Rivals Five-Star Challenge: The Inside Scoop on Florida Targets
Blake Alderman | Inside the Gators Recruiting Analyst
On Friday over 100 of the top prospects from across the country descended upon the Westin Peachtree Hotel in downtown Atlanta. Included in the group was quite a few of Florida's top targets in this recruiting cycle.
Linebacker K.J. Britt arrived for media check-in wearing a Georgia Bulldogs shirt. The newly minted four-star named a top 10 list in the past that has Georgia and Auburn at the top. Since then Britt is straying away from naming leaders, but it’s apparent Auburn, Florida, and Georgia are heavily in the mix. He mentioned Jake Allenas one of the prospects in his ear the most. Gators head coach Jim McElwain is personally recruiting him for Florida.
* Five-star wide receiver Trevon Grimes showed up in town looking to build off of his strong performance in the Miami RCS. Grimes recently narrowed his list down to a top six, but admits Ohio State is still the team to beat. He plans to camp with the Buckeyes on June 16th when they Buckeyes hold a Satellite Camp at his high school, and also will visit Columbus this summer as well. Florida, Florida State, and Miami are other schools he mentioned possible visits to. There was buzz on Friday that Grimes ends his recruitment on that visit to Columbus.
* Clemson commit LeAnthony Williams visited Florida’s campus earlier this spring and has an interest in making a return visit. At this time there is not a date set for a trip to Gainesville, partially because Clemson is looking to keep him from visiting any other campuses. It seems the Gators are on his mind, but likely need to get him on campus a few more times to realistically attempt a flip.
* Rivals100 defensive back Devon Hunter is coming off a satellite camp workout on Thursday with the Florida staff. During that camp Hunter got a chance to work closely with defensive backs coach Torrian Gray, who Hunter knows from his time at Virginia Tech. The buzz on Friday was that Florida and Clemson have the early edge. He plans to visit Auburn and Clemson shortly after the Five-Star Challenge, and Florida again next month.
* Rivals100 offensive tackle Kai-Leon Herberthas long had Florida at the top of his list. However, as of late it seems the Gators lead has slipped with Michigan making a big impression. Herbert recently camped with the Michigan staff for one of their Satellite Camps and plans to visit Ann Arbor soon. Herbert sort of sent mixed signals Friday, calling Florida the leader at one point, but telling others that while the Gators remain in the mix, Michigan has inched ahead and the Gators staff has work to do.
* Florida pledge Jake Allen is the Gators lone commitment on hand this weekend. He plans to do a lot of recruiting this weekend with guys likeDonovan Peoples-Jones, Alex Leatherwood, andK.J. Britt on his list of targets.
* California tight end Jimmy Jaggers plans to visit Florida on Sunday and Monday following the five-star challenge. The staff is recruiting Jaggers very hard, and it’s the Gators constant effort that caused him to take the visit. He hears from multiple coaches on the Florida staff. He will also visit Alabama following his visit to Gainesville.
* Texas safety Grant Delpit will be transferring from the Lonestar State to IMG Academy in Florida next month. He listed high interest in Clemson, Florida, and LSU and says he plans to make his commitment in July while at the Nike Opening. He last visited Florida for the Gators spring football game, which was his first ever visit to UF. LSU is seen as the team to beat currently.
* Five-star wide receiver James Robinson plans to visit Florida sometime this summer to check out the Gators in action during summer workouts. He listed the Gators as his leader this past spring, but also has talked up Clemson and Ohio State as well. He also mentioned Alabama as a team recently picking up their efforts in communication with him.
* Five-star Donovan Peoples-Jones showed up to the Five-star Challenge wearing a Florida Gators backpack. The Gators have Peoples-Jones at the top of their wide receiver board, and have been relentless in their efforts to try to pull this Rivals100 member from Michigan’s backyard. At this time Peoples-Jones has a top 10 and plans to possibly narrow things down near the end of summer. On Sunday the Gators will host a satellite camp in his area that Peoples-Jones plans to attend.
* Cornerback AJ Terrell arrived in Atlanta looking to back up his recent bump in the Rivals.com ranking to five-star status. The Gators are rumored as the team to beat, but Terrell claims all schools in his top six are even. He is looking to visit Clemson at the conclusion of the five-star challenge and also wants to see Gainesville again later this summer. He also noted the Gators are his “Dream School”, and plans to make a commitment on September 23rd, which is his birthday.
* Rivals100 wide receiver Jerry Jeudy enjoyed his visit to Gainesville last weekend. During that trip Jeudy was showed film of how he could be used and also hung out with Brandon Powell [Deerfield alum] on the visit. He claims no leaders at this time but said schools like Alabama, Florida, Miami, and Tennessee are recruiting him the hardest.
* Rivals100 offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood is coming off a visit this past weekend to both Auburn and Alabama. The Gators are running in second place currently in hopes of flipping the Rivals100 member from the Crimson Tide. He has a great relationship with both Jim McElwainand offensive line coach Mike Summers and both coaches are pitching early playing time. Going forward the only visit Leatherwood has on top is to USC later this month. He also mentioned Alabama, USC, and Michigan as possible official visits later this month.
