!