The National Signing Day Thread

[BMF]

Friday Night Lights recap week 9: Florida Gators recruiting

http://www.gatorcountry.com/florida...ights-recap-week-9-florida-gators-recruiting/

High School Recap
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dameon Pierce -Pierce had 13 carries for 231 yards and four touchdowns


2018 commits

Athlete Amari Burney (6-1, 215, Clearwater, FL. Calvary Christian)
Result: Calvary Christian (4-2) defeated Carrollwood Day 46-6.
Game Stats: N/A
Notes: N/A

Receiver Ja’Marr Chase (6-1, 195, Metairie, LA. Archbishop Rummel)
Result: Archbishop Rummel (5-2) lost to Brother Martin 21-17
Game Stats: Chase had 6 catches for 110 yards in the loss.
Notes: Rummel lost for the second time in three games.

Running back Iverson Clement (5-11, 199, Mount Holly, NJ. Rancocas Valley)
Result: Rancocas Valley (7-0) defeated Notre Dame 42-7 on Saturday.
Game Stats: Clement had three rushing touchdown in the win.
Notes: N/A

Receiver Jacob Copeland (6-0, 192, Pensacola, FL. Escambia)
Result: Escambia (4-2) had a bye week this week.
Game Stats: N/A
Notes: Escambia won the district championship on two Friday’s ago.

Quarterback Matt Corral (6-2, 196, Long Beach, CA. Poly)
Result: Long Beach Poly (7-1) defeated Jordan 81-0 on Friday.
Game Stats: Corral was 10-13 for 320 yards and five touchdowns in the win.
Notes: N/A

Offensive lineman Curtis Dunlap (6-4, 368, Bradenton, FL. IMG Academy)
Result: IMG (6-0) defeated East 43-19 on Friday in Utah.
Game Stats: N/A
Notes: N/A

Receiver Corey Gammage (6-2, 188, Delray Beach, FL. Atlantic)
Result: Atlantic (6-1) defeated Lake Worth 50-6.
Game Stats: N/A
Notes: Atlantic is on a six game winning streak.

Offensive lineman Richard Gouraige (6-5, 271, Tampa, FL. Cambridge)
Result: Cambridge (6-2) lost to Victory Christian 35-34 on Friday.
Game Stats: N/A
Notes: N/A

Tight end Dante Lang (6-5, 220, Boca Raton, FL. High)
Result: Boca Raton (4-3) defeated Leonard 49-7 on Friday.
Game Stats: N/A
Notes: N/A

Running back Dameon Pierce (5-11, 205, Bainbridge, GA. High)
Result: Bainbridge (6-2) defeated TCCHS 63-14 on Friday.
Game Stats: Pierce had 13 carries for 231 yards and four touchdowns
Notes: Pierce passed Herschel Walker to become No. 16 on the all-time Georgia high school rushing yards record list on Friday.

Tight end Kyle Pitts (6-5, 235, Warminster, PA. Archbishop Wood)
Result: Archbishop Wood (6-2) had a bye week.
Game Stats: N/A
Notes: Archbishop is now 6-2 on the year.

Linebacker David Reese (6-2, 213, Vero Beach, FL. High)
Result: Vero Beach (7-0) defeated Lincoln 35-7 on Friday night.
Game Stats: Reese had multiple tackles for a loss in the win.
Notes: Vero Beach had another strong defensive showing.

Defensive back Randy Russell (5-11, 180, Miami, FL. Carol City)
Result: Carol City (5-2) defeated Booker T 39-7 on Saturday.
Game Stats: N/A
Notes: Carol City rebounded from a loss last week.

Receiver Tyquan Thornton (6-3, 165, Miami, FL. Booker T. Washington)
Result: Booker T. (3-5) lost to Carol City 39-7 on Saturday.
Game Stats: N/A
Notes:

Defensive end Taylor Upshaw (6-5, 240, Bradenton, FL. Braden River)
Result: Braden River (7-2) defeated Lakewood Ranch 55-7.
Game Stats: N/A
Notes: Braden River is on a three-game winning streak.

Safety Deontai Williams (6-0, 175, Ellisville, MS. Jones County JUCO)
Result: Jones County (7-1) defeated Hinds 41-36 on Saturday..
Game Stats: Williams had three tackles in the win.
Notes: Jones County is now 7-1 on the year.

Receiver Jalynn Williams (5-10, 188, St. Petersburg, FL. High)
Result: St. Petersburg (6-2) defeated East Lake 38-11 on Friday.
Game Stats: N/A
Notes: N/A

Cornerback Divaad Wilson (6-0, 180, Miami, FL. Northwestern)
Result: Northwestern (6-1) defeated Central 21-7 on Friday.
Game Stats: Wilson had an interception in the win.

 

[URGatorBait]

Gators offered Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco '20 QB DJ Uiagalelei.

Coach Nussmeier was on campus and put the offer out. D.J is a huge kid, 6-4, 245 pounds with arguably the strongest arm in the country right now. He's still raw and needs time to develop how to play the QB position in terms of reads, understanding coverage's, etc but his upside is tremendous. For his size, he's a very good athlete, also plays hoops and baseball, is a natural leader and has a chance to be a special player down the line.


DJ UIAGALELEI, ST. JOHN BOSCO , PRO-STYLE QUA
DJ Uiagalelei is a 6-4, 190-pound Pro-Style Quarterback from Bellflower, CA.

Read more

Is he 245 or 190?

 

[Gator87]

Is he 245 or 190?

He's 245 until we sign him then he'll be 190 and will be another project QB.

 

[crosscreekcooter]

He's 245 but he's not 6'4". Topo, he's 4'6". Problem is the story said he was raw so he's gonna get developed by The Whisperer. :rolleyes:

 

[williston_gator]

@SECCountryUF: Florida RB commit Dameon Pierce passes Herschel Walker for Georgia career rushing yards http://sec.news/2lcVmCO #GatorNation

 

[BMF]

Florida recruiting: Will Gators finish with a better 2018 class than Georgia?

https://www.seccountry.com/florida/florida-recruiting-class-Georgia

Florida, Georgia pushing top 5
Florida and Georgia both have top-10 classes in the 2018 recruiting cycle, and the SEC rivals are neck-and-neck in the team rankings.

The Gators’ 2018 class — currently at 249.17 points — is ranked No. 6 nationally and No. 1 in the SEC, according to the 247Sports Composite. The Bulldogs (246.01) are right behind Florida with the nation’s No. 7 class.

The average star rating for Florida (90.41) and Georgia (90.19) trails only Alabama (91.03) among conference teams.

Which SEC East program will finish with a higher-ranked class? Let’s breakdown the possible additions for both UF and UGA.

In my latest mock class, I projected Florida to land wide receiver Anthony Schwartz, offensive linemen William Barnes, Richard Gouraige and Ed Montilus, defensive linemen Andrew Chatfield and Jordan Davis and defensive back Brendan Radley-Hiles, who is currently committed to Nebraska.

The Gators now have 18 commits after Gouraige joined the class last Friday, and they appear to be in great shape with Schwartz, Chatfield, Barnes and Montilus.

I’m not confident on Davis or Radley-Hiles, but I like Florida’s chances better with them than other UF targets at their positions.

If those six predictions come to fruition and the Gators keep their commits in the fold, the class would have a team score of 277.80, according to the 247Sports class calculator.

With that score, Florida finishes No. 8 or No. 9 in the rankings based on previous years. If 5-star offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere commits, that number jumps to 284.67 and likely results in a top-5 class.

In addition to the Bulldogs’ 17 commits, they’re expected to land running back James Cook and offensive linemen Trey Hill and Jamaree Salyer. Those three players alone would put UGA at 280.34 points — likely the No. 7 spot in the final 247Sports composite rankings.

If the Bulldogs can land their other top target, 4-star defensive end KJ Henry, they go up to 289.90 and finish no lower than fourth in the rankings.

Florida and Georgia both have the potential for top-5 classes, but UGA may be able to reach that ranking with fewer additions.

 

[BMF]

We BETTER land this kid!


Barnes feels like a priority to the Florida Gators

http://www.gatorcountry.com/feature/barnes-feels-like-a-priority-to-the-florida-gators/

Last Friday, the Florida Gators picked up their second offensive line commitment but the coaching staff is still looking to add more to the 2018 class.

During the bye week, head coach Jim McElwain visited offensive lineman William Barnes (6-4, 312, Apopka, FL. High) at his school to check on one of the Gators top targets.

“It was really good,” Barnes said. “He came in and talked to my coaches a little bit. It was just really good and I really appreciate him coming by the weight room. He was able to watch me work out a little bit with Coach [Brad] Davis there too.”

Barnes was the first prospect that McElwain and Davis visited and that was a notion that isn’t forgotten by the linemen.

“It means a lot, it shows how much I mean to them,” he said on being the first visit of the bye week. “I definitely appreciate that and definitely appreciate them coming by. I told coach that I will be taking another visit up there very soon.”

Offensive line coach Brad Davis has spoken with Barnes about why the Gators are high on him and need him in Gainesville.

“He wants guys that know the game on and off the field,” Barnes said of Davis’ message to him. “He said that I’m a great player and that he definitely wants me a part of that squad. I can definitely see that happening.”

Davis has also explained to Barnes where they Gators see him playing on the offensive line in college.

“He said he mostly wants me at tackle,” he said of where Davis wants him at. “But any other position will be fine to me too.”
McElwain is also taking a personal interest in Barnes recruitment and the two speak a lot.

“He likes the way I am on a personal level and I talk to him on every visit I go up there,” Barnes said of McElwain. “He’s always a great person to talk too and he’s a great person and a great coach.”

Barnes has also been able to watch the Gators play and evaluate the offense for himself and he likes the direction they’re going.

“I’m seeing some really strong improvements from the offensive line,” he said of the play this year. “They keep on fighting and keep on pushing no matter what they go through. I see some great potential from the Gators offense through the next couple of years.”

The Gators not only have the coaches recruiting Barnes but several commits as well and the newest commit Richard Gouraige already has Barnes thinking about Florida.

“I remember when we both went up there, we were talking and both of us were talking about how much we like it up there,” Barnes said of Richard Gouraige. “He committed because he likes it a lot and got me thinking that maybe this is a great place for me.”
Quarterback commit Matt Corral is also sending a message to Barnes about the Gators needing him in this class.

“He’s telling me that they need the line and that it’s going to be great the next few years,” he said of Matt Corral’s message to him.

INSIDERS TAKE: Barnes says that he plans to take official visits to Florida and North Carolina in January before announcing on signing day. The Gators are still in good shape for the offensive lineman.

 

[williston_gator]

I believe Zach said we have 9 kids signing/enrolling in December.

 

[BMF]

Zach’s Mail Stack: Which Florida commit will have most immediate impact?

https://www.seccountry.com/florida/florida-gators-recruiting-zachs-mail-stack-102517



Who do you think has most immediate impact in the ‘18 class for us?

Abolverdi: I certainly expect Florida’s WR commits — particularly Jacob Copeland and Ja’Marr Chase — to make an impact, even if only in flashes and spurts. They’re just too talented to be on the bench.

Early enrollees always have a better chance to play as true freshmen and the Gators have a few incoming recruits who will benefit from the head start in spring practice.

The gem of this class is star quarterback Matt Corral, one of nine mid-year enrollees next semester. Florida’s QB position is still unsettled and lacking production, so Corral will get his opportunity to compete for the starting job.

I also expect Dameon Pierce to make some noise next year, but he will likely be the third or fourth option in the rotation and carries could be hard to come by. Ask Adarius Lemons.

The aformentioned offensive skill players may all see the field as freshmen, but will one of them be the signeee who has the most immediate impact? I don’t think so.

Safety is the No. 1 need for the Gators in the 2018 class, and they’ve addressed it with three commits who can play the position.

Under Armour All-American Amari Burney is an athlete and could play defensive back, linebacker and even some offense in college, while junior college transfer Deontai Williams is a versatile DB who could line up at a number of spots in the secondary.

There’s denying where Randy Russell will play. He’s a true safety and has one of the most impressive tapes in the country at a position of need for Florida. I expect him to push for playing time in the spring and catch on the way Marco Wilson has this season.

Russell is my prediction here.



Thoughts on QB Matt Corral

Abolverdi: Will Grier 2.0.

After watching Matt Corral this past summer at The Opening, I had the opportunity to see Florida’s QB commit again last Friday and he didn’t disappoint.

In just one half of play, half of Corral’s 10 completions went for touchdowns and he finished with 320 yards. His arm strength, field vision and foot work are his biggest strengths.

Corral does a great job of improvising when the pocket collapses and making big plays — through the air and on the ground. His skill set is eerily similar to Grier out of high school and Corral will be the most talented quarterback Florida has signed since him.




Other then who we have committed who is the most elite player we have a shot at ?

Abolverdi: The Gators are in contention for a few top-100 recruits, including 5-star cornerback Patrick Surtain Jr., 4-star offensive lineman William Barnes and 4-star wide receiver Mark Pope, who is currently committed to Miami.

But 5-star offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere is the most elite player UF has a shot with. 247Sports has him ranked as the nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle and No. 10 overall recruit, which would make him Florida’s highest-ranked signee if he joins the class.

National Signing Day is less than four months away, but Petit-Frere still has lot left to figure out in his recruitment. The Gators are considered one of his top teams, but Alabama, Notre Dame and Ohio State all have a chance to pull him out of Tampa, Fla.

 

[t-gator]

:yawn:

Does it not seem like we read the same lines year after year?

 

[BMF]

I hate Will Muschamp!


South Carolina’s Will Muschamp trying to flip Florida commit Divaad Wilson

https://www.seccountry.com/florida/florida-recruiting-divaad-Wilson

Divaad Wilson visiting South Carolina
Another SEC school has secured an official visit from one of Florida’s commits.


Miami cornerback Divaad Wilson will take a trip to South Carolina this weekend. The Gamecocks have been recruiting him for more than eight months despite his UF pledge.

Wilson committed to Florida back on Feb. 3 — one day removed from receiving his offer from the Gators. At the time, he was an under-the-radar recruit with single-digit offers.

Divaad Wilson is rated a 4-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals. (Zach Abolverdi/SEC Country)
By the end of spring, Wilson held more than 20 offers and had earned a 4-star rating on ESPN and Rivals. South Carolina offered him less than two weeks after his commitment — before Georgia, Ohio State and others.

Ex-Gators coach Will Muschamp hasn’t recruited against the Gators too much at South Carolina, but he and former Florida assistant Travaris Robinson will take their swing at Wilson this weekend.

The 6-foot, 180-pound prospect also plans to officially visit Georgia on Nov. 18 and Florida on Nov. 24. On Tuesday, Wilson told SEC Country he plans to sign with UF in December and enroll early.

 

[BMF]

WR Corey Gammage announces Florida de-commitment, deletes tweet

https://www.seccountry.com/florida/corey-gammage-florida-decommitment

Florida may have suffered its first recruiting casualty since Jim McElwain’s departure.

Corey Gammage, a 3-star wide receiver commit for the Gators, reportedly backed off his pledge Sunday.

He announced his de-commitment on Twitter but deleted the post shortly afterward, according to the Gainesville Sun’s Graham Hall. Gammage has yet to clarify his status.

View image on Twitter

Follow
Graham Hall

✔@GrahamHall_
#Gators WR commit Corey Gammage posted this, deleted it a minute later.


The 6-foot-2, 188-pound WR committed to Florida on April 8 over Auburn and Miami. Copeland is ranked the nation’s No. 93 receiver by 247Sports.

The Gators have three more pledges at the position in Jacob Copeland, Ja’Marr Chase and Tyquan Thornton. Another 2018 class member, 3-star athlete Jalynn Williams, will play some receiver as well.

 

[Gatormac2112]

Dang, I hate to lose a 3 star. Maybe we should keep butters?

 

[FireFoley]

Grammage is probably just getting out ahead of the game. Since the king of 3 star U is gone, he probably figures his scholly offer would be pulled.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

I thought Gammage was pushed out of the class already.

We were going to lose some. You can't go 4-8 and field the 116th ranked offense for the 3rd year in a row and not lose them.

 

[NavetG8r]

He sees the writing on the wall. UF is no longer 3*U.

 

[BMF]

(from gatorcountry):

Well there are plenty afloat. I will tell you what I know and what I predict.

Recruiting News: right now, the less recruiting news you hear, the better. No one is going to commit to this mess right now and who could blame them. If you do hear something , it will be DE commits.

What I know: Up until this past week I expected CJM to be here for next year. He had a projected top 5 class for the next two years and I have pointed out how much talent would be on campus by 2019. As much talent as anyone with the possible exception of Bama and even then it would be comparable. Something happened and it goes beyond the allegation of death threats. Gene Chizic, who has some experience with getting ran out of town stated on SEC Now, that something fishy was going on in Gainesville. There is an old saying that I may not know the definition of porn but I know it when I see it. Well I agree with Chizic so I reached out to a couple of friends closes to the team, (yeah , I know, all of a sudden a lot of posters have inside sources). So take this how ever you want, I am myself just sick of the whole situation. Mc is and has been sensitive to criticism. This elevated things with the administration and got worse as the Noise in the system got louder. Some felt that Mc, had lost the desire to be here at UF. This is not after all Colorado State. Mc should have known what to expect from his tenure at Bama, but it's different being an OC and the guy. The administration believes the death threat allegations were made up. When he was called in to elaborate, the conversation was not good one. I don't know when but I expect a parting of the ways sooner rather than later and at this point it is all about the money. I was also told that SOS was asked for his take on the current HC and direction of the program and he gave his opinion. You can probably guess if it was positive or not. No, Steve is not going to take on a coaching role.

Recruiting: this is the recruiting board and where I do almost all of my posting. You are wondering just like me about fallout. Let's hope that they are committed to UF, playing with each other and not the staff. But the reality is there will be fallout. I think most have taken a wait and see approach but don't think that Gator commits are not being recruited by other schools as we speak.

Kwantel Raines: Will announce his decision on Monday and UF is one of 4 hats on the table. Seriously Kwantel, why do that to UF. He is expected to choose WV. If he was truly considering UF he would delay the announcement.

Next Coach: I was told that feelers have already been sent out. Norvel is said to be the #1 guy at this point. I don't know what to make of it. Memphis is 7-1 just for he record. I'm stunned he is the top choice to be honest. Whomever it turns out to be, there first job will be to salvage this class. Is Norvel or Dan Mullen a big enough name to do that?

Predictions: Everything from this point forward is going to be predicated on who is chosen and how the transition is handled. The early signing period is not far off. It will be very interesting to see who is willing to sign during the early period. Lets hope Matty Ice and Iverson Clement can hold the class together.

Elephant in the Room: You will hear some rumors of big names thrown about, the reality is that the UF job is not as attractive as many of our fans think it to be. Now many will disagree with me on that, but I stand by that statement. Why just in the SEC UF is at best in the range of 2-5 depending who is making the call.

Final Thoughts: We always talk about how important relationships are in recruiting. In most cases that is correct. UF needs to have a solid hire this time. You can't build a championship program with constant change every 2-3 years. This hire better be a good one or UF will be mediocre for the next decade.

 

[MertzJay26]

^ BOOOOOOOOOO

 

[T REX]

(from gatorcountry):

Well there are plenty afloat. I will tell you what I know and what I predict.

Recruiting News: right now, the less recruiting news you hear, the better. No one is going to commit to this mess right now and who could blame them. If you do hear something , it will be DE commits.

What I know: Up until this past week I expected CJM to be here for next year. He had a projected top 5 class for the next two years and I have pointed out how much talent would be on campus by 2019. As much talent as anyone with the possible exception of Bama and even then it would be comparable. Something happened and it goes beyond the allegation of death threats. Gene Chizic, who has some experience with getting ran out of town stated on SEC Now, that something fishy was going on in Gainesville. There is an old saying that I may not know the definition of porn but I know it when I see it. Well I agree with Chizic so I reached out to a couple of friends closes to the team, (yeah , I know, all of a sudden a lot of posters have inside sources). So take this how ever you want, I am myself just sick of the whole situation. Mc is and has been sensitive to criticism. This elevated things with the administration and got worse as the Noise in the system got louder. Some felt that Mc, had lost the desire to be here at UF. This is not after all Colorado State. Mc should have known what to expect from his tenure at Bama, but it's different being an OC and the guy. The administration believes the death threat allegations were made up. When he was called in to elaborate, the conversation was not good one. I don't know when but I expect a parting of the ways sooner rather than later and at this point it is all about the money. I was also told that SOS was asked for his take on the current HC and direction of the program and he gave his opinion. You can probably guess if it was positive or not. No, Steve is not going to take on a coaching role.

Recruiting: this is the recruiting board and where I do almost all of my posting. You are wondering just like me about fallout. Let's hope that they are committed to UF, playing with each other and not the staff. But the reality is there will be fallout. I think most have taken a wait and see approach but don't think that Gator commits are not being recruited by other schools as we speak.

Kwantel Raines: Will announce his decision on Monday and UF is one of 4 hats on the table. Seriously Kwantel, why do that to UF. He is expected to choose WV. If he was truly considering UF he would delay the announcement.

Next Coach: I was told that feelers have already been sent out. Norvel is said to be the #1 guy at this point. I don't know what to make of it. Memphis is 7-1 just for he record. I'm stunned he is the top choice to be honest. Whomever it turns out to be, there first job will be to salvage this class. Is Norvel or Dan Mullen a big enough name to do that?

Predictions: Everything from this point forward is going to be predicated on who is chosen and how the transition is handled. The early signing period is not far off. It will be very interesting to see who is willing to sign during the early period. Lets hope Matty Ice and Iverson Clement can hold the class together.

Elephant in the Room: You will hear some rumors of big names thrown about, the reality is that the UF job is not as attractive as many of our fans think it to be. Now many will disagree with me on that, but I stand by that statement. Why just in the SEC UF is at best in the range of 2-5 depending who is making the call.

Final Thoughts: We always talk about how important relationships are in recruiting. In most cases that is correct. UF needs to have a solid hire this time. You can't build a championship program with constant change every 2-3 years. This hire better be a good one or UF will be mediocre for the next decade.

Mac forced the change not us. He was a crap hire to begin with. He sucked as a coach.

UF has already been mediocre for almost a decade. WHoever wrote that is a butt hurt pumper.

 

[ThreatMatrix]

Norvel?! SMH