When McKinney (Texas) safety [autotag]Xavier Filsaime[/autotag] announced his top five of Florida, Georgia, LSU, Oregon and USC, it was the Bulldogs that were considered the leaders in the race for one of the nation’s top defensive back recruits. Now, Florida can lay claim to that title, at least according to the new numbers posted by the On3 recruiting prediction machine.
The Gators now boast 85.9% odds to land the Lone Star State native, with Georgia in a distant second place at 3.5 percent. Corey Bender of Gators Online submitted an expert prediction in favor of Florida for Filsaime, which is why the numbers are so skewed.
“It was the visit on March 10, however, that cemented Florida as a real contender,” Bender wrote.
Filsaime got to meet with UF’s new defensive coordinator, Austin Armstrong, and the duo really hit it off. There may have been some questions about Armstrong’s youth when he was announced as Billy Napier’s new defensive play caller, but he’s at least hit the ground running in the recruiting department
Filsaime seems like Florida’s to lose at this point, but those who follow recruiting closely know that nothing is guaranteed until a letter of intent is signed. And even then, it doesn’t always work out.
Nabbing a five-star recruit, by 247Sports’ measure, would be massive for Florida. He’s ranked No. 44 overall on the 247Sports composite and is No. 3 among safeties in the class.
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