I think UF signs a full class as I've been saying all along.  The Offensive class is now looking like it will be very special - quite possibly the best OL class on paper UF has ever signed, stud QB, several stud WRs and a couple of very solid backs...oh and a stud TE too.

The Defensive class....we don't need more than one more LB assuming Burney grows into a LB and we could do really well here if we land Tindall.  DB is still up in the air though it is possible UF could pull in a good DB class as there are several good ones in state we are in pursuit for.  The state is very thin at top shelf DL this year and that area looks the most troubling.  We will need to pull an upset or two eg Sandidge, Miller, Ojulari, etc if we are to land a good DL class.

At this point, I would project UF lands a class between #5-10 probably closer to #5.

Defensive Back

Tyreke Johnson CB, Jax 4 stars UF likes him as a Safety but he insists on playing Cornerback…and his film as a Cornerback is downright bad as has been his performance at various camps.  UF has cooled on him.  I do not see him ending up in the class.

Amari Burney Safety 4 stars from the Tampa area.  Ranked #115 on the 247 composite.  He could play Safety or he could grow into an OLB.  Committed to UF.

Divaad Wilson Cornerback from Miami.  Committed to UF.  He is a 3 star and is ranked #420 in the 247 composite.  He has drawn interest from some other major programs but has not waivered in his commitment to the Gators.

Patrick Surtain CB 5 stars from American Heritage…one of the top recruits in America.  He is a legacy for LSU and they and sow lead.  I think UF’s chances are incredibly slim though he will visit in the Fall.

Randy Russell S 3 stars from Miami Carol City.  He’s a little small at 5’11” and 180 but is a big hitter.  Committed to UF.

Kwantel Raines S 4 stars from Alaquippa Pennsylvania.  He’s good sized at 6’3” and 200 pounds.    He is being most heavily recruited by UF, WVU, Pitt, Maryland, Penn State and LSU.  He is ranked as the #156 overall prospect in the 247 composite rankings.  He will decide soon.  Most think Pitt leads with UF second.  

Tyson Campbell CB 4 stars from American Heritage.  He’s 6’2” 180 and a real speedster.  He’ll probably run track in college.  He had previously not considered UF due to the number of cornerbacks signed last year but Corey Bell and Randy Shannon have managed to change his mind and he is now seriously considering the Gators.  He is ranked the #27 player overall in the 247 composite.  A host of other major programs are vying for him as well.  He plans to visit UF in the Fall.

Gilbert Frierson CB 4 stars from Coral Gables.  He has been committed to scUM for a year and a half but is looking hard at UGA and UF now.  Most expect him to flip with UGA being the favorite but he did just attend FNL and looked really good.  At 6’1” 190 he has ideal size for a CB and is ranked #146 in the 247 composite.  There is some buzz coming out of FNL that he might commit to UF.

Linebacker

Channing Tindall 4 stars from Columbia, South Carolina.  Ranked #133 in the 247 composite.  He has steadily risen in the rankings and was all over the field in a few of the camps this summer.  At 6’2” and 210 he is a little bit light for an OLB but is extremely athletic.  He visited fsu recently and the insiders there feel good about their prospects of landing him.  He also just attended FNL and had some extremely positive comments about UF and our coaches apparently feel good about our chances with him too.  The hometown Gamecocks are also pursuing him hard as are several others.  I’m not sure where he ends up.  Lots of bigtime programs want him. 

David Reese 3 stars from Ft Pierce.  He is a more athletic outside guy at 6’2” and 213.   The three in-state programs have offered him though scUM seems to have cooled on him.  Now UF appears to have cooled on him too.  He did not make it to FNL this weekend. 

Defensive Line

Micah Parsons DE 5 stars from Pennsylvania.  He is ranked the #3 prospect overall in the 247 composite.  Everybody is after him.  Ohio State and Penn State are thought to lead.  He will visit UF soon and he included UF in his top 10 recently.  It would definitely be an upset for UF to land him.

Malcolm Lamar DE 4 stars from Seffner Armwood.  He is ranked #172 in the 247 composite.  He’s fairly big at 6’5” 250 and the plan is for him to become a DT.  He has said he will take his recruitment the distance but has also given some indications that he might end it earlier.  He recently released a top 5 that did not contain UF but most think that was just a case of him playing the game/seeking attention.  Most think UF leads but him not showing up to FNL is a worrying sign.

Rick Sandidge DT 4 stars from North Carolina.  One of the top rated DTs in the country and #129 overall in the 247 composite.  UNC and the Cocks are said to be his leaders.  He has visited several other programs like UF, sow, Michigan, etc.  He is all over the place so nobody really knows who leads with him.  He would be more of a #1 technique type.  He’s not terribly quick but is big at 6’5” 290 and strong.  He is one of the staff’s top priorities in this cycle.

Nesta Silvera DT 4 stars from American Heritage.  He’s currently committed to scUM but is giving indications that he is still open.  I’m not sure how open he is but Ohio State and UF are both pursuing him.  At 6’2” 308, he’s a pure 1 technique/nose tackle all the way.  He is ranked #212 in the 247 composite.   IMO having watched him in some of the camps, he is better than his recruiting ranking would indicate.  He’s a real bull in the middle.   

Dante Stills DT 4 stars from West Virginia.  At 6’4” 265 he is rated #159 on the 247 composite. WVU and UF appear to be battling it out for him.  There were indications that UF led but he did not make it to FNL this past weekend which is a big red sign.  I suspect he ends up at WVU where his father played and where his brother currently plays.

Taylor Upshaw DE 3 stars fromBradenton.  He has only started playing football in the last year which has a lot to do with his ranking being low.  His skills are still quite raw.  At 6’5” and 240 he has the size.  His father is NFLer Regan Upshaw.  The coaches like his potential and think he can be developed into a good one.   Committed to UF

Coynis Miller 4 star DT from Birmingham Alabama  He is ranked #172 in the 247 composite rankings despite being a little short at 6’1.5”.  He is a solid 300 pounds though and is a #1 technique tackle.  He showed up at FNL and is strongly considering UF along with Bama and Auburn.   I’d be a bit surprised if we were able to pull him out of Alabama but we’d love to have him.

Andrew Chatfield DE 4 stars from American Heritage.  He is ranked #299 in the 247 composite rankings.  UF held off on pursuing him hard until recently due to his small size at 6’2” 221.  Despite this, he was quite productive last year racking up 24 sacks.  He is currently committed to Ohio State but there seems to be some cooling there on both sides.  He showed up at FNL this past weekend and received an offer from the Coaches.  It does not hurt that he is teammates with Schwartz, Campbell and Silvera all of whom are UF targets in this cycle.

Azeez Ojulari DE 4 stars from Marietta GA.  He is a quick rush end and has decent size at 6’4”224.  He ranks #139 in the 247 composite rankings.  He looked pretty good at several camps this summer and attended FNL this weekend.  UGA, Bama and others are also pursuing him.   UGA is widely thought to lead.

Quarterback

Matt Corral QB 5 stars from Long Beach, California.  Committed to UF.  At 6’2” and 196 he is more of a traditional pocket passer.  He is ranked as the #23 prospect in the 247 composite.  He wanted to commit sooner rather than later and that’s what the coaches wanted too.  As good a prospect as Fields is, he wants to hold off until after taking his official visits this Fall which both means its risky to continue going all in on him since several other schools have too AND he is unlikely to have major coat tails since he’s waiting so long to commit.  UF wanted a QB sooner to help build a class around him.  He’s widely thought to have the strongest arm of the QBs in the various camps this year, he has a gunslinger mentality, yet only threw 3-4 picks last year.  He’s not a dual threat QB but he has good mobility rushing for over 300 yards and can buy himself time in the pocket.  His performance at a couple of the camps was not as good as some others…because he was pressing and throwing deep such that he had a lower completion percentage, but his on field performance has routinely topped everybody else in actual games.  His ranking did slide a bit so he’s now a high 4 star in the composite rankings instead of a 5 due to the camp performances but this is still a really elite QB prospect

Tight End

Kyle Pitts TE 4 stars from Pennsylvania.  Coach Seider had been recruiting him while at WVU and picked back up on him once he took the job with UF.  At 6’5” and 235 with decent speed, he is a good receiving TE which is what UF is looking for.  Pitts is ranked #251 in the 247 composite rankings. Committed to UF.

Dante Lang at 6’5” and 220 he is listed as a weakside DE but UF is interested in him as a TE.  He is ranked as a 3 star and #813 in the 247 Composite.  Committed to UF

Wide Receiver

Jacob Copeland WR 4 stars from Pensacola.  Not particularly big at 6’0 and about 190 pounds he is nevertheless a dynamic playmaker.  Ranked #49 in the 247 composite.  THE first player Coach Mac ever offered upon taking the UF job.  Right now it looks like a UF vs Bama battle for his services.  He recently took 3 straight visits to Bama but then showed up at UF’s FNL camp, tweeted some very very pro UF sentiments and announced he is moving up his commitment date and is having a video made to publicly announce.  He apparently connected with Matt Corral and all indicators are he commits to UF.

Jalynn Williams 3 stars from St Pete.  Committed to UF.  He has good SPARQ scores to apparently he is a good athlete.  He is a pure slot WR and won’t play outside.  He didn’t show up to FNL.  I really don’t know if he sticks in this class.

Anthony Schwartz 4 stars from American Heritage.  He is skinny at just over 170 pounds by might well be the fastest player in America.  He will run track in college.  Ranked #143 in the 247 composite he had a good camp at The Opening in Oregon.  UF leads by everybody’s reckoning.  I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t commit to UF.

Corey Gammage 3 stars from Delray Beach.  He is ranked #601 in the 247 Composite.  He’s a big guy at 6’2” and 190.  He’s not fast and is envisioned as more of a possession WR but he has been very productive in HS and the Coaches like him.  He did not show up to FNL though which, given the interest some elite WRs have shown in UF makes me question whether he will remain in the class.  Committed to UF.

Tyquan Thornton 3 stars from Miami Booker T Washington.  Previously committed to Baylor, his stock has been rising and he has been offered by numerous major programs including scUM, UGA, Tennessee, etc.  He was recently offered by UF after a very good showing at our 7 on 7 camp.  He drew an offer from scUM after tearing up their camp a few days later.  He did not make it to FNL but also did not make it to scUM's "paradise camp" so we'll see with him. 

Mark Pope 4 stars from Miami.  He is currently committed to scUM and I think it would take an upset to for UF to get him unfortunately.  The coaches would dearly love to flip him.  He is explosive and absolutely tore up some all-star camps recently.  He is ranked #87 in the 247 composite.

Jamarr Chase 4 stars from New Orleans he is ranked #106 in the 247 composite.  He was set to commit to TCU but due to running out of time, the TV broadcast could not accommodate his public commitment so he took this as a sign and re-opened his recruitment.  His dad is said to want him to go to LSU but JaMarr is not feeling it with them.  He showed up at FNL and after dropping the first two passes thrown to him, wowed everybody with his hands, his cuts and how smooth he is and how sharp his cuts are.  There is some considerable buzz now that he connected with Matt Corral and Jacob Copeland and will now commit to UF.  Tim Skipper – who is also from New Orleans – is his lead recruiter.

Running Back

Iverson Clement 4 stars from New Jersey he is ranked #281 in the 247 Composite.  He is an average sized back at about 5-11, 200 pounds but has good speed and quickness.  Committed to UF

Asa Martin 4 stars from Decatur Alabama.  He is ranked #199 in the 247 composite rankings.  UF led but in-state powers Alabama and Auburn made a push for him and projections for his services are cloudy now.  He will decide in August.

Dameon Pierce 4 stars from Bainbridge, Georgia.  He is ranked #188 in the 247 composite rankings.  Formerly committed to Alabama he decommitted recently.  UF, UGA, Auburn and Bama are all pursuing him.  There are reports…or were at least that UF would take him if we missed on Asa Martin.

Leddie Brown 3 stars from Deleware.  He is ranked #409 in the 247 composite rankings.  Coach Seider had a relationship with him from when he was still at WVU and carried over when he took the job at UF.  Brown came to FNL and apparently impressed the coaches in his workouts.  I believe Pierce is still a take ahead of him if we don’t get Asa Martin, but I’m not positive about that.

Offensive Line

William Barnes OT 4 stars from Apopka.  Ranked #46 in the 247 composite, He can also play Guard.  Right now his leaders are UF and UNC with the Gators being heavy favorites.  A host of others like Ohio State, sow, Auburn, LSU etc are pursuing him too.  He’s about 6’5” and 315.  He has a good relationship with Martez Ivey who was also from Apopka.   He’s been to Gainesville several times and has a close connection to Brad Davis.   He will take his recruitment deep into the process and will not decide until near the end.  He looked good at FNL and once again talked extensively with his former teammate Martez Ivey.  Given how he’s acted, things he’s tweeted, how often he’s visited, I’d be very surprised if he ended up anywhere but UF.

Ed Montilus 3 stars OG from Apopka.  He is only ranked as the #27 Offensive guard in the 247 Composite.  But he is a hard nosed scrapper and is being recruited heavily by UF, scUM, Auburn and UNC.  He’s 6’2” and 288.  He does not have elite athletic ability but he is by all accounts a hard worker and very tough.  Coach Davis really likes him.  William Barnes said it was “95% likely” he and Montilus would attend the same school.

Nicholas Petit-Frere 4 stars OT from the Tampa area.  Ranked #55 in the 247 Composite.  Bama, Notre Dame and Auburn are recruiting him the hardest along with UF.  He’s only about 260 right now so he’s got a little growing to do.  He’s kept his cards very close to the vest so nobody is really sure which way he is leaning.  He’s a good student and Academics will probably count with him.  He showed up with his mom on Saturday to visit with the coaches and to visit UF’s campus.  Nobody including the coaches knows which way he’s leaning.

Curtis Dunlap 4 stars OG from IMG Academy (originally from Jax).  He’s a bit heavy at 368 and will need to shed about 30 pounds.  He is ranked as the #203 overall player in the 247 Composite rankings.  Committed to UF.

Reuben Unije 4 stars OT from IMG.  We’ve been working on him for a few years.  We are thought to lead.  Bama, the Hillbillies, Arky and a few others are after him as well.  I have heard mixed reports about him after he was rated very highly a year or two ago.  I’ve been told he is not a take right now.  We’ll see.

Richard Gouraige 4 stars OT from Tampa.  Ranked #104 in the 247 composite he is an athletic Tackle prospect at 6’5” and 270.   UF leads with several others trailing.  He has a good relationship with UF OL coach Brad Davis who has taken the lead back from Clemson after they had jumped ahead of UF several months ago.  He has said he could commit anytime it feels right.  He is an honor student and Academics will count significantly with him.  He admitted he nearly committed to UF at FNL.  Everybody else is so far behind right now, I’d be stunned if he ended up anywhere but UF.

Specialists

Connor Davis – Kicker from Ocala.  Son of Judd Davis and a good one (13 out of 14 for his career)