GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It’s been a wild week with the Oregon rumors about Jim McElwain and all the news surrounding potential quarterback transfers for Florida.
There’s also some game in Atlanta this weekend.
The Gators will take on No. 1 Alabama in the SEC Championship on Saturday, and then McElwain and his assistants will hit the road recruiting until Dec. 12.
Which transfer QB do you think the coaching staff have better chances with? Would landing one impact Jake Allen?
(From @bruhlaw1981, @drdalehuevo2195, @Dupree4Three, @blakehendrick56, @JimmyG1574, @dangerdan8, @mmajosh)
This is obviously the hot topic of the week. With Luke Del Rio’s struggles this season and the uncertainty surrounding true freshmen Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask, the quarterback position will once again be a question mark in 2017.
The Gators are in the mix for three quarterbacks: junior college players Blake Barnett (Alabama) and Jarrett Stidham (Baylor) and graduate transfer Malik Zaire. Of the three, UF has the best chance with Zaire.
Barnett and Stidham have had several schools after them for a while, and Florida is a little late to the party. One of them would need to officially visit this month for that to change.
Zaire, however, just announced his intentions to transfer this week and lists Florida as one of his favorites. He did not win the Irish’s starting job this year and suffered a season-ending injury in the second game of 2015, but the Elite 11 finalist had impressive performances against LSU, Texas and Southern Cal.
He’s a dual-threat quarterback with 816 passing yards and 324 rushing yards in basically four games of action. Zaire also hasn’t thrown an interception in 98 career pass attempts.
He would be a good option for the Gators, giving them not only a security blanket for another year, but also a different element in their offense. Allen gave SEC Country his thoughts on the possible addition of Zaire.
“He would be a really good get,” Allen said. “It would be cool to learn behind him for a year.”
Chances we get 4-star receivers James Robinson and Henry Ruggs? Giving up on DPJ at this point.
(From @DonaldLiscomb)
It’s probably best to not get your hopes up on 5-star WR Donovan Peoples-Jones. He enjoyed his official visit to UF and the staff has recruited him relentlessly, but overcoming Michigan for a Detroit standout is a tall task for an SEC school. If Florida’s quarterback of the future was already in place and the offense had made significant strides this year, maybe that could have swayed him away from the in-state Wolverines.
The Gators’ chances are much better with Robinson (Lakeland, Fla.) and Ruggs (Montgomery, Ala.). Robinson named UF his leader back in the spring, while Ruggs did the Gator Chomp at one of his games and has shown interest.
Both of them plan to officially visit Florida before making their decisions. I foresee Robinson joining the class on signing day because of proximity to home and his relationship with area recruiter Torrian Gray.
How much did those two in-home visits help us with 5-star recruits Shaun Wade and Alex Leatherwood?
(From @_Gators, @TheBigDog16)
Unfortunately the visit with Leatherwood didn’t happen due to bad weather in the Panhandle. The Gators will go in-home next week and then host Leatherwood for an official visit on Dec. 9. That’s two trips to UF in one month and gives Florida the final crack at the Alabama offensive tackle commit before the dead period. He plans to make a final decision later this month.
UF did see Wade in Jacksonville, Fla., on Wednesday night and sent four coaches to his house, including McElwain. Sources told SEC Country the visit went well and that Florida feels good about its chances. However, the staff was hoping to get the Ohio State commit on campus Dec. 9, but Wade has decided against using his final official visit because he wants to take some time and think over his recruitment.
The Gators have done all they can to flip these two early enrollees, from holding satellite camps at their high schools to hosting them for unofficial visits during the season. The ball is in their court at this point.
Who is the one prospect UF can get to flip?
(From @PASportsSports)
I’m not expecting the Gators to flip Leatherwood or Wade, but watch out for Auburn commit Tray Bishop from Dawson, Ga. The 4-star athlete committed to the Tigers as a quarterback, but he revealed to SEC Country that he wants to play safety. That change of heart has opened the door for UF to get the U.S. Army All-American on board.
He attended the South Carolina game last month, giving high praise to the Gators and the play of their secondary. He’s well aware that Florida is considered ‘DBU’ and has a track record of not only sending defensive backs to the NFL, but in the first round of the draft. That reputation — as well as the Gators’ need for a safety — could put them over the top.
Who is left on the board at DT? Any chance we go after the twins who de-committed from Tennessee?
(From @ATXG8R, @nrorlando2STL)
Florida will continue to pursue several prospects at the position because it’s priority in this year’s recruiting cycle. The staff may look at another junior college transfer to join Javier Edwards, the lone DT commit in the Class of 2017.
Tyrone Truesdell, however, will eventually change that. The 3-star recruit from Augusta, Ga., has been favoring the Gators for a couple of months and it appears to be a forgone conclusion that he will end up in their class.
Brandon and Breyon Gaddy, both of whom de-committed from Tennessee on Tuesday, don’t hold offers from UF at this time. But Florida continues to pursue FSU defensive tackle commit Cory Durden from Newberry, Fla. He attended the South Carolina game and received an-home visit from area recruiter Greg Nord on Wednesday.
A pair of 3-star defensive tackles, Alec Jackson (Montgomery, Ala.) and Kane Taylor (Clearwater, Fla.), have also been evaluated by UF this fall.
Unless otherwise indicated, ratings and rankings come from the 247Sports Composite.
