Florida will have a big visit on their hands next weekend as forward Sammie Yeanay is set to visit the Gators from October 5-8, a return for the local Gainesville product who now plays in Arizona.
Todd Golden and his staff took a liking to Yeanay quickly after coming to Gainesville and scoping out the local talent. At the time, Yeanay was largely getting looks by mid-major schools such as Ohio, Jacksonville, and North Florida. After continuing to work on his craft and demonstrating his abilities, he’s now getting offers from some of the best programs in the country.
Yeanay is a bit of a unique player in that he plays the game with relentless physicality and intensity, but he also plays with grace and a soft touch around the rim. On one possession you’ll see him knock an opponent into the first row of seats as they battle for an offensive rebound before finishing through contact for an and-1. On the next possession, you’ll see him dribble the ball a few times, make a touch pass to a teammate, and then later receive the ball on a shifty cut before finishing with a soft reverse layup. Yeanay is fire and ice, bringing both muscle and touch, both natural instincts and learned intelligence. The three-point jumper is something that he has been focusing on recently, and if he is able to knock down these shots at a consistent rate his unique skill set would become even more diverse.
The biggest reason why Yeanay wasn’t getting high-major looks in the early days of his recruitment is that he’s only about 6’7” and 230 pounds, though some outlets will list him a little bit larger. Considering his style of play coaches would much rather see 6’9” or 6’10”, and it kept him from getting the looks he deserved. However, as he continued to be productive against quality competition, high-major coaches had to take notice. Florida was one of the first big-name schools to give him not only interest, but an official offer. Yeanay played at The Rock School in Gainesville which gave Florida the chance to see him play a bunch, especially since the Gators also had interest in his teammate and frontcourt mate Ryan Jones. Jones has been considering the Gators and will be making his decision on October 2nd and is down to Florida and Virginia Tech–though Virginia Tech is the presumed leader. It’s not a “one or the other” situation for Florida who would happily take both players–but given how Jones is expected to choose Virginia Tech, Yeanay’s visit and recruitment becomes even more interesting.
After making a name for himself in Florida at The Rock School Yeanay made the decision to move across the country to Arizona to play for powerhouse Compass Prep. Already the decision has made for a lot of exposure to west coast teams with Arizona said to have offered Yeanay already, even though the season is just beginning. Given that Yeanay is originally from Gainesville but now living across the country Florida is hoping that the taste of home on the visit will be just what the doctor ordered and give the Gators a good chance at landing him.
Right now the favorites in the recruitment are Florida, Arizona, and perhaps the leader–Houston. Houston is a team that has done extremely well with players in a similar archetype to Yeanay recently–skilled, physical, high-motor, but slightly undersized frontcourt players. Adding in the recent program success Houston has and you can see why they’d be a desirable destination for Yeanay, but that doesn’t mean the Gators don’t have a great chance. It’s worth noting that Yeanay’s visit in Gainesville is four days–much longer than a visit would normally last–and it’s because Florida hopes the time at home is something that calls him back once again.
There is currently no timetable for Yeanay to make a decision, though every team involved in his recruitment would love to get some clarity before games start happening in November and coaches want to get back to focusing on the season at hand.