Tag: 2024 football recruiting

Florida DL signee named Lineman of Year at All-American Bowl

Florida defensive line signee LJ McCray was honored as the Anthony Muñoz Lineman of the Year at the All-American Bowl on Saturday.

Florida defensive line signee [autotag]LJ McCray[/autotag] was named the Anthony Muñoz Lineman of the Year Award winner at the All-American Bowl on Saturday.

Muñoz is widely regarded as the greatest offensive linemen in football history. The former USC left tackle went third overall in the 1980 NFL draft and spent 13 years with the Cincinnati Bengals before ending his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Muñoz Award is presented annually to the best lineman — offense or defense.

McCray finished his senior season with 77 total tackles (48 solo) and 13 sacks, according to MaxPreps. He won the award over Ohio State defensive lineman Eddrick Houston, Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, Michigan offensive tackle Andrew Sprague and Auburn defensive lineman Amaris Williams.

McCray is a five-star prospect, according to the On3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted average of all four major recruiting services. He checks in at No. 23 overall in the class of 2024 and is ranked fourth among defensive linemen in the class.

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Five-star quarterback commit is The Athletic’s ‘most intriguing’ player

The Athletic included 5-star quarterback in latest roudtable, calling him the “most-intriguing” recruit of the 2024 recruiting cycle

There are a lot of opinions being spread about the current state of the Florida football program, especially after the team suffered player losses to both the NFL draft and transfer portal.

Sports publication The Athletic shared a roundtable about the most intriguing recruits and the most interesting storylines from the early singing period.

Staff writer Manny Navarro is looking forward to seeing how UF head coach Billy Napier handles the pressure of sitting in the hot seat next season when five-star quarterback DJ Lagway is champing at the bit for some playing time.

“It feels like there’s so much riding on Lagway’s shoulders in Gainesville when it comes to Napier’s future there,” Navarro said. “Graham Mertz is returning for another season, but how long does Napier ride the veteran when clearly he’s going to need something to build upon for the future to get Florida fans and the administration excited?”

“Florida’s recruiting class fell apart down the stretch — yet Lagway stuck it out — so it almost feels like Napier owes his star recruit an opportunity to get on the field early and potentially save himself from the chopping block.”

Another staff writer for The Athletic, Antonio Morales, says that the Florida Gators have the most disappointing recruiting class of 2024, citing that the team fell apart under Napier’s control last season.

“Had a couple of thoughts here but I’ll go with Florida, mainly because of what the class was at one point and what it ended up being,” Morales wrote. “Everyone had doubts about whether Billy Napier could keep this class together if the Gators struggled on the field, and those concerns became a reality.”

“Florida did sign two five-star prospects in quarterback DJ Lagway and defensive lineman LJ McCray, but it lost commitments from six top-150 players since the start of November and eight blue-chip prospects total. The class is 16th nationally, but the way the cycle ended will only raise more questions about Napier’s future with the Gators.”

Florida currently stands as the No. 16 recruiting class in the nation, a serious tumble from the top-five position it held onto for most of the 2023 regular season.

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DJ Lagway, Emmitt Smith talk Gatorade National Player of the Year award

Gators Wire spoke with the two regarding the prestigious award and what it means to be a member of the Orange and Blue.

The new face of Florida football has arrived at the Swamp and the Gator Nation cannot wait for the next era of their favorite gridiron warriors to begin.

Pro Football Hall of Famer, former Florida Gator and 1986-87 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year [autotag]Emmitt Smith[/autotag] surprised UF commit [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] of Willis, Texas, with the 2023-24 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award.

Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their success on and off the field. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, the award touts an all-star group of alumni including Peyton Manning, Nick Singleton and Jackson Arnold. 

Ahead of the big announcement, Gators Wire spoke with the two regarding the prestigious award and what it means to be a member of the Orange and Blue. Take a look below at what they had to offer.

Three 2024 Florida signees named Gatorade Players of the Year

A trio of Florida signees from the 2024 recruiting class were named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the respective home states.

Three Florida signees from the recruiting class of 2024 were named the Gatorade Player of the Year in their respective states on Wednesday.

Five-star quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] headlines the group as not only the Texas state winner but the national Gatorade Player of the Year as well. Four-star linebacker [autotag]Aaron Chiles[/autotag] was named the best player in Maryland, and four-star running back [autotag]Kahnen Daniels[/autotag] is the king of Mississippi.

Lagway threw for more than 4,600 yards and 58 touchdowns during his magical senior year. He also added nearly 1,000 rushing yards and 16 more scores on the ground. Lagway is enrolled at Florida already and expected to join the team this month

Chiles racked up  76 tackles (29 solo), 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks, according to MaxPreps. He’ll join the team in June.

Daniels ran for an impressive 2,730 yards and 30 touchdowns. Those kinds of video game numbers should get Gator Nation excited about the new-look running back room in Gainesville. Daniels will join Florida in January.

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Florida’s 5-star quarterback signee roughed up in All-America Game

Florida QB DJ Lagway’s last stop before heading to Gainesville was the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando, where he was roughed up a bit

Florida quarterback signee [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag]’s talents were on full display Wednesday during the Under Armour All-America Game, but he left in the first half with a foot injury.

Lagway led two drives for Team Fire before exiting the game. On the first play of the second drive, he was tackled as he ran toward the sideline. That’s when he first got “rolled up,” according to Gators Online.

He also said that he got stepped on after throwing a pass later in the drive. As the pain started to pick up, Lagway decided to stop. He understands that he’s the future of Florida’s offense and that risking injury in an all-star game isn’t worth any of the potential consequences. Had this been a regular-season game in the Swamp, things might have been different.

“Yeah, I think I could have (returned),” Lagway said to GO. “But like right now, I don’t know about that. But when it happened, I feel like I could have.”

The Under Armour All-America Game was Lagway’s last stop before heading to Gainesville. He drove up Thursday morning with his family to begin his Gators career (and get checked out by UF’s doctors).

Graham Mertz might be the starter in 2024, but the Lagway era is almost ready to begin in Gainesville.

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Coveted 2024 CB recruit includes Florida among top 6 choices

A 3-star cornerback from Baltimore, Maryland, has the Florida Gators included in his top six choices.

Florida football is among the top choices for a three-star recruit as the anticipation builds for national signing day.

High school senior Kevyn “Kerm” Humes took to social media on Monday afternoon to announce that he has closed his recruitment window and has come down to six choices. The cornerback also included the dates of his official visits in the social media posts.

Humes will visit the University of Florida campus the weekend of Feb. 2-4, but the Gators have some stiff competition when it comes to earning his commitment.

“Thank you to all who have supported (my) Journey,” Humes wrote on Twitter. “My recruitment is over.”

The Baltimore, Maryland, native has other top-notch programs among his final choices and planned visits, including the Syracuse Orange, Maryland Terrapins, USC Trojans, Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Penn State Nittany Lions. He’ll go to northern New York first to visit Syracuse on Jan. 12 and then conclude the road trip in Maryland, with the dates labeled as “TBD.”

Humes is a three-star prospect according to 247Sports, but is a four-star on the same website’s composite scale, ranking at No. 55 among cornerbacks and standing at No. 342 nationally.

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All-American high school safety has Gators among top 6 teams

See what the 4-star safety prospect had to say about the Florida Gators football program.

The Florida Gators football program has a chance to land a four-star recruit.

Mainland (Daytona Beach) safety [autotag]Zavier Mincey[/autotag] revealed his top six football programs to 247Sports as the 2024 recruiting cycle nears its conclusion. In no particular order, the prospect listed the likes of Alabama, Miami, Florida State and Florida.

Mincey thinks it’s ideal to have UF so close to his home base of Daytona Beach, and even has a teammate who’s already committed to the Orange and Blue.

“It’s close to home. Not too far, but far enough away,” Mincey said. “My teammate LJ McCray is going there, so I have (UF) in the running.”

The four-star had minimal things to mention about Florida, but shared a lot more interest in the Miami Hurricanes football program.

“I got a great feeling with them. It’s a great place to be,” Mincey said. “I could definitely see myself playing there. That was really important. The coaching staff is a lot of great people.”

Mincey is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 71 recruit in the nation and is highly respected as a safety, ranking at No. 6.

The Sunshine State product is projected to commit to the Alabama Crimson Tide according to 247Sports.

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Florida QB signee shining at UA All-America Game practices

DJ Lagway will join the Florida football team later this month, but right now he’s busy wowing folks at the Under Armour All-America practices.

The papers are signed and Gator Nation is counting down the days until DJ Lagway gets on campus, but first, he will wrap up his high school career at the Under Armour All-America Game on Saturday.

Lagway has been in Orlando all week practicing with Team Fire, and he’s wowed nearly everyone in attendance. Here’s what On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power had to say about Lagway on Sunday.

“DJ Lagway entered the week as the clear headliner among the quarterback group. Through two days he’s lived up to that billing as the top arm in Orlando,” Power said. “… He looks to have the livest arm in attendance. The ball jumps out of his hand. Lagway is able to get the ball downfield when targeting vertical routes with ease. He had a number of impressive throws in 1-on-1’s on Sunday, putting the ball on the money while throwing to a talented wide receiver group for Team Fire.”

Lagway has also broken off big runs during practice, but there are still gaps in his game. Power said that Lagway’s mechanics lack consistency, but that is expected with incoming true freshmen.

When Lagway takes the field on Saturday, it will be his last time starting a game for a while. Graham Mertz is returning to Florida for one more year, which could mean Lagway ends up redshirting behind him.

Still, the blue-chip signal caller says his goal is to compete for the starting job as quickly as possible.

“I see myself as a program changer and I think I can help do the same things at Florida,” Lagway said to Swamp247. “I can honestly see the vision coach Napier has and the plan he has for me. That’s what kept me locked in this whole year.”

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LSU signee pushing for top tight end spot in 2024 class at All-American Bowl

Trey’Dez Green could be the consensus No. 1 tight end by the end of the week.

The nation’s top high school talent has arrived in San Antonio for the All-American Bowl, which will take place on Saturday.

LSU has a few commits in attendance, including tight end [autotag]Trey’Dez Green[/autotag], one of the top tight end prospects in the entire nation and the No. 2 player in the state of Louisiana behind defensive lineman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag], who flipped to the Tigers from Texas A&M on Sunday night.

Some services rank Green as the No. 1 tight end in the 2024 cycle, though On3’s rankings currently have Alabama signee Caleb Odom in that spot. The battle for the top tight end spot is one On3 highlighted ahead of the All-American game.

Two of On3’s top three tight end prospects are set to be at the All-American Bowl with LSU signee Trey’Dez Green (No. 36) and Penn State signee Luke Reynolds (No. 39) making their way to San Antonio. The battle for the nation’s top tight end is one of the more interesting rankings questions. Could Green or Reynolds challenge Alabama signee Caleb Odom as the No. 1 tight end? A converted basketball player with a 6-foot-6.5, 230 pound frame and high-end play speed, Green is one of the bigger mismatches in the 2024 cycle. Reynolds has a prototypical skill set for the position as a top athlete who can change directions within his routes and has a grittiness to his game.

The All-American Bowl will be held at the Alamodome on Saturday and will be televised on NBC.

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BREAKING: LSU flips 5-star defensive lineman Dominick McKinley from Texas A&M

The top player in Louisiana dropped a New Year’s surprise.

As the New Year’s ball dropped on the East Coast, LSU dropped its biggest recruiting coup of the 2024 cycle.

Just after 11 p.m. CT on New Year’s Eve, five-star Lafayette Acadiana defensive lineman [autotag]Dominick McKinley[/autotag] — the No. 1 prospect in the state of Louisiana — flipped from Texas A&M to LSU.

McKinley is a top-30 nationally according to the 247Sports Composite, and he committed to the Aggies back in September. But the Tigers have continued to put the pressure on him, and while he had an official visit scheduled for Jan. 12, it seems McKinley didn’t need to take that trip to make up his mind.

With McKinley on board, LSU’s 2024 class now ranks seventh nationally per On3. The Tigers also now hold commitments from nine of the top 10 players in the state of Louisiana, including each of the top three.

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