It’s never too late to get into the race when it comes to recruiting. Florida will host a pair of five-star teammates, edge rusher [autotag]Qua Russaw[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]James Smith[/autotag], among several other elite recruits during the July 30 cookout, according to Gators Online.
It will be both recruits’ first visit to the Swamp after defensive line coach [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag] made contact on a visit during the spring evaluation period. Both players named a top 11 on Mother’s Day, May 8, that featured UF, and Smith says there’s a “70-75% chance” that the duo ends up with the same program.
Florida is still relatively new to them, but Russaw said that the Gators’ reputation of putting edge players in the league kept them in the race for now.
“I’m excited. They have been wanting me to get down and I have to get down there. I’m ready to see it,” Russaw said of Florida. “The coaches have been contacting me hard. I’m trying to just get on the same level and get down there.”
Russaw is the No. 23 overall player on the On3 consensus and the No. 3 edge rusher in the class of 2023. Right now, Georgia and Alabama are the favorites to land him, per the On3 recruiting prediction machine, with Auburn and Texas A&M holding on to some hope.
Smith is the No. 6 overall player in the country in and the top-ranked defensive lineman on the On3 consensus. ‘Bama and Georgia are the two main players once again.
Both players have taken official visits to Auburn and Georgia so far. One would expect them to hit Alabama and two other schools over the fall. Florida has a lot of work to do to earn one of those OVs, but a successful introduction to the staff could go a long way at the end of the month.
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