Tag: commitment date

5-star QB high on Florida following visit, moves up commitment date

Florida looks to be near the top of the list for five-star quarterback DJ Lagway following another game-day visit over the weekend.

Florida’s top quarterback target in the class of 2024, [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag], was in Gainesville over the weekend to see the Gators take on the LSU Tigers. Despite witnessing a UF loss, Lagway had an amazing time on his visit, according to On3‘s Sam Spiegelman.

“Florida this weekend was great,” Lagway said. It’s always great being around the coaching staff. It was a great atmosphere and being able to see the fans is always amazing because the amount of love they show is tremendous. It was just great to be back down in Florida.”

Lagway sees some of himself in Florida’s quarterback, [autotag]Anthony Richardso[/autotag]n, and that player comparison isn’t lost on the coaching staff. He’s their top guy for a reason, and the current scheme should be far more refined by the time Lagway arrives on campus.

Miller’s coach at Willis, Trent Miller, also spoke to On3 following his quarterback’s visit to Florida, and he spoke highly of the Gators’ recruiting approach.

“He’s raved about the environment in the Swamp and being a priority there,” Miller said Lagway. “There’s no way to say Florida hasn’t done the best job recruiting him. Everyone is doing a great job and you can’t miss from these colleges, these atmospheres, and these educations, but Florida has done a good job from a cultural standpoint. They blow him up on Twitter and they have fraternity and sorority houses hanging signs for ‘Lagway To the Swamp’ and 100,000 people screaming his name. They’ve done a good job letting him know he’s the dude we want and to make him feel at home.”

If there’s a school competing with Florida right now, it’s Clemson. Dabo Swinney is leading the charge himself and has the Tigers near the top of his list. Arkansas, LSU, Oklahoma and Texas A&M are candidates to round out a potential top five, and the clock is now officially ticking on Lagway’s recruitment. He originally planned to decide in April, but now he’s thinking that January might be better.

“It’s getting earlier,” Lagway said regarding his decision timeline. “I want to be able to get this going and start recruiting for my class. I wanna get to a few more schools and get the game-day atmosphere. These visits play a big part for me as I evaluate the schools I’m really looking into. After the season, I’ll take a couple of weeks to check out some schools.”

Lagway is ranked No. 30 overall on the 247Sports composite and is No. 5 among quarterbacks in the class of 2024. Interestingly, On3 has him ranked at No. 8 overall in the class and No. 2 among quarterbacks, but he only has four stars to his name. He should pick up that fifth star by his senior year, but Lagway will already be committed by then. Hopefully, to the University of Florida.

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Florida hoping to earn commitments from a pair of DBs on Thursday

The Gators could add a pair of defensive backs to the class of 2023 by the end of the day.

There are two big recruiting announcements set for Thursday, Oct. 13, that the Florida Gators will have an eye on. Milton (Alpharetta, Georgia) safety [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag] will get things started around 3:15 p.m. EDT and pick between Florida and Alabama, and four-star Wharton (Tampa, Florida) cornerback [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] will wrap up the day with his decision around 7 p.m. EDT.

Johnson is the higher-rated recruit of the two at No. 101 overall on the On3 consensus. He’s one of defensive backs coach Corey Raymond’s top targets in the class of 2023 along with [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag] and would be a big addition to the secondary. Florida’s competition for him is down to Miami, Ohio State and USC. Johnson backed off a commitment to the Buckeyes earlier this year, so Florida is considered the favorite heading into the announcement.

Thornton is a three-star caliber safety, according to three of the four major recruiting services. On3 is the only site to give him a four-star grade, but that could change as the second half of the high school season plays out. Thornton is deciding between Alabama and Florida, but the Crimson Tide are pretty loaded at safety with two five-stars under verbal commitment to the program in the cycle. It would be surprising to see Thornton go to Alabama. The assumption is that he’ll find playing time much easier at UF, and there’s certainly more opportunity in Gainesville than there is in Tuscaloosa.

If Florida can land both these defensive backs, the Gators will have a strong incoming group regardless of whether or not McClain commits. At safety, Thornton would join [autotag]Jordan Castell[/autotag], and Johnson would join a trio of four-star cornerbacks — [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag], [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag] and [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag].

It’s worth noting the comments made by former Gator Dee Webb and current UF running back commit Treyaun Webb on Twitter ahead of these two announcements. The Webbs indicated that one of the two wouldn’t pick Florida, and Treyaun’s message was directed at Johnson. Stirring up drama and drawing attention to announcements is the name of the game for the actual recruits, so it would be unwise to read too far into things.

The decision will be coming up soon enough, and Gators Wire will provide updates on each recruit when they make their announcement.

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Florida DB target moves official visit up, locks in commitment date

This could be a big week for the Florida Gators and this Peach State defensive back.

Defensive back [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag] will make his college decision on Thursday, and the Florida Gators are one of two finalists along with Alabama for the Peach State recruit. Florida’s already picked up a pair of crystal ball predictions from the experts at 247Sports, and the Gators received some more good news leading up to decision day. Thornton is moving his official visit up a week to see UF play LSU this weekend, according to a report from Swamp247.

Even though Thornton’s official visit will come after he commits, many believe that he’ll make that trip with a pledge to UF in the books. Alabama is loaded up at safety, and he’s been much closer with the Gators’ staff over the past few months. He’s been to the Swamp four times this year, including a Week 2 trip for the Kentucky game.

Thornton should get time at safety or the nickel (STAR) position once he gets to college. Florida will be losing Trey Dean next season, and the other two starters at those spots, [autotag]Tre’Vez Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Rashad Torrence[/autotag], are both draft eligible.

Thornton is a three-star recruit on both the 247Sports composite and the On3 consensus. On3 is the only site that views him as a four-star recruit and has him at a No. 27 among safeties in the class of 2023, but ESPN isn’t too far behind, ranking him at No. 28 in his position group.

This could be one of Billy Napier’s diamonds in the rough that ends up a four-star when all is said and done. Several commits have seen their grades rise over the season, and there’s still plenty of high school ball to be played.

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Four-star defensive back names LSU a finalist, sets commitment date

The Tigers made the final five for the top-100 prospect from Tampa.

LSU already has five players committed in its 2024 recruiting class — which currently ranks third in the nation — and coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is making progress with an elite prospect from the Sunshine State.

[autotag]Tavoy Feagin[/autotag], a four-star defensive back from Carrollwood Day High School in Tampa, announced a top five that included the Tigers, in addition to Florida State, Clemson, Alabama and Miami. He also announced a commitment date of Nov. 20.

Feagin is the No. 73 overall recruit in the country and No. 6 safety, per the 247Sports Composite. He also possesses the ability to play at cornerback.

“For years people called LSU DBU, so I feel like I can continue that tradition and push what DBU stands for,” Feagin said of the Tigers, per On3. “When it comes to LSU most definitely has one of the best atmospheres in college football.”

Clemson is considered the favorite here. The Tigers hold two Crystal Ball predictions from 247Sports (including recruiting director Steve Wiltfong, who is currently 19 of 19 on predictions in the 2024 cycle). Clemson also leads the way on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine at 25.3%. LSU is given a 5.6% chance to land Feagin.

Kelly has a top-100 player from Florida committed in the 2023 cycle in Miami receiver [autotag]Jalen Brown[/autotag]. He will hope to add one in the 2024 cycle next month.

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This four-star DL has Florida in his top 5, planning Halloween commitment

Four-star defensive lineman Kayden McDonald is down to five schools and the University of Florida is one of them. The Gators will host McDonald on Saturday for their matchup with Missouri.

Four-star defensive lineman Kayden McDonald has narrowed down his college options to five programs — Florida, Clemson, Michigan, Ohio State and Oklahoma.

McDonald caught up with Hayes Fawcett of On3.com and spoke about each of his finalists after making the announcement, and he also set a commitment date of October 31. He’s already been to the Swamp three times this year, including an official visit in June, but McDonald is expected in the Swamp this weekend to see the Gators take on the Missouri Tigers.

“I love Florida,” McDonald said. “ The academics, staff, it’s the SEC, and there are big games every Saturday in the swamp. Coach Napier is building his team one player at a time. Coach Chaos coming from the NFL is a technician. We are real close. I’m comfortable with coach Chaos, coach Reid, coach Chaney, coach PT and pretty much all the staff. Me, my mom, and coach Napier are in a group chat and we talk to him all the time. He’s a players coach, and I like that. Definitely makes Florida a top school.”

Texas and Miami were two other schools McDonald mentioned as dark horse candidates that are still are recruiting him, but he said that he plans to focus on his top five moving forward.

The On3 consensus ranks McDonald at No. 314 overall and No. 43 among defensive linemen in the class of 2023. 247Sports’ individual rankings have him a bit high at No. 243 overall and No. 35 in his position group.

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This 5-star CB will make decision ‘very soon’ with Florida among top 3

The top player on Florida’s recruiting board is nearing a decision. Will Florida be able to land the services of five-star cornerback Cormani McClain?

One of Florida’s top recruiting targets in the class of 2023, five-star cornerback [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag], is nearing a decision, according to 247Sports.

McClain has narrowed his options down to Florida, Alabama and Miami, and he told Andrew Ivins that he’s looking to get things over with sooner rather than later.

“I don’t got a date yet, but it will probably be soon. Very soon,” McClain said. “I’m just trying to get it over with and stay focused on one school.”

The Gators hosted McClain during Week 1 for a big win over Utah. He liked what he saw and still has confidence in the program after a pair of losses. That was an unofficial visit, which leaves the door open for an official one later on, but McClain said he hasn’t set anything up yet.

“They showed me a lot and impressed me a lot,” he said. “I think they can turn it around this year.”

Alabama will host him on an official visit in two weeks when Texas A&M comes to Tuscaloosa. If McClain is serious about speeding up his timeline, Florida may push to get him back on campus for the Oct. 15 matchup with LSU. He’s expected to sign in December during the early signing period and enroll in the spring.

The 247Sports composite ranks McClain No. 2 overall in the class of 2023 and No. 1 among all defensive players. He’d be the crown jewel of the class and a big win for [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] over Alabama and Miami.

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Blue-chip LSU defensive line target moves up commitment date

Eldric Hill moved his commitment date from Sept. 24 to Aug. 22.

It seems a college decision from four-star 2023 defensive lineman [autotag]Edric Hill[/autotag] will come sooner than expected.

The North Kansas City prospect was originally set to announce his commitment on Sept. 24, but he told On3 that he will be moving his decision up more than a month and is now set to make the announcement next week on Aug. 22.

Hill will decide between a final six of LSU, Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon and USC.

“I am ready,” Hill said. “I really had that itch to go ahead and commit, so I moved it up a month. There is a school that feels like home for me, I have found the place I want to be, and there is no reason for me to wait until next month.

“It came down to relationships and how comfortable this coaching staff made me and my family feel. Me and my parents have relationships with the coaches, they have a plan for me, and my feeling about this school is different. I know where I want to go.”

Hill took official visits this summer to Baton Rouge (June 10), Los Angeles (June 16) and Tuscaloosa (June 24). He also made an unofficial trip to Norman to visit the Sooners in June.

The Crimson Tide are considered the favorite for Hill, holding all three Crystal Ball predictions from 247Sports. ‘Bama also leads the way on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine by a wide margin at 96.7%.

It would be a fairly major surprise if coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] can pull the talented midwest lineman, who ranks as the No. 183 prospect in the nation on the 247Sports Composite, away from Alabama.

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Blue-chip target Khai Prean sets commitment date

LSU is a heavy favorite for the in-state athlete.

LSU has a lot of momentum in the recruitment of four-star St. James athlete [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag], and it seems that process is heading toward a conclusion.

On Saturday, Prean announced that he will be making his college decision on Tuesday. He’s down to four finalists, which include Auburn, Florida State, Mississippi State and the Tigers.

In-state LSU is considered the heavy favorite by the On3 RPM. Just two days ago, the Tigers had a 79.3% chance of landing him. After he set his commitment date, their odds rose to 97.8%.

They also hold five Crystal Ball projections for Prean from 247Sports — including one from the director of football recruiting, Steve Wiltfong, who has an accuracy of 97.45% on 314 predictions in this cycle.

Since picking up an offer from the Tigers in March, he has made the 30-mile trip to Baton Rouge a handful of times, including at the end of July.

“When I went up (to Baton Rouge) for the junior day, I got to meet Coach Frank (Wilson) and I really like the type of person he is,” Prean told On3 last month. “He’s real straightforward, doesn’t hold anything back, and I feel like that’s one person I can go to with anything.

“I got to sit down with Coach Kelly and meet him and knowing he’s the coach with the most wins; sitting down with and him talking to him one-on-one, I liked how he carried himself and with the most wins, he kept his composure and was humble. That’s what I like to see in a head coach and I liked his plan to use me across the middle, to create mismatches in the defense and in the passing game. He compared me to [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag] and said I had the toughness you can’t teach.”

LSU had a big month on the recruiting trail in July, and that success has carried into August. Since the beginning of the month, it has landed five-star receiver [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], four-star safety [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag] and four-star quarterback [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag].

Prean — who plays running back and safety while also returning kicks for St. James High School — is the nation’s No. 256 player, according to the 247Sports Composite. LSU’s 2023 class currently ranks sixth in the nation, and landing Prean could boost it into the top five.

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Elite 2023 DE Hunter Osborne names top four schools

Osborne goes in-depth on his top four schools ahead of his upcoming decision.

Four-star 2023 defensive end Hunter Osborne is getting close to a college decision. Continue reading “Elite 2023 DE Hunter Osborne names top four schools”

4-star safety moves up commitment date, names Florida in top 3

Four-star safety Jordan Castel is moving up his decision date after talking with his family, and Florida is among his three finalists.

Instead of deciding on the first day of October, four-star safety [autotag]Jordan Castell[/autotag] will announce his college decision on July 30. Andrew Ivins of 247Sports says he’s down to just three schools: Florida, Alabama and Tennessee.

The Gators hosted him on two occasions. The first was an unofficial on March 31, and the second was his only official visit leading up to the decision. Florida is the only school Castell has been to twice and is the crystal ball leader for him with three predictions submitted in its favor. On3’s recruiting prediction machine gives him a 90.8% chance to land the recruit as well, so it’s safe to say that the Gators are the favorites with the new commitment date rapidly approaching.

“Florida, there’s just a lot of love and I can see how they are setting up their players for the next level, especially with Coach (Corey) Raymond and Coach (Patrick) Toney,” Castell said. “I have seen what those guys have done at the programs they were at in the past.”

He could end up playing either safety or cornerback for the Gators. He spent most of his junior year at outside cornerback for West Orange High, so that might be where he winds up long-term.

Castell is ranked No. 219 overall on the 247Sports composite and No. 16 among safeties in the class of 2023. On3 is more bullish on him, ranking him at No. 130 overall and No. 10 at his position.

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