Category: Football Recruiting

Florida among top recruiting teams in nation over five-year span

The Florida Gators football program is near the top in terms of recruiting over a five-year span per CBS Sports, a good sign for the future.

When looking at some of the more successful college football teams over the past five years or so, theres no secret as to why they are having success: recruiting.

Recruiting is obviously a big factor in teams having that success and putting themselves in contention for the College Football Playoff. The premiere programs such as Alabama, Clemson, and Ohio State dominate in recruiting, finishing near the top every single year.

But what if I told you that over the past 5 years, the Florida Gators were among the top teams in terms of recruiting?

CBS Sports released an article this week breaking down the top teams in terms of recruiting from the 247 Sports rankings. Here’s how they did it:

These ratings are not a pure reflection of the talent on the roster. Our partners at 247Sports offer the Team Talent Composite each August, which takes transfers, NFL Draft exits and other attrition into consideration to produce a talent score based on the prospects on each roster heading into the upcoming season. This analysis focuses exclusively on the player acquisition portion of program building, using five years of data from the 247Sports Composite Rankings to identify some trends on the recruiting trail.

The result? Well, Georgia took the top spot with an average of 2 followed by Alabama (2.4) and Ohio State (5) in the Top 3. You won’t have to look far to find the Gators, however as they check in at No. 8. Let’s take a look at the rankings over the past 5 years for Florida which averaged out at 10.4:

  • 2017 – 10
  • 2018 – 14
  • 2019 – 9
  • 2020 – 8
  • 2021 – 13

While this year’s class isn’t in the Top 10, it’s still a solid class and the Gators are on the right track. That’s all that matters as they look to get back in contention for a College Football Playoff spot next year.

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Florida Gators earn recruiting praise from ESPN at this position

ESPN had some praise for the Florida Gators football recruiting class, specifically at one position for the 2021 cycle.

While the Florida Gators’ football program barely cracked the top 10 for the 2021 recruiting cycle, they are still earning some praise just a week after national signing day wrapped up.

ESPN recently broke down the 2021 class now that it’s all signed and spotlighted which teams recruited the best at each offensive position for the class. The usual suspects such USC, Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, Clemson and Oregon were mentioned at key positions but Florida wasn’t shut out from the praise.

Dan Mullen’s squad was listed as one of the teams that recruited the best at the tight end position, landing two ESPN 300 players at tight end by signing Gage Wilcox and Nick Elksnis.

Here is what staff writer Tom VanHaaren had to say about the Gators haul at tight end:

This post isn’t including transfers, but it would be difficult not to at least note that Florida is bringing in former five-star tight end
Arik Gilbert, who transferred from LSU. That is significant, but didn’t factor in to listing the Gators here.
The staff has two ESPN 300 tight ends in the class, and after the success of Kyle Pitts  this past season, there should be no shortage of top tight ends flocking to Florida in the future. Wilcox is the No. 256 ranked recruit and Elksnis is No. 284.

Following Kyle Pitts’ big season a year ago, the position has a bright future and we could be looking at breakout seasons down the line for Wilcox and Elksnis. Having that big year for Pitts helps in more than one way as it’s now had an impact on recruiting at the position.

Gilbert should make an impact right away in the offense while Wilcox and Elksnis could be the future of the position for Mullen’s offense.  It’s safe to say that the Gators are in good shape at a key position in this offense for a few years to come.

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Florida football banking on the transfer portal for recruiting

The Gators landed a pair of former five-star recruits in Demarkcus Bowman and Arik Gilbert, two of the latest transfer portal additions.

Despite three-straight New Year’s Six appearances for Florida coach Dan Mullen, the recruiting continues to lag behind the other elite teams in the country (and even the conference). According to ESPN’s final 2021 recruiting rankings, UF cracked the top 10 with a No. 10 ranking (a bit higher than its No. 13 rank on the 247Sports Composite), but the Gators still missed on several key players on national signing day.

Florida landed a consensus five-star recruit for the second class in a row in Miami cornerback Jason Marshall and a talented quarterback in four-star Georgia prospect Carlos Del Rio, but perhaps its biggest additions this offseason didn’t have to sign a National Letter of Intent.

UF has been active on the transfer portal this offseason, landing a pair of former five-star recruits in Clemson running back Demarkcus Bowman (a Lakeland native) and LSU tight end Arik Gilbert, both of whom entered the transfer portal during the 2020 season.

In an analysis of the winners and losers from national signing day, Florida got a shoutout from ESPN as one of a handful of teams in a third category, “teams that used the transfer portal to their advantage.”

Florida also used this to its advantage and added some big-name players from the 2020 class in former five-star tight end Arik Gilbert, who transferred from LSU, and running back Demarkcus Bowman from Clemson.

The Gators’ use of the transfer portal certainly had an impact on its recruiting, as it limited scholarships available for the rest of the class. In addition to Gilbert and Bowman, UF added defensive tackles Daquan Newkirk from Auburn and Antonio Shelton from Penn State, as well as Mississippi State kicker Jace Christmann.

The transfer market may not be as optimal as signing a strong class of incoming freshmen, but Mullen is managing it well to fill roster needs with immediate impact players.

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Lackluster signing day has Florida’s class outside the top 10

A disappointing National Signing Day has Florida’s recruiting class ranked 14th in the nation, according to Sports Illustrated.

It was far from an ideal national signing day for Florida coach Dan Mullen on Thursday, and recruiting continues to be an issue heading into his fourth year. On-field success hasn’t been a problem during Mullen’s tenure, but the lack of elite recruiting is holding this team back from its long-term goals.

When the dust had settled, the UF class ranked just 14th in Sports Illustrated’s final recruiting rankings. Here’s what they said about the Gators.

14. Florida (13)

22 Verbal Commitments, 4 in the SI99

The Gators were in the mix for Arnold but weren’t a late contender for the in-state star and final Floridian in the SI99 to make a commitment. It parted ways with longtime junior college commitment Deyavie Hammond, too.

Safety Terrion Arnold, who UF hoped it could land, picked Alabama, while JUCO commit Deyavie Hammond decommitted from the team.

Florida’s class was saved by the signing of five-star cornerback Jason Marshall from Miami, one of the best players UF has signed in years. If they hadn’t secured his signature, this recruiting class would be even more disappointing.

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Best Florida football recruit from every state since the year 2000

Florida Gators football has become a national brand over the past few decades and recruits from all over come to UF with gridiron dreams.

The University of Florida has a storied football program that extends back to the Steve Spurrier era — one that has become a national brand over the years thanks to three national titles and a penchant for Southeastern Conference championship appearances.

For a while, the Florida Gators were among the hottest tickets in the nation when it came to recruiting, reaching its high-water mark during Urban Meyer’s tenure when top-rated prospect Ronald Powell signed with the program in 2010. While UF has failed to reclaim that glory over the past decade, the school still remains one of the top recruiters in college football.

In honor of the traditional national signing day, we thought it would be fun to survey the best recruit from every state on record according to the 247Sports composite rankings that go back to the year 2000.

This list does not include any players that haven’t already signed and enrolled in classes, so no current commitments or current signees that will arrive in the fall or next year are eligible.

National signing day quiet for Florida Gators football

UF under head coach Dan Mullen has been much more successful finding value in the transfer portal than on the recruiting trail.

The Florida Gators football program had a quiet national signing day on Wednesday, adding just four transfer players to the team while standing pat on high school commitments.

UF under head coach Dan Mullen has been much more successful finding value in the transfer portal than on the recruiting trail and Florida highlighted that fact with this announcement:

The Gators will welcome four transfer student-athletes who began classes this spring to the 2021 football roster. The bulk of this spring’s transfer additions will be seen on the defensive side of the ball, as the Gators added three defensive linemen and one running back.

  • Demarkcus Bowman – RB
  • Dylan Meeks – DL
  • Daquan Newkirk – DL
  • Antonio Shelton – DL

Five-star tight end Arik Gilbert from Lousiana State and kicker Jace Christmann from Mississippi State have also transfer commitments for the Gators, but they will not be enrolling until May.

Florida began the 2021 recruiting cycle ranked No. 8 in the nation according to 247Sports but has fallen to No. 13 since — its lowest ranking since 2018 if it does not fall any further. Overall, UF has one five-star, 12 four-star and nine three-star pledges in the 2021 class which is good for fifth-best in the SEC and second-best in the state just a touch behind Miami.

ESPN’s evaluation of Florida’s signing period remained unchanged from before, hovering right at No. 10. The Gators have been ranked as high as No. 5 on a few occasions— most recently after signing Jason Marshall Jr. and Corey Collier back in August — but have been slipping ever since.

Here is what staff writer Craig Haubert had to say about the Gators and their latest crop of prep prospects.

10. Florida Gators

ESPN 300 commits: 11 Previous ranking: 10

SEC rank: 5 of 14
Top offensive commit: QB Carlos Del Rio (No. 58)
Top defensive commit: CB Jason Marshall (No. 44)

Dan Mullen’s third consecutive top-10 class in Gainesville is a near lock coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons and top-10 AP poll finishes, as well as the hiring of ace recruiter Tim Brewster. Brewster immediately addressed the need at tight end with ESPN 300s Gage Wilcox and Nick Elksnis. There are two quarterbacks in the class: ESPN 300 Carlos Del Rio and four-star Texan Jalen Kitna. Two huge early August wins came from South Florida in ESPN 300 DBs and high school teammates Jason Marshall and Corey Collier. An ESPN 300 WR in the fold is playmaker Daejon Reynolds out of Georgia powerhouse high school Grayson. A third ESPN 300 WR is Marcus Burke from Jacksonville powerhouse Trinity Christian. ESPN 300 Chief Borders is a versatile jumbo athlete who projects as an OLB. ESPN 300 DE Jeremiah Williams will bring edge rush ability. A solid secondary group is made up of LSU flip Dakota Mitchell and four-star S Donovan McMillon. Four-star DE Justus Boone, a big win out of South Carolina, has a high ceiling.

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How does Florida football’s recruiting stack up these past two decades?

Here is a look at where the Gators placed in the top 18 recruiting classes of the last two decades according to the Sporting News.

Once upon a time, the Florida Gators football program was among the best in the nation when it came to recruiting prep talent. After reaching a high-water mark in the first decade of the new millennium, UF quickly descended from its perch atop the prospect charts, giving way to a re-emerging Alabama Crimson Tide team led by arguably the greatest head coach in college football history, Nick Saban.

Nonetheless, looking back over two decades the Gators still remain a major presence in a list of the top 18 among No. 1 recruiting classes over that span published by the Sporting News on Friday. Unsurprisingly, the Crimson Tide dominate the debate holding seven spots — seven of the top nine spots, including the No. 1 position, to be exact — while Florida logged the second-highest tally with three; the USC Trojans were the only other school to earn multiple entries with two.

The Tennessee Volunteers and LSU Tigers were the other two Southeastern Conference schools with top-ranked recruiting classes, ranked at No. 14 and No. 11, respectively. Note that Alabama’s No. 1 classes from 2019 and 2021, the Georgia Bulldogs‘ class from 2018 and the Clemson Tigers’ class from 2020 are ineligible because players because they have not hit the four-year mark.

Here is a look at where the Gators placed and what author Bill Bender had to say for each squad.

Gators football falls a couple spots in newest ESPN recruiting rankings

The Gators’ 2021 recruiting class fell two spots in the latest recruiting rankings, and now it’s just barely still in the top 10.

Florida continues to have difficulties breaking through in recruiting under Dan Mullen. The Gators dropped two spots on the latest ESPN recruiting rankings from No. 8 to No. 10.

Florida’s class, which features a consensus five-star recruit in cornerback Jason Marshall for the second-straight season after not landing one since 2015, ranks just fifth among SEC teams. UF has 11 commits from prospects ranked in the ESPN 300, more than two teams above it (No. 8 Notre Dame and No. 9 USC) and the same as another (No. 7 Texas A&M).

Twenty-two prospects have signed their National Letters of Intent with the Gators already, while they have two unsigned committed players in JUCO transfer Deyavie Hammond and three-star offensive tackle Adrein Strickland.

Florida will try to bolster its class a little more before National Signing Day on Feb. 3. Here’s ESPN’s analysis of the Gators’ class.

10. Florida Gators

ESPN 300 commits: 11 | Previous ranking: 8 

SEC rank: 5 of 14
Top offensive commit: QB Carlos Del Rio (No. 57)
Top defensive commit: CB Jason Marshall (No. 42)

Dan Mullen’s third consecutive top-10 class in Gainesville is a near lock coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons and top-10 AP poll finishes, as well as the hiring of ace recruiter Tim Brewster. Brewster immediately addressed the need at tight end with ESPN 300s Gage Wilcox and Nick Elksnis. There are two quarterbacks in the class: ESPN 300 Carlos Del Rio and four-star Texan Jalen Kitna. Two huge early August wins came from South Florida in ESPN 300 DBs and high school teammates Jason Marshall and Corey Collier. An ESPN 300 WR in the fold is playmaker Daejon Reynolds out of Georgia powerhouse high school Grayson. A third ESPN 300 WR is Marcus Burke from Jacksonville powerhouse Trinity Christian. ESPN 300 Chief Borders is a versatile jumbo athlete who projects as an OLB. ESPN 300 DE Jeremiah Williams will bring edge rush ability. A solid secondary group is made up of LSU flip Dakota Mitchell and four-star S Donovan McMillon. Four-star DE Justus Boone, a big win out of South Carolina, has a high ceiling.

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Gators football lost this four-star wide receiver recruit to Jackson State

Wide receiver Trevonte Rucker, who is rated four-stars by both 247Sports and Rivals, announced his signing with the Jackson State Tigers.

The bad news continues to pile up for Florida Gators football early on in the offseason, with several star players opting out of their remaining eligibility to enter the 2021 NFL draft. The latest salt on the wound comes from the 2021 recruiting class, which lost one of its more promising prospects to a Football Championship Subdivision school.

Wide receiver Trevonte Rucker, who is rated four-stars by both 247Sports and Rivals, announced on Tuesday via his personal Twitter account that he has officially signed with the Jackson State Tigers, where NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is currently leading the program as the head coach.

Florida and Rucker had agreed on two verbal commitments over the course of his recruitment, both as a freshman and in January of 2020, though the Gators did not sign him during the Early Signing Period last December. He joins three-star offensive tackle Javonte Gardner who had also committed to UF but switched to Jackson State after not signing during the previous month.

The Florida Gators 2021 recruiting class now sits at 24 members.

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This highly sought-after 4-star recruit got an offer from Florida

The defensive end is one of the best in the nation at his position, and the Gators have moved to add him to the Florida program.

In a tweet from his personal account, four-star recruit Marvin Jones, Jr. announced that he has received an offer from Florida’s to play collegiate football for the Gators. The defensive end is widely pursued and has received offers from over two dozen schools, including Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, Cincinnati, Michigan, and Miami.

The son and namesake of a former NFL journeyman, a good bloodline isn’t the only thing attracting teams to Jones, Jr. He’s also an extraordinarily talented defensive end. Ranked fourth in the country at his position by 247Sports, he’d be one of the bigger fish reeled in by the Gators from the 2022 recruiting class.

“[Jones, Jr.] launches out of his stance with enough fluidity and natural bend to get around the corner,” reads the 247Sports scouting report. “Keeps feet moving once engaged with blockers and is capable of winning hand battles. Tracks the ball well and plays situational football. Natural length allows him to disrupt passing lanes.”

If they can pull off getting a commitment from Jones Jr., it would be a real win for Florida, who aren’t leaders in the sweepstakes. He hails from the city of Fort Lauderdale, which isn’t exactly the heart of Gators territory. To make things harder, the senior Marvin Jones was an FSU standout in his college days before entering the NFL as a first-rounder.

The Seminoles have made Jones Jr. a major priority, making it clear from early in the recruiting process that they want to have a productive relationship. Additionally, the younger Jones said to Rivals that he has a “close relationship” with ‘Noles area recruiter Ron Dugans, calling him a family-oriented coach.

Fab Four: Selecting Florida football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits

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