ST. PETERSBURG — Dominique Easley apparently likes the misdirection play.
With Miami, Oregon and Penn State seemingly in the lead for the 6-3, 260-pound defensive end prospect from Staten Island, N.Y., Easley announced in the second quarter of Saturday’s Under Armour All-America Game at Tropicana FIeld that he was going to be a Florida Gator beginning this fall. Easley, a standout at Curtis High School, is the No. 41 prospect on the ESPNU 150 list.
Easley was originally set to commit to Florida following the Friday Night Lights camp in Gainesville last July, but the talks seemed to break down following the visit. However, that is all in the past as Easley is eager to join a program that has won 26 games in the past two seasons.
“I always wanted to be a Gator,” Easley said while holding the trophy he won for earning Team Nitro most valuable player honors for the game. Easley recorded four tackles (three for loss), along with one sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and two quarterback hurries on Saturday.
After talking over his decision with several Florida commitments—including future defensive line-mate Leon Orr—Easley made the choice to announce for Florida just 10 minutes before kickoff on Saturday.
“The guys helped make my choice,” Easley said, in referring to Orr and several of the other 10 Florida commitments playing in St. Petersburg on Saturday. “After talking with the (Florida) coaches, it was settled.
While he may not have had the same recognition as some of the other defensive linemen participating in the All-America Game, Easley is certain to get it after a strong week of practice. His monster performance on Saturday just solidified his standing as one of the top defensive linemen in the nation. While prepping for the game, some film-room study certainly assisted Easley in regards to his performance on this afternoon.
“We just came to play,” Easley said of the performance of the Team Nitro defense. “Before coming down here, I watched highlights of some of the other defensive linemen in this game, and I knew I was on the same level as they were. I just made sure to prove it on the field today.”
Although he has already made one switch in commitments, don’t expect Easley to make another one. While Florida head coach Urban Meyer is expected to take a leave of absence in January, Easley showed little concern about any potential issues in regards to the stability at the top of the hierarchy in Gainesville. Of course, it helps that the point man on his recruitment—offensive coordinator Steve Addazio—has been tapped to replace Meyer while he takes a sabbatical. Easley pointed to the influence of both men as a key factor as to why he picked the Gators.
“I have a great relationship with both Coach Meyer and Coach Addazio. Nothing is going to change in regards to how good this program is while Coach Meyer is taking care of his health.”
In addition to the announcement that Chris Dunkley will attend Florida on Saturday, Florida now has 21 verbal commitments.
Here’s the Scouts Inc. evaluation of Easley:
“Easley is one of the quickest players off the ball in this class and at times it seems like he has the offensive huddle wired and knows the snap count. He possesses good size and can be disruptive because he can get going so quickly and explode through the gap to cause disruption in the backfield. Even operating from a two-point stance, he can get moving very quickly. While he has the ability to beat an offensive lineman off the ball, he is also physical. He does a good job of coming off the ball low and because he can generate so much power from his lower body, he can engage a blocker and knock him back. He is good with his hands, but needs to be more consistent with his weapons. He displays the ability to come across the ball and break down. He displays good lateral movement to be able to side-step a block. He is a solid and, at times, physical tackler though he will miss some tackles because he is moving so fast and not totally under control. He has a good motor and solid straight-line speed. He can seem a little rigid in his overall body movement. As a pass-rusher, he has the power to knock a blocker back and his get-off makes him dangerous. He needs to work to develop and incorporate some moves using his hands to help defeat blockers as competition will stiffen. It can be jaw-dropping at times how explosive Easley is. Still, a bit raw in some areas and often looks to be a notch better than his competition, but this kid has promise because it is tough to teach quickness off the ball like that.”