The National Signing Day Thread

BMF

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Maybe we'll finish 2nd?? :D

Gators visit 5-star
The Florida Gators stop by school of the nations top cornerback

http://florida.247sports.com/Bolt/Gators-visit-5-star--52699967

While on the recruiting trail in the South Florida area, the Florida Gators are expected to send defensive line coach Chris Rumph and defensive coordinator Randy Shannon by Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage on Wednesday. This high school has continued to produce numerous division-1 prospects over the year, with the crown jewel on every teams wish list this cycle being five-star cornerback Patrick Surtain Jr., the nations number one overall cornerback according to the 247Sports Composite.

The Gators are one of the many schools in play for this top defender along with Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State, and the LSU Tigers, who are seen as the leader at this time. The Tigers also hold the edge in the 247Sports Crystal Ball.

Numerous other prospects the Gators are in play for at American Heritage are Top247 cornerback Tyson Campbell, Miami commit Nesta Silvera, three-star wide receiver Anthony Schwartz. Another prospect there of note that doesn't currently hold a UF offer is four-star DE/LB Andrew Chatfield.
 

GatorJ

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What? We finally visited him? Awesome.
 

BMF

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https://www.seccountry.com/florida/kvaughn-pope-florida-gators


LB K’Vaughan Pope eyeing return trips to Florida

Plans for Pope
K’Vaughan Pope is one of several linebackers being recruited by Florida in the Class of 2018.

UF offered the 4-star athlete last summer after he visited on June 5. Pope promptly named the Gators his leader and returned to Gainesville on Nov. 12 for the Florida-South Carolina game.

Pope is no longer naming a leader, but remains high on the Gators.

“Florida is still in the mix. I’m interested in them,” Pope told SEC Country. “I can say they’re recruiting me pretty hard.”

The 6-foot-2, 214-pound prospect from Dinwiddie, Va., has Florida in his top 10 along with Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, LSU, Ohio State, South Carolina and West Virginia.

For the Gators to separate themselves from the pack, Pope said he needs to check out UF again and plans to do so in the coming months.

“I need to go back down and visit, probably this summer,” Pope said. “They’ve been talking to me about it.”

KVaughn-Pope-by-Chris-Kirschner_igju2e.jpg

K’Vaughan Pope competed Sunday in the Charlotte regional for “The Opening.” (Chris Kirschner/SEC Country)
Pope said the coach he speaks with most at UF is quality control assistant Mark DeBastiani. This is not the first time DeBastiani, Norfolk State’s former defensive coordinator, has been involved in Florida’s recruitment of a Virginia prospect.

Last year he helped the Gators recruit 4-star safety Devon Hunter, who ultimately chose Virginia Tech over UF.

Pope is ranked the nation’s No. 5 athlete in the 247Sports Composite. He wants to play linebacker in college and said schools are recruiting him for his preferred position.

Pope is looking to decide after his senior season and tentatively plans to officially visit Florida, Florida State, Michigan State and Ohio State.

What asked what he’s looking for in a school, Pope said, “Great education and a focus on life after football so they better me as a person and as a man.”

Brad Davis in Louisiana
The recruiting responsibilities for new Florida offensive line coach Brad Davis don’t just revolve around players at his position.

The Baton Rouge native is also tasked with recruiting his home state of Louisiana along with UF linebackers coach Tim Skipper, who is from New Orleans.

Davis was in the Pelican State on Wednesday to evaluate several prospects. He extended an offer to 3-star defensive tackle Nelson Jenkins, an LSU commit from Plaquemine, La.

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Zach Abolverdi

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#Gators visiting OT Cameron Wire today. He received an offer from UF on April 25.

4:05 PM - 10 May 2017

Davis also visited 3-star offensive tackle Cameron Wire (Gonzales, La.) — who recently landed offers from Florida, LSU and Ole Miss — as well as a pair of 2019 teammates from Amite: wide receiver Devonta Lee and defensive tackle Ishmael Sopsher.

247Sports ranks Lee and Sopsher as top-25 overall recruits in the Class of 2019. Davis plans to visit 2019 LSU wide receiver commit Jaray Jenkins (Jena, La.) on Thursday.
 

BMF

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https://www.seccountry.com/florida/dax-hollifield-florida-gators-recruiting


LB Dax Hollifield can see himself at Florida

First impression
Dax Hollifield’s recruitment has long been a battle between South Carolina and Virginia Tech, but a new school recently entered the mix.

The 4-star linebacker from Shelby, N.C., received an offer from Florida on March 3 and then visited UF the following month for the Orange & Blue Debut.

That trip put the Gators in the running for Hollifield.

“They’re up there with South Carolina and Virginia Tech,” Hollifield said. “I can see myself going down to Florida easily. It’s not a very far drive for me and there’s just something about that place I really like.

“The fan base is big and it’s a great school. I didn’t realize how great of a school it is. It’s one of the top public schools in the country. I really like that about it.”

Given how well his first Florida visit went, Hollifield plans to make multiple return trips to Gainesville. He could be back on campus again in a couple months.

“I’m definitely going to visit Florida again. I loved it there,” Hollifield said. “Maybe later in the summer or some time in August. I know I’m going for a couple games.”

Florida linebackers coach Tim Skipper has already developed a relationship with Hollifield, who also holds offers from the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, LSU and Notre Dame.

“Coach Skip is my recruiter and he would be my position coach,” Hollfield said. “He’s a chill dude. He’s not going to cuss you out, but he might get a little mad at you. But he’s cool with his players and I can relate to him.”

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Hollifield is ranked the nation’s No. 4 inside linebacker and the No. 107 overall prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

“I want an opportunity and the Florida coaches told me I’ll have that,” Hollifield said. “My dad really likes Florida, and my family has to like my decision. Now I just have make the best one.”
 

BMF

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https://www.seccountry.com/sec/jacob-copeland-sec-top-5

WR Jacob Copeland feels built for SEC, has 5 league teams on top


PENSACOLA, Fla. — Jacob Copeland is coming soon to an SEC stadium near you.

Copeland, a 4-star wide receiver from Pensacola, has a top 5 that consists of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss and Tennessee. Copeland holds scholarship offers from the 30 schools but wants to play his college ball in the SEC.

“That’s the strongest conference and I feel like I’m built for that,” Copeland told SEC Country. “Through my whole life, I played with kids way older than me and I was young coming up, so I just had to learn from my big brothers. … Playing in the SEC, you gotta ball out if you want to be on that big-dog level.”

Copeland is 6-foot, 192 pounds and the nation’s No. 9 wide receiver and No. 52 overall prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
 

deuce

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Fantasy Football has made so many Recruiting experts. I love to get all the free insights offered here.

So much value for the Buck!

BTW: I don't really care for Mac's personality but unless he guides us to a couple of losing seasons, I don't think he's going anywhere...
 

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7 things that stick out in the current recruiting rankings
Tuesday May 09, 2017


http://coachingsearch.com/article?a=Seven-things-that-stick-out-in-the-current-recruiting-rankings

Recruiting has changed in a big way this week, with early signing official for this coming December, but where do things stand right now?

Early signing will likely lead to less flipping, and could reveal if kids have committable offers. Coaches will be able to lock in players earlier, and that could be big for the programs outside the blue bloods. Another rule change will allow recruiting conversations with prospects at camps in the coming months.

It’s still very early in the process, and classes are small for the most part. But looking through 247Sports’ recruiting database, here are seven things that stick out.

1. The U is No. 1.

Mark Richt’s program got a quick start on 2018 and already has 17 commitments, all of them committing before late April. Of those 17, 16 come from Florida, with most of those in south Florida. Miami has gotten off to fast starts in recruiting before in recent years, but it’s more likely to stay together under Richt than it did under Al Golden, and the early signing should help that.


2. Half of the top 90 players are already committed.

Clemson has both of the top two players on 247Sports in QB Trevor Lawrence and defensive end Xavier Thomas. They’re among the three commits Clemson has out of the top 55.

Ohio State has eight commitments of the top of the top 45 committed players (out of that top 90 overall), leading all schools. Miami has six.

3. Texas has flipped several major prospects before Tom Herman has coached a game.

Just in the past few weeks, Herman’s staff has flipped commitments from LSU, Florida State and Oklahoma. The Longhorns currently have 8 commits and the No. 10 class. In 2017, Oklahoma was the only top 25 class from the Big 12, with Texas just outside. Early on, it looks like Texas will change that. Of note: Only four of the eight commits are from Texas.

4. Only 16 of the top 50 players in Texas are committed, including one of the top 13.

The state was poached by outside schools last year for the top prospects. Last year was the first time since 2005 an in-state school didn’t sign a majority share of the state’s top-10 prospects. Herman has momentum at UT, but a lot of work still to do at the top.

Of the 16 committed players from the top 50, eight are committed to in-state schools.

5. Alabama and Georgia have just three commitments each.

This is obviously going to change, and both are outside the top 40 in the rankings. Alabama has signed seven straight No. 1 classes, and Georgia was No. 3 last year. Alabama is being patient and has three 4-star commits, but Kirby Smart has some work to do. UGA’s three commits include two 3-star players and a 2-star kicker, and nine of the top 15 players in the state of Georgia have already committed to other schools — including the likes of Ohio State (2), Penn State, Notre Dame and Michigan.

6. Jim Harbaugh is going national again.

Last year, Michigan signed players from 13 different states. This year, the Wolverines have eight commits, from five different states: Michigan (1), Indiana (1), Georgia (3), Texas (2) and Florida (1).

Where does U-M have satellite camps scheduled next month? Georgia, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, California and Ohio.

7. Only three of the top 15 pro-style QB’s are uncommitted.

The schools with a top-15 pro-style QB include Clemson, USC, Washington, Miami, Stanford, Texas, Utah, Michigan, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, NC State and Texas A&M. Only 11 of the top 30 pro-style QB’s are uncommitted.

Among the top 15 dual-threat QB’s, six are uncommitted. Notably, Washington also has the No. 5 dual-threat QB committed, and Texas has No. 8, giving both schools two QB’s rated 4- or 5-stars.
 

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Florida sprint champion/3-star RB Lavonte Valentine looking at UF, LSU, South Carolina


http://gridironnow.com/lavonte-valentine-sprint-champ-recruiting/

There’s football speed and there’s track speed. When a prospect has both, he can expect a lot of recruiting calls.

That’s the case for three-star running back Lavonte Valentine, who won the Florida state title in the 100 meters with a 10.61 clocking over the weekend. Valentine has good size (6 feet 0, 190 pounds), too.

He won the state title while running for Clermont East Ridge. But he normally attends Melbourne Central Catholic; he started for MCC on the football field last fall and will do so again this fall under Florida’s liberal transfer rules.

Valentine is a hot commodity on the recruiting trial and has received six SEC offers in the past five months. He has a lot of options to consider.

“Right now, I’m really interested in LSU, Oregon, South Carolina, UCLA, USC and the Florida Gators of course,” Valentine told GN. “I still have to take a couple of visits, and then after that I should have my mind pretty set on where I want to go.”


Valentine is among the top-15 all-purpose backs in the nation.

“I’m very patient,” Valentine said. “I like to wait until I see something, and then when I see it, I explode through the hole. … I like to get in space and burn everybody to the end zone.”

Valentine has certain criteria when looking at college destinations, but one factor outweighs all the others.

“Early playing time is definitely a big factor,” he said. “Also, if I’m able to run track at that school. That’s really the biggest factor to be honest. I want to be able to play football and run track.”

Valentine likes what he has seen out of LSU, Florida and South Carolina.

“I know a couple of people that went to LSU and they always tell me the campus is beautiful,” Valentine said. “The teachers and professors and everything about the school is just a great experience. I know LSU has a good football program and track program, and that’s why they’re a big factor.

“I really like Florida, too,” he said. “They also have a great track program and football program. I mean, playing in ‘The Swamp’ would be a dream come true. My family is from South Carolina, and I got to take a visit up there and the coaches are very nice. I got to meet the track coach and see the dorm rooms. That’s what’s nice about South Carolina.”

Valentine said he would be able to pursue football and track at all three of those schools.

He says he is enjoying the recruiting process.

“As a kid I always dreamed about it,” he said. “I always said I wanted to grow up and go to one of these schools, and now that it is actually happening, it’s like you don’t even know what to do. Once you start blowing up and getting all these schools that you always dreamed about, it’s really hard to pick and choose.”


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BMF

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4-star DT Dante Stills:

http://gatorchatter.com/forums/main-sports-forum.20/

Four-star defensive tackle Dante Stills listed the four schools who are recruiting him the most and making him their biggest priority.

Stills told 247Sports that Tennessee is recruiting him the hardest, and Oklahoma, Florida and West Virginia are also in frequent contact with him.

Stills expressed interest in the Volunteers, Sooners and Gators, and he spoke highly of all three programs. But the Mountaineers are the favorites to land him whenever he decides to commit.

Stills’ father played at West Virginia, and his brother, Darius, was a member of the Class of 2017 for the Mountaineers.

The 6’4, 265-pound prospect is from Fairmont, West Virginia, and he plans to announce his commitment in August or midway through the 2017 season.

“I grew up around it, you know what I’m saying,” Stills told 247Sports. “I’ve been to games, I’ve been around. My dad went there, so my closet is full of WVU stuff, and my brother is going there, so he buys WVU stuff. He’s like, ‘Come to WVU, come play with your brother.'”

According to 247Sports, Stills is the No. 1 prospect from the state of West Virginia, and he is the No. 28 defensive tackle in the Class of 2018. The 247 Crystal Ball has Stills committing to West Virginia.
 

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4-star DT Rick Sandidge:

http://fanbuzz.com/story/huge-65-dt-rick-sandidge-has-five-major-schools-recruiting-him-hardest/

Four-star defensive tackle Rick Sandidge listed his top 11 schools, but he told 247Sports there are five schools recruiting him the hardest.

Sandidge said Florida, Florida State, Michigan, South Carolina and North Carolina are recruiting him the most, and his recent trip to Gainesville really impressed him.

He said Florida coach Chris Rumph broke down film with him, which was a different experience than he has had with other coaches.

Sandidge also said he was impressed with Florida State and their recent success on the field.

The four-star prospect from Concord, North Carolina said he doesn’t expect to make a commitment any time soon, and he is visiting Michigan, Ohio State and LSU this summer.

According to 247Sports, Sandidge is the No. 12 defensive tackle for the Class of 2018 and the No. 5 player from the state of North Carolina. The 247 Crystal Ball predicts him to commit to South Carolina.
 

T REX

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Anyone notice that every kid we offer already has a bunch of offers?
 

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