Tag: Creed Whittemore

Florida WR Trent Whittemore announces transfer plans

Trent Whittemore announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Monday after receiving minimal playing time at Florida this season.

Florida wide receiver [autotag]Trent Whittemore[/autotag] announced his decision to enter the transfer portal on Monday on Twitter.

Whittemore won’t be able to officially enter the portal until Dec. 5, but it’s not unusual for players to leave the team early in anticipation of the move. It helps keep their bodies healthy, which is a smart move for someone like Whittemore who has seen his snaps decrease significantly from year-to-year.

A Gainesville native, Whittemore played for his father at Bucholz High School before signing with the Gators. He redshirted after playing in two games his freshman year and suffered a broken rib/punctured lung during his sophomore campaign (the 2020 season was shortened by COVID as well). Whittemore’s junior year finally saw him healthy and productive in the Gators’ offense, but the coaching change seemed to leave without a defined role on the team.

[autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] transferred to Florida and took over the slot position that Whittemore was expected to compete for. Whittemore’s 27 snaps played on the season pale in comparison to Pearsall’s 228, so it’s easy to understand the decision to transfer.

Another factor that may have contributed to the decision, or vice-versa, is Whittemore’s younger brother decommitting from UF. [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag], who plays all over the field at Bucholz, backed off his pledge to the Gators following Florida’s loss to LSU in October.

Creed Whittemore ended up flipping his commitment to Mississippi State, so that could be a possible landing spot for his older brother.

Billy Napier said from day one that attrition was expected with this team, and we’re starting to see exactly that. Expect more familiar names to enter the portal in the next month or so.

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Friday Night Notes: Notre Dame finds Love, Clemson reclaims big OT commitment, plus more

Emptying out the high school recruiting notebook from the past week.

USA TODAY High School Sports‘ Friday Night Notes is a weekly high school recruiting recap that looks at the latest news from around the country—from the Class of 2023 to ’24 and beyond.

Notre Dame hosted Stanford last Saturday and lost the game 16-14. The Fighting Irish got quite a consolation prize, though. They were hosting one of the top recruits in the class of 2023 for an official visit: Christian Brothers College (Mo.) running back Jeremiyah Love.

Love must have been impressed by whatever he saw during his trip to South Bend. He has committed to playing college ball for Notre Dame, taking some of the sting out of Saturday’s loss.

247Sports

Love (6-foot-0, 190 pounds) is ranked the third-best athlete in the class of 2023 and No. 66 overall, according to 247Sports. He had offers from 33 other schools, including Michigan, Alabama and Texas A&M.

That makes for 23 hard commits for Notre Dame’s class of 2023, which is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation, just a few points behind Georgia. Love is the second running back in the class, joining three-star prospect Dylan Edwards from Derby (Kansas).

Moving on, here’s what else we’ve got in the notebook…

Gators lose commitment from local WR recruit following LSU loss

Florida has one of the best incoming receiver classes in the country under commitment, but one player just backed off their pledge.

Florida lost its first commitment of the 2023 cycle on Sunday. Three-star athlete [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag], the brother UF wide receiver [autotag]Trent Whittemore[/autotag], backed off his verbal pledge via a post on Twitter.

Whittemore’s decommitment comes the day after Florida’s 45-35 loss to LSU. The loss probably didn’t help, but Whittemore’s been looking at options for a bit. He’s coming off an official visit to Mississippi State and holds offers from Penn State, Miami and UCF among others. It doesn’t seem like Florida has a shot to get him back with a deep wide receiver class already locked down. It’s possible that a crowded room contributed to Whittemore’s decision too.

Florida has a trio of incoming four-star receivers under verbal commitment. [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag], an Orlando area speedster ranked in the top 100 on the 247Sports composite, leads the group. [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] and [autotag]Andy Jean[/autotag] are the other four-star receivers coming to Gainesville next year. [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag], who is rated as a three-star recruit but has had some monster games during his senior year, rounds out the group.

Losing Whittemore hurts the team, but Florida’s got plenty of talent to fall back on. Hopefully, the decommitment does create a domino effect for the Gators. UF is still ranked No. 8 in the 2023 cycle by On3 and 247Sports, but another decommitment could change that.

Whittemore is ranked No. 432 overall on the 247Sports composite and is No. 28 among athletes, but the site’s individual rankings are a bit more bullish on him. The Top247 has him at No. 171 nationally and No. 12 among athletes. He should get a decent amount of attention now that he’s opened things back up.

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Florida commits in action during Week 2 of high school football

Take a look at how Florida’s top recruits fared this past week on the high school gridiron.

Week one of college football was plenty exciting, but there was still high school football action as well, and Florida’s commits put up some highlights.

Two players were on a bye, four-star receiver [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] and four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Will Norman[/autotag]. The latter has had an interesting high school journey that took another turn over the weekend.

A good chunk of the class was in attendance for Florida’s upset win over the Utah Utes on Saturday as well. Seeing the Swamp over capacity and experiencing Billy Napier’s first game day as the head coach of the Gators sat well with them.

Here’s a look at what Florida’s recruiting class of 2023 did over the weekend.

Highlights from Florida commits over first full weekend high school action

High school football is in full swing and the Florida Gators’ commits are putting up highlight after highlight.

High school football is in full swing across the country and that means there are highlights to watch from Florida’s commitments in the class of 2023.

While everyone was in action, high school clips are tougher to find than college football clips or NFL action. A good chunk of the class has some sort of media available, though, so that’s what we’re looking at here today.

Four-star running back [autotag]Treyaun Webb[/autotag] had the best week with 191 yards on 18 carries in a 48-40 win on Friday. Four-star receiver [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] also shined with six catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

[autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag] left his game early with an apparent knee injury in the first quarter and didn’t return, but Gator Country’s Nick Marcinko noted that he appeared to be okay watching from the sidelines.

Florida’s quarterback commit, [autotag]Marcus Stokes[/autotag], had a rough day, completing just five of 20 pass attempts for 76 yards and an interception. He did manage to score a rushing touchdown to make up for the turnover, though.

[autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag], who is listed as an athlete, was 10-14 for 126 yards and a touchdown Thursday. He added 71 yards on the ground and a pair of scores on a field that was ruined by the weather.

Three-star wide receiver [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag] had a nice 100-yard game with a touchdown despite a team loss Friday.

2024 DL recruit set return visit after being wowed by new facility

This 2024 defensive lineman target got an early gander at Florida’s new facility and came away impressed.

The newly unveiled James W. Heavener Football Training Center has already begun to make a big impression on both the staff and the players of Florida football’s program, even extending to prospective prep prospects.

Among those in the latter group who recently came away impressed with the new edifice was 2024 three-star defensive lineman [autotag]Kendall Jackson[/autotag] out of nearby Buchholz High in Gainesville, who attended Florida’s Friday Night Lights event at the end of July, which included a tour of the facility prior to its official opening.

“Before the camp started, I took a little visit around the new facility before it was finished to see where the Gators are going to be living pretty much,” he told Gators Online. “The new facility is amazing; I’m not going to lie. Just walking through there and seeing the different rooms and things they got for the players was impressive.”

The impression the new digs made on the 6-foot-4-inch, 250-pound rising junior was clearly positive. He now plans on joining the myriad of recruits in attendance for Florida’s season opener against the Utah Utes, which is his only scheduled visit set for the fall so far.

Jackson also has a connection to the program through his late uncle Aubrey Hill, who was a major player during the [autotag]Steve Spurrier[/autotag] era, as well as his mother who is a UF alumna.

If the in-state target signs with the Gators, he would join Buchholz teammates wide receiver [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Gavin Hill[/autotag] — who committed in the 2023 class — in wearing the beloved Orange and Blue.

Jackson is ranked No. 407 overall and No. 37 at his position in his class nationally according to the 247Sports composite, while the On3 consensus has him at Nos. 376 and 34, respectively. The Gators hold the lone crystal ball prediction from 247Sports while On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has Florida an overwhelming favorite for the young athlete’s talents with a 99.3% chance of signing him.

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Two Florida coaches in top 15 of 247Sports’ recruiter rankings

Florida’s coaching staff has been on a roll lately, and much of it is thanks to two men in particular. 247Sports has them in their top 15.

When [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] assembled his staff at the University of Florida, he said that he wanted to prioritize recruiting. Twenty commitments into the class of 2023 and one class of 2024 four-star verbally pledge to the Orange and Blue, it’s safe to say that Napier was successful, and the numbers back it up.

Co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag] is ranked No. 7 on the 247Sports 2023 football recruiter rankings, and [autotag]Keary Colbert[/autotag] is ranked No. 11, which is good for the second-highest placement of any wide receivers coach on the list.

Spencer has been the primary recruiter on five of Florida’s commitments and has played a secondary role in the recruitment of two others. He’s directly responsible for the additions of No. 70 [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag], No. 145 [autotag]Will Norman[/autotag], No. 205 [autotag]Isaiah Nixon[/autotag], No. 218 [autotag]Kamran James[/autotag] and four-star [autotag]Gavin Hill[/autotag]. Despite the battery of four-stars committed to Florida thanks to Spencer, he ranks fourth among defensive line recruiters in the country. Clemson‘s Nick Eason, Notre Dame‘s Al Washington and Alabama‘s Freddie Roach are all ranked above Spencer in ascending order.

Still, it’s clear that coach Chaos’ stint in the NFL paid off, and he’s once again at the top of the recruiting game. Florida has the potential to bring in the strongest defensive line classes in the upcoming cycle, assuming all commitments put pen to paper during one of the signing periods.

Colbert has been the primary on five recruits as well, all of whom will play receiver for UF. No. 78 [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag] leads the group and should be paired with No. 142 [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] to do some damage. Four-stars [autotag]Andy Jean[/autotag] and [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag] round out the blue-chip names in the class and three-star [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag] adds some depth to the class. And there’s potential to add more receivers to the group.

The only other receivers coach ranked higher by 247Sports is Ohio State‘s Brian Hartline, who has brought in four recruits that average a 96.48 grade. The next receivers coach on the list is Texas’ Brennan Marion at No. 20 and three commits under his belt.

Florida’s other co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] is ranked No. 31 and the only other Gator inside the top 100. Cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] should be next to break that threshold if he can add one of his high-profile targets. Currently ranked No. 101, adding either four-star [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] or five-star [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag] should do the trick for Raymond.

Outside linebackers coach [autotag]Mike Peterson[/autotag] is ranked No. 111, offensive coordinator and offense line coach [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] is ranked No. 188, inside linebacker coach [autotag]Jay Bateman[/autotag] is No. 190, tight ends coach [autotag]William Peagler[/autotag] is No. 240 and running backs coach [autotag]Jabbar Juluke[/autotag] rounds out the group at No. 338 on the list. Assistant offensive line coach [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag] received secondary credits for four commitments and ranks No. 259 as well.

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Gators pushing hard for local defensive lineman in class of 2024

Billy Napier has done well to keep local talent at home, and now he’s looking at another recruit in the Gainesville area.

If there is one thing Billy Napier has made clear since taking over the Florida Gators football team it’s that he wants to make UF the most desirable university in the state.

Napier has done well to bring in local talent, with 14 of the 16 recruits committed to the Gators in the class of 2023 coming out of Florida while the other two are Georgia kids. Two of those 14 are from Gainesville: four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Gavin Hill[/autotag] and three-star athlete [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag]. Both are rising seniors at F.W. Bucholz High, but there’s also a rising junior that Napier has his eye on, three-star defensive lineman [autotag]Kendall Jackson[/autotag], according to 247Sports.

UF offered Jackson back in June after an impressive showing at one of the team’s Day One camps. Since then, the coaching staff has kept in touch with them and their message to Jackson is a familiar one: stay in Florida and be great at home.

“Their message to me is all the same. It’s they want me to stay home,” Jackson said. “That is pretty much the message every coach I talked to had. They said they want me to stay home. I talk with Coach (Kali) James from time to time when I call him … Coach James wants to make sure he keeps you close and let you know he is going to love you and that he wants you to be a Gator.”

At the time of the offer, Jackson wasn’t as well known in the recruiting space as he is now. He now holds the No. 388 overall spot on the 247Sports composite and is No. 33 among defensive linemen in the class. The service has him listed at No. 26 among those at his position in the site’s standalone rankings as well.

Those numbers could improve with a strong senior year, and Jackson is already receiving interest from some other Power Five programs. Miami is the other main school he’s gotten to know well over the summer, and he hopes to stop by both programs as well as Georgia and UCF over the course of the season.

There’s still plenty of time until he needs to make a decision, but Jackson says Florida is playing its cards the right way.

“Florida definitely is a top school for me,” he said. “I don’t necessarily have a number for anything right now. I am just keeping it open.”

Being a local talent, missing out on Jackson could look bad for the Gators, especially if it’s to the likes of another in-state program. Expect the UF staff to keep pushing for him until a decision is made.

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This 4-star South Florida wide receiver has UF in his top 5

Florida landed in four-star wide receiver Andy Jean’s top five. Could the Gators add another receiver to the class of 2023?

The Florida Gators are in the mix for another elite receiver from the class of 2023. Northwestern (Miami, Florida) four-star [autotag]Andy Jean[/autotag] narrowed things down to five schools on Saturday: Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Miami and Texas A&M.

Jean’s recruitment has been an interesting one to follow. He committed to the Hurricanes back in late January but backed off that pledge by March after making an unofficial visit to the Swamp. Miami is the closest team to him in proximity so it’s been fairly easy for Mario Cristobal’s staff to get together with Jean, but he only took officials to TAMU and UF over the summer. The other three should come during the season to see how teams and coaches react in person.

Following his official visit to Florida, Jean named the Gators as the current leaders in his recruitment, according to 247Sports.

“It got Florida at the top for sure,” Jean said. “They are my leader for sure right now. Cuz the energy and the culture. Florida is a place that is building. I want to go to a school that is building. Not just have something. I want to help build and be a legend wherever I go.”

The Gators have already earned commitments from three wide receivers in the class, four-star [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag], three-star [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag] and three-star [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag]. But [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] is looking to bring in an elite class at the position and adding another four-star like Jean gets the job done.

He’s ranked No. 299 nationally on the 247Sports Composite and is No. 38 among receivers in the class of 2023. Florida is currently the favorite to land him with an 86.0% chance, according to the On3 recruiting prediction machine.

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2023 Recruiting Profile: 4-star WR Eugene Wilson III deciding between UF and TAMU

The Gators could add another receiver to the class of 2023 if four-star Eugene Wilson picks UF over Texas A&M.

Wide receiver was a position of need for [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and the Florida Gators coming into the 2023 recruiting cycle. Adding [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] through the transfer portal and earning commitments from [autotag]Tyree Patterson [/autotag]and [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag] might be enough to fill the holes in Florida’s depth chart, but there’s another pass catcher that Napier and Co. are looking to add: four-star Gaither High receiver [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag].

A Tampa-area product, Wilson is among the uncommitted receivers left at the top of Florida’s board and things look good for the orange and blue. He’s called UF his dream school in the past and quickly picked up recruiting predictions from both 247Sports and On3 after visiting campus in early March.

He’s since returned to Gainesville on three more occasions, including what’s looking like the final official visit of his recruitment (June 17). Texas A&M is the other school left in the race, and there’s some confidence that it’s a toss-up between the two programs, but Florida is considered the favorite here.

While he doesn’t have a specific date in mind for when he’ll announce his commitment, Wilson says a decision is close. Here is a deeper look at one of Florida’s top offensive targets: