November 26, 2009
[h1]Whispers: Weekend could be big for Gators[/h1]
Mike Farrell
Rivals.com Football Recruiting
As
Tim Tebow and many of his 2006 recruiting classmates play their last home game at the Swamp this weekend, Florida's coaching staff will be trying to secure another class that they hope will lead to additional national titles.
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| Florida fans hope Chris Martin will be sporting Gator gear after this weekend. | |
With 18 current commitments, Florida is ranked No. 5 in the nation and has a good shot at the mythical recruiting title, a title the Gators last won in 2007. This weekend could be the key, with numerous top prospects - such as five-star defensive end
Chris Martin of Aurora (Colo.) Grandview - taking a look.
Confidence is high in Gainesville regarding Martin, a 6-foot-4, 240-pounder who is a Notre Dame commitment. Martin has said he would remain an Irish commitment if coach
Charlie Weis was in South Bend, but with that looking less and less likely, Martin appears to be fair game. At one point, it looked as if California and USC would be the biggest threat to Florida; now, it appears Oklahoma has become a big threat. But insiders say that if all goes well in Gainesville this weekend, it will go a long way toward Florida eventually getting a commitment from Martin.
Other Rivals100 prospects scheduled to visit Florida include cornerback
LaMarcus Joyner of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas, defensive end
Owamagbe Odighizuwa of Portland (Ore.) Douglas, offensive lineman
Chaz Green and athlete
Christian Green of Tampa Catholic and wide receiver
Ivan McCartney of Miramar (Fla.) High.
Joyner favors Ohio State and Florida State, and confidence isn't high at Florida. But if Joyner, the nation's No. 1 cornerback, likes what he sees, Florida could move up his list. Joyner will be on an unofficial visit.
Odighizuwa is a long shot, for sure, as Cal and Oregon are his co-leaders. But if he decides to leave the West Coast, Florida likely would be his destination.
Chaz and Christian Green look as if they'll be heading to different programs. Tennessee has a big edge for Chaz, although the Gators at one point were his strong leader. And Florida leads for Christian, according to most, despite his mention of Georgia as the leader a month ago.
McCartney is considered a lean to West Virginia and Miami, but the Gators are going to make a strong push.
Rivals250 members visiting include Penn State wide receiver commitment
Adrian Coxson of Baltimore City College High, wide receiver
Kenny Stills of Carlsbad (Calif.) La Costa Canyon and cornerback
Cody Riggs of St. Thomas Aquinas.
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| Are the Gators losing ground with Cody Riggs? | |
Florida's primary wish list at receiver consists of
Chris Dunkley of Pahokee (Fla.) High, Christian Green and McCartney, so it will be interesting to see how hard they push for Coxson and Stills. Stills favors Oklahoma heading into this trip. Many feel Riggs will end up at either Georgia or Tennessee with the commitment of cornerback
Joshua Shaw of Palmdale (Calif.) High to Florida last week.
Two prospects not on the visit list are California safeties
Tony Jefferson of Chula Vista (Calif.) Eastlake and
Dietrich Riley of La Canada (Calif.) St. Francis. Both had stated an interest in visiting this weekend, but Florida coaches are sticking to their word to
Matt Elam and are passing on other safeties. Elam, a UF commitment from Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) Dwyer, was expected to be on hand at least for an unofficial but that might not happen, leading to further speculation that he could end up elsewhere.
Another prospect rumored to be visiting was defensive end
William Gholston of Detroit Southeastern, a Michigan State commitment who is looking elsewhere. Apparently, Gholston won't make the trip. His teammate, defensive tackle
Johnathon Hankins, will be taking an official visit, but he doesn't have an offer. If he's offered, many feel he could commit, especially since there are different stories regarding whether he has a written offer from Ohio State. Florida is considering Hankins and some others in case they lose out in the battle for five-star defensive tackle
Sharrif Floyd of Philadelphia George Washington.
Some top 2011 prospects expected to visit include Dwyer teammates
Curt Maggitt and
Nick O'Leary, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard cornerback
Wayne Lyons, Groveland (Fla.) South Lake cornerback
Nick Waisome, Clemson running back commitment
Marlin Lane of Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland and Lake City (Fla.) Columbia defensive tackle
Timmy Jernigan,
An Oklahoma raiding party?
Oklahoma is positioning itself well for numerous California prospects and could end up with four prospects from the Golden State.
OU already has running back
Brennan Clay of San Diego Scripps Ranch in the fold and could add safety Tony Jefferson, wide receiver Kenny Stills and defensive end Chris Martin, a California native who is attending high school in Colorado.
Right now, OU leads for Jefferson and Stills despite the duo having great official visits to Michigan this past weekend. The Sooners are a co-leader for Martin if he decides to head someplace other than Notre Dame.
Jefferson will be visiting USC this weekend.
Credit Clay for a lot of the interest from the California trio, as he has been one of OU's best recruiters.
Texas looking for WR help
Many thought Texas was done at wide receiver when
Demarco Cobbs of Tulsa (Okla.) Central decommitted from Tennessee and committed to
Mack Brown a few weeks back. As a result, the Longhorns backed off
Bud Sasser of Denton (Texas) Ryan.
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| Texas is still pushing for Darius White. | |
But Texas had
Darius White of Fort Worth (Texas) Dunbar on an official visit this past weekend and also is involved with LSU commitment
Mike Davis of Dallas Skyline.
Word has it that White will take his official visit to Oklahoma this weekend. Despite a good visit to Texas and even rumors of a silent commitment, the Sooners still seem to be the team to beat. White will be on the visit with teammate/cousin
Rashod Favors, a four-star wide receiver who has been a heavy lean to OU since the summer.
There had been some talk that Texas' interest in Davis was one of the reasons White decided to take his visit to Austin. Both are interested in Texas and Oklahoma, but they aren't expected to end up at the same school. Texas will not wait as long on White as Oklahoma, so the longer this goes, the better it is for the Sooners.
Davis had shown a lot of interest in Cal earlier, and sources said he hasn't really been solid to LSU. Thus, if Texas strikes out on White or decides to move on, watch for the Longhorns to make a move for Davis.
USC'S big weekend
USC is hoping to nab a few prospects for the class of 2010 this weekend. The Trojans also are trying to nail down two top commitments as well.
Sources say wide receiver
Kyle Prater of Hillside (Ill.) Proviso West is down to USC and Notre Dame. If things go well on his official visit to L.A. this weekend, he should be done with the process. Illinois has fallen out with a bad season, and Oklahoma has been eliminated as well. This doesn't mean that the Illini couldn't sneak back in, but right now, it looks good for USC - especially with Notre Dame poised to make a coaching change.
Still, if ND hires a dynamic coach with an exciting offensive style, the Irish could jump back in for Prater.
Running back/athlete commitment
Dillon Baxter of San Diego Mission Bay took an official visit to Michigan and loved it, so other visits could be in the works. But if things go well at USC this weekend, he could end the process and solidify his commitment to the Trojans.
Two others USC has the edge for who are visiting are defensive tackle
George Uko of Chino (Calif.) Don Lugo and defensive back
Demetrius Wright of Corona (Calif.) High. USC also will be hosting five-star defensive end
Jackson Jeffcoat of Plano (Texas) Plano West, who favors Texas and USC.
USC running back commitment
.J. Morgan of Woodland Hills (Calif.) Taft is visiting Arizona State this weekend, but there isn't a lot of concern in the USC camp. But if USC ends up with
Lache Seastrunk, it could affect Morgan more than anyone else. He could be taking visits to have backup options.
Etc.
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| Five-star defensive end J.R. Ferguson is planning to check out Cal on Dec. 12. | |
Two top East Coast prospects are looking at taking an official visit to California on Dec. 12. Five-star defensive end
J.R. Ferguson of Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy and four-star offensive lineman
Arie Kouandjio of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic have Cal high on their lists and are looking to visit the same weekend. Ferguson already has been to LSU and Notre Dame, with sources saying the Tigers are the team to beat. Kouandjio has not taken any visits yet and favors Cal and Alabama.
Brockton (Mass. ) High junior defensive back
Albert Louis-Jean now has Clemson and Michigan recruiting him. Boston College is a serious contender, along with Miami. The Hurricanes have a good chance of taking him out of New England because he was impressed with his visit to Miami in October.
Sharrif Floyd wanted to take an official visit to North Carolina the weekend of Dec. 12, but that trip might need to be delayed. Floyd's team continues to win in the playoffs and there also is a chance he could play in the Hawaii Prep Football Classic in Honolulu that weekend. UNC and South Carolina are still on his list for official visits, and Penn State is on the list for an unofficial. He already has been to Florida, USC and Ohio State. The Buckeyes are the team to beat.
Defensive back
Louis Young of Olney (Md.) Good Counsel is down to Boston College and Stanford because of possible coaching changes at Virginia and Maryland. Young will take an official to BC on Dec. 5, and he already has been to Stanford. He will announce his decision Dec. 19.
It looks more and more as if four-star defensive end
Gabe King of Eugene (Ore.) South Eugene will stay on the West Coast. California leads Oregon, with USC having an outside shot. King was expected to take an official visit to USC this weekend but is re-scheduling.
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November 26, 2009
[h1]Thirteen Rivals100 members headline huge weekend[/h1]
Mark Wheeler
GatorBait.net Assistant Editor
This is it, rivalry weekend doesn't get much bigger than this. While this year's contest is important for the Gators on the field as they try to maintain their hold on the top spot in the polls in order to secure a bid in the BCS National Championship Game, the ramifications off the field are just as big. Florida is expecting to host twelve official visitors this weekend and dozens upon dozens more unofficially.
Not only will there be quantity, there will be quality as well.
Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the list of visitors has been a work in progress all week long. However the initial breakdown of those expected in looks like this:
4 - Five-star prospects
21 - Four-star prospects
13 - Members of the Rivals100
10 - Members of the Rivals250
8 of the top 11 instate
12 of the top 20 instate
THE COMMITMENTS
Not only will Florida have their coaching and support staff out working the crowd, but they'll also have the support of most of their committed prospects as well. Of the Gators 18 public commitments, 14 are confirmed visitors this weekend.
Those who are expected in are four-star defensive end
Neiron Ball and Rivals100 running back
Mack Brown out of Georgia.
Three-star prospects
Trey Burton,
Jonathan Dowling and
Michael McFarland
Rivals250 teammates
Quinton Dunbar and
Lynden Trail will make the trip up from Miami.
Rivals100 members
Leon Orr &
Ian Silberman have been to most of the home games this year, and will of course return for the final home game of the season. All have been solidly in the Gators' corner since committing and should be taking their official visits on the weekend following the SEC Championship Game.
Rivals250 athlete
Jordan Haden will be on hand to see his brother
Joe Haden play in what could perhaps be his final game as a Gator.
Then there's Rivals100, five-star safety
Matt Elam. This will be his fifth unofficial visit to Florida this year for a game. He will then return in two weeks for his official visit.
As of Wednesday, there were four Florida commitments who have not confirmed that they will be in attendance. Four-star athlete
Travon Van is spending his Thanksgiving holiday back home in California. He has been in upstate New York at Milford Prep since July. He is also scheduled to officially visit the Gators in two weeks.
Four-star cornerback
Demar Dorsey and fellow south Floridian
Gideon Ajagbe aren't on the preliminary list - but that could change as the game nears.
The newest commitment, Rivals100 cornerback
Joshua Shaw has traveled from California to Gainesville twice this year, but isn't scheduled to make it in this weekend.
THOSE COMMITTED ELSEWHERE
Those prospects committed to Florida will be joined by seven players who are currently committed to other programs.
The two most intriguing of those seven have to be four-star defensive lineman
Darious Cummings and three-star linebacker
Telvin Smith. These two are committed to Florida State.
Cummings will return in two weeks for an official visit while Smith recently said that the Gators and Seminoles are tied at the top alongside Georgia when it comes to those programs he is still considering.
West Virginia commit
Robert Clark has been to multiple games in the Swamp this year along with several of his Dwyer teammates.
Joining Clark will be fellow WVU commit
Darius Millines.
This is a chance for Clemson three-star defensive lineman
Corey Crawford to kill two birds with one stone. He has been hearing a lot from schools such as Florida and Florida State lately. This is his opportunity to see each of them in action.
Rivals250 receiver
James Louis committed to Ohio State after first attempting to pledge to the Gators. Though he seems firm with the Buckeyes, the Florida staff has stayed in contact.
Finally, there's Rivals100 defensive tackle
Louis Nix, who is committed to Miami. He has been to Florida multiple times this season. He is one of the highly rated prospects who will return for his official visit during the second weekend of December.
THE UNDECIDED INSTATE
Though it may seem like most of the top end instate prospects are either presently committed or on the verge of a commitment, there are still several who are undecided.
At first five-star cornerback
Lamarcus Joyner was scheduled to visit the Gators officially this weekend, but instead he will make the trip up on his own dime for an unofficial visit.
As of Tuesday evening Rivals100 member
Chris Dunkley planned on being in Gainesville for an unofficial visit, but he was also considering staying home to attend a wedding.
Finally Rivals250 members, offensive lineman
Brandon Linder and receiver
Kenny Shaw will both be in the Swamp.
SITTING IT OUT
Earlier in the week, Alex Luc, the brother of Rivals100 linebacker
Jeff Luc informed GatorBait.net that his brother was in the process of choosing between LSU and UF for a visit this weekend.
In the end, neither won out.
According to Treasure Coast recruiting coordinator Aaron Sheppard, Luc decided against visiting either and will instead stay home to rest this weekend and concentrate on the playoffs.
Rivals100 defensive lineman
William Gholston was originally slated to officially visit this weekend. Southeastern head coach Dontrell English told GBN that if he doesn't make it in this weekend he thought that he would definitely make a UF official visit down the road.
Then there's the California contingent. At one time or another Rivals100 members
Ronald Powell,
Tony Jefferson and
Dietrich Riley were all said to be visiting, but none of the trio will make it this weekend.
THE CLASS OF 2011
As they did for the 2007 game, Florida will attempt to get a jump-star by playing host this weekend to many of the top 2011 prospects on their board.
The list of Sunshine State prospects is incredibly long.
Some of those expected in are
Javorius Allen,
Mike Bellamy,
Kelvin Benjamin, Serderious Bryant,
Clay Burton,
Jeff Driskel,
Timmy Jernigan,
Marlin Lane, A.C. Leonard,
Wayne Lyons,
Curt Maggitt, Ben McRoy,
Javares McRoy, Georgio Newberry,
Denzel Perryman,
Jordan Prestwood,
Nick O'Leary,
Jerrard Randall,
De'Ante Saunders,
Trey Pettis,
Nick Waisome and
Sammy Watkins.
Coming in from the Peach State are top end prospects such as running back
Isaiah Crowell, defensive lineman
Ray Drew, tight end
Jay Rome, defensive back
Avery Walls and defensive tackle
Gabriel Wright.
Traveling the furthest is Connecticut offensive lineman
Tommy Jordan.
| University of Florida Official Visitors: Nov. 27, 2009 |
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GERALD CHRISTIAN
6-3, 220 pounds, 4.65
West Palm Beach (Fla.) Dwyer
Primary Recruiter: Billy Gonzales
Tight end ranking: No. 2
Rivals100 ranking: No. 49
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Level of Interest: Committed
Others: None
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| The Skinny: He is and has been firm since he made his commitment public. There was some talk that Miami - with their history of putting tight ends in the NFL - could make a run, but that hasn't happened. | | |
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ADRIAN COXSON
6-2, 194 pounds, 4.45
Baltimore (M.D.) City College High
Primary Recruiter: Brian White
Wide receiver ranking: 37
Rivals250 ranking: No. 248
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Level of Interest: Medium
Others: Penn State (committed), UGA (12/11) & WVU
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| The Skinny: Since he plans on taking all five of his officials, and this weekend is his first, it would probably take an incredible visit to Florida to keep the Gators in the running for his services. He hasn't decommitted from PSU, but he during his interview, he didn't exactly sound firm either. The Gators have to feel good that his father is accompanying him on the trip. That shows that the interest is sincere. | | |
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CHAZ GREEN
6-6, 290 pounds, 5.1
Tampa (Fla.) Catholic
Primary Recruiter: Steve Addazio
Offensive tackle ranking: No. 5
Rivals100 ranking: No. 42
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Level of Interest: High
Others: TN (10/9) & USC
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| The Skinny: At one point in time over the summer it was just a matter of time before he pulled the trigger for the Gators. An official visit to Tennessee - his first visit - changed the equation somewhat. Prospects tend to have very good things to say after taking a visit, it will be interesting to see what his leader board looks like after UF gets their opportunity to woo him this weekend. As of today, he likes UF, but his father likes Tennessee. | | |
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CHRISTIAN GREEN
6-2, 200 pounds, 4.45
Tampa (Fla.) Catholic
Primary Recruiter: Dan McCarney
Athlete ranking: No. 5
Rivals100 ranking: No. 59
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Level of Interest: Medium
Others: UGA (9/25) & FSU (12/11)
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| The Skinny: He's been on an official to Georgia, his stated leader, has UF this weekend and then a trip to Tallahassee to see the Seminoles. He doesn't give out information freely, making it hard to get a solid read on where he really stands in the process. | | |
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JOHNATHON HANKINS
6-3, 326 pounds, 5.1
Detroit (Mich.) Southeastern
Primary Recruiter: Dan McCarney
Michigan ranking: No. 20
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Level of Interest: Medium
Others: UVA (11/13) & OSU (12/4)
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| The Skinny: The Gators normally don't do much recruiting in Michigan, and certainly haven't landed any of the few they have pursued from the state. With neither of the two instate programs recruiting him, he's definitely going to be leaving the state, but will he be willing to come as far as Florida, and if so, where is he on the Gators' board considering they haven't yet extended a written offer? | | |
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CHRIS MARTIN
6-4 240 pounds, 4.65
Aurora (Colo.) Grandview
Primary Recruiter: Billy Gonzales
Strongside end ranking: No. 2
Rivals100 ranking: No. 16
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Level of Interest: High
Others: Notre Dame (Committed), OKL (11/13) & USC
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| The Skinny: Talk about a potential gift falling into your lap. Martin, who has been committed to Notre Dame for forever, is all but thought of now as at the very least a Florida lean, if not better. Can the Gators land both Martin and Ronald Powell though in this class? Can they afford to take two more defensive ends with the needs they have at other positions? Then again, can any team afford to pass up a player such as Martin? | | |
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IVAN MCCARTNEY
6-3, 180 pounds, 4.44
Miami (Fla.) Miramar
Primary Recruiter: Billy Gonzales
Wide receiver ranking: No. 4
Rivals100 ranking: No. 35
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Level of Interest: Medium
Others: MIA, WVU & ORG
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| The Skinny: Since late summer he has been very consistent in saying that he has Florida, Miami and West Virginia at the top of his list. The Gators have had him near the top of their board since Friday Night Lights. | | |
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OWAMAGBE ODIGHIZUWA
6-3, 234 pounds, 4.75
Portland (Org.) Douglas
Primary Recruiter: Dan McCarney
Rivals100 ranking: No. 20
Weakside defensive end ranking: No. 2
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Level of Interest: Medium
Others: CAL (10/2), NEB (11/20), UCLA (11/6) & USC (12/11)
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| The Skinny: The Nigerian native has had the Gators on his list since before spring ball, but he has yet to make the trip to Gainesville, even when he was in close proximity (Orlando). The general consensus is that he will end up signing with a school well west of Florida. | | |
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SOLOMON PATTON
5-10, 175 pounds, 4.45
Mobile (Fla.) Murphy
Primary Recruiter: Billy Gonzales
Receiver ranking: No. 53
Alabama ranking: No. 15
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Level of Interest: Committed
Others: None
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| The Skinny: Patton has remained firm to the Gators despite interest from the two instate schools (Alabama and Auburn). As an early entry, he will graduate in December and enroll in school in January. | | |
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CODY RIGGS
5-9, 165 pounds, 4.45
Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) STA
Primary Recruiter: Vance Bedford
Cornerback ranking: No. 8
Rivals100 ranking: No. 103
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Level of Interest: Medium
Others: UGA (10/2), ND (10/16) & TN (9/11)
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Headlines
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| The Skinny: With the addition of Shaw to go along with Watkins and Dorsey, the question then becomes just how many more cornerbacks will the Gators take in this class. That may depend on the firmness of Dorsey's commitment. Riggs, because of his small stature, seems to have moved up and down the board as much as anyone. | | |
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KENNY STILLS
6-2, 175 pounds, 4.4
Carlsbad (Calif.) La Costa Canyon
Primary Recruiter: Chuck Heater
Wide receiver ranking: No. 20
Rivals250 ranking: No. 129
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Level of Interest: Medium
Others: TN (9/11), PSU (11/6), OKL (11/13) & MICH (11/20)
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Headlines
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| The Skinny: How often have you ever heard of a west coast player who is dying to play in the SEC? It doesn't happen much. What Stills has to say after his visit may be of as much interest to the Gator Nation as any player this weekend. How his visit goes should impact quite a few prospects and will help shape how these final 7-9 slots are filled. | | |
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JAYLEN WATKINS
6-1, 172 pounds, 4.44
Cape Coral (Fla.)
Primary Recruiter: Vance Bedford
Cornerback ranking: No. 7
Rivals100 ranking: No. 96
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Level of Interest: Committed
Others: None
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| The Skinny: Committed since the spring, and a strong Gator lean for a while before that, he is as solid as any player in the class. | | |
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