Tag: Florida recruiting

Four-star DL Kelby Collins commits to Florida

Kelby Collins committed to Florida, becoming the Gators’ SEC-leading 16th four-star recruit in the class of 2023.

Florida shored up its defensive line of the future on Saturday by picking up the commitment of a lineman ranked by some recruiting outlets as a top-5 DL in the class of 2023.

Kelby Collins, a four-star player out of Gardendale (Ala.) High School, announced he will be a Gator next season. Rivals lists him as the fourth-best DL and No. 40 player overall in the class, while ESPN has him as the fifth-best defensive lineman and No. 63 player overall. 247Sports is lower on Collins, giving him a ranking of No. 173 in the class of 2023.

The 6-foot-5, 280-pound lineman recorded 75 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 12 sacks as a junior in only eight games played, per MaxPreps.

He chose Florida over Alabama and Georgia, the other schools in his top-three, according to Saturday Down South. 247Sports reported that he had 29 total offers.

This is Florida football’s second commit of the week. On Wednesday, four-star linebacker Jaden Robinson committed to the Gators. Robinson, who had 24 offers, is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 32 linebacker in the class of 2023.

Florida’s recruiting class is ranked the 12th-best in the nation. Though there has yet to be a five-star player committed to the program, the Gators have made up for it in depth, with 16 four-star players promised to the team. That is more than any other program in the SEC.

Texas Football: Is Cedric Baxter the beginning of a burnt orange raid on Florida?

Cedric Baxter and Payton Kirkland may not be the only elite Florida players that Texas wins.

Steve Sarkisian is recruiting Florida as well as Charlie Strong did, if not better. He’s just doing so much more efficiently.

It is easy to see what coaches like about football in that state. Florida has a reputation for being in the same tier as California and Texas for producing the best high school prospects. Albeit, the top football state on the East Coast hasn’t always been a winning battleground for Texas, until now.

In the span of about a month, Sarkisian has landed two of Texas’ top four recruits from Florida since 2010. According to the first Florida commitment of the class, there could be more on the way.

Four-star offensive lineman Payton Kirkland has his sights set on elite edge rusher Damon Wilson. Wilson, a five-star player from the Sunshine State, seemed like a pipe dream not long ago. With the growing connections to Texas within Florida, Wilson might be a realistic possibility for the Longhorns.

Here is a list of Florida prospects Texas has a chance to sign in the 2023 recruiting class.

Florida commit Aidan Mizell used real alligators in his commitment

Aidan Mizell brought a living prop to his commitment address: real gators to announce he’ll play for the Florida Gators.

With the reveal he would be attending Florida, wide receiver Aidan Mizell walked behind the Boone High School (Orlando, Fla.) sign to prove his commitment to the program. He emerged with real, living gators.

There was a cry of excitement from the crowd as he approached the microphone once again with the small alligators, presumably babies, and spoke to the audience.

The four-star wide receiver, listed on the 247Sports Composite as the No. 72 in the class of 2023, is the highest-ranked player in Florida’s recruiting class. He’s also the player to commit with the most flair. Blake Alderman of 247Sports tweeted a video of the event:

The 247Sports account tweeted the video from a different angle, showing a closer look of the reveal. The gators appear to have some type of muzzle to protect Mizell and his friends and family around him at the table.

Mizell is one of four players to commit to the Gators in recent days. He had 1,003 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior, and also ran track for Boone. Specializing in the 100- and 400-meter dashes, he finished in seventh place in the 100-meter at the FHSAA Class 4A state championship.

He chose the Gators over Alabama and Tennessee, among 36 other offers, according to 247Sports.

With the weekend wrapped, Florida now has 16 total commits, 14 of which are four-star recruits.

LSU makes the cut for top-50 safety in 2024 class

The four-star prospect included the Tigers in his top 12.

LSU has made quite a few strides when it comes to its 2023 class over the last couple of weeks, adding eight players since the calendar turned to July in a class that now ranks in the top-10 nationally.

However, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the staff aren’t neglecting future targets, either, and the Tigers made the cut for talented four-star Rockledge (FL) safety [autotag]Jaylen Heyward[/autotag], who announced his top 12 on Sunday. Also included in Heyward’s list are Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Michigan, Miami, UCF, Oregon, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

The 5-foot-11.5, 180-pound defensive back ranks as the No. 47 overall prospect and No. 5 safety in the 2024 recruiting class. He told On3 that he has no timetable for making a decision but hopes to narrow his list of teams down to three around this time next year.

LSU may have some ground to make up with the Florida prospect, for whom the in-state UCF Knights are currently considered the favorite. The Knights lead the way on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine at 26.4% followed by the Gators (12.1%), Hurricanes (10.4%) and Seminoles (8.6%).

The in-state schools seem to have all the momentum right now, but the Tigers should have plenty of time to build their relationship with him and, most importantly, get him on campus for an unofficial visit this fall.

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BREAKING: 5-star receiver Jalen Brown commits to LSU

LSU landed its biggest commit of the cycle on Friday.

LSU received its biggest commit of the cycle on Friday.

Five-star receiver Jalen Brown announced he would be committing to LSU, making him the first consensus five-star to join the Tigers’ 2023 recruiting class. Brown chose LSU over Florida State, Michigan, Texas A&M and Miami.

Leading up to his commitment, Brown received a flood of 247Sports Crystal Balls pegging him to LSU and was tabbed as the favorite by On3’s prediction machine as well.

According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Brown is the 29th best player in the class and the fourth-best wide receiver. He’s a top-10 player in the state of Florida.

The 247Sports scouting report described Brown as an elite deep threat with top-level speed. Along with football, Brown is a track star.

There’s a chance for LSU’s 2023 wide receiver class to really stand out if fellow five-star and Baton Rouge prospect [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] — for whom the Tigers are the favorite — joins the group.

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5-star receiver Carnell Tate picks Ohio State over LSU, others

The Tigers were one of the finalists for the 2023 IMG Academy prospect.

LSU got some disappointing but expected news on Monday, as five-star IMG Academy receiver Carnell Tate picked Ohio State over Tennessee, Notre Dame and the Tigers.

Tate, who is originally from Chicago, is ranked as the No. 3 receiver and No. 28 overall player in the 2023 class, per the 247Sports Composite. He took an official visit to Baton Rouge back in April, but the Buckeyes had most of the momentum in recent weeks and were expected to land him leading up to his commitment.

LSU’s 2023 class remains at just five players for now with none of them ranked higher than No. 147 nationally.

That could change soon, though. With Tate off the board, the Tigers will likely shift the bulk of their focus to [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], another five-star 2023 receiver from Baton Rouge. Sampson is considered a heavy LSU lean and could commit after a slate of June official visits.

The Tigers class ranks just 42nd nationally, and now that Tate has gone elsewhere, it just makes some of coach Brian Kelly’s other top targets all the more important.

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LSU offers 4-star athlete from Florida

Robert Stafford has the talent to play on either side of the ball at the next level.

[autotag]Robert Stafford[/autotag] is a 5-foot-11, 171-pound athlete from Melbourne, Florida, where he plays for Eau Gallie High School. As a junior in 2021, Stafford was a two-way player that didn’t get snaps on defense until spring before his junior season. Here’s the 247Sports summary on him.

“On offense as a wide receiver, he caught 42 passes for 605 yards and 5 TDs. On defense, he lined up primarily at cornerback and he was credited with 17 tackles, 5 pass breakups, and an interception in 9 games per MaxPreps.”

Film Analysis: Stafford is a super talented athlete that could play on either side of the ball at the next level. He has excellent speed, quickness, hands, and ball skills that separate him from the rest of the pack.

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LSU Wire breaks down his profile.

Tigers offer four-star wide receiver from Tampa

The Tigers are targeting a 2024 pass-catcher from Florida.

[autotag]Zycarl Lewis Jr.[/autotag] is a 5-foot-10, 160-pound, wide receiver from Tampa where he plays for Carrollwood Day School. In 2020, Lewis was a MaxPreps Freshman All-American. He attended Tampa (Fla.) Jefferson where he totaled 503 yards of offense and five touchdowns on 39 touches in seven games.

Film Analysis: A common mantra on offense is “Get the ball in the hands of your best playmaker.” Lewis is that. He looks like Tyreek Hill. Once he gets the ball in his hands, he is going to shake you, outrun you, or both. He is also a weapon on special teams as he returns kicks and punts and can possibly do it at the next level.

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LSU Wire breaks down his profile.

Tigers offer 2024 running back from the Sunshine State

The Tigers are going after versatile back in Arkese Parks.

[autotag]Arkese Parks[/autotag] is a 6-foot-2, 178-pound, three-star running back in the 2024 class from Tampa where he plays for Wharton High School. Parks is a two-sport athlete that also plays basketball. Last season, Parks was Wharton’s Offensive MVP as he ran for 570 yards and seven touchdowns on 68 carries and caught 13 passes for 165 yards and two more scores.

Film Analysis: With his height, Parks is a taller running back than usual, but that doesn’t prevent him from lowering his pad level and running through people. It looks like Parks is a one-cut back, meaning he plants one foot on the turf, makes a cut and is off to the races. He has plenty of speed to burn as well, which is evident from his kickoff return touchdowns as well as his scores from the backfield.

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LSU Wire breaks down his profile.

Rutgers football offers Florida three-star linebacker Abram Wright

Rutgers football offered Florida three-star linebacker Abram Wright on Tuesday night.

Rutgers football offered Abram Wright this week, becoming the first Power Five program to extend an offer to the Florida linebacker.

The class of 2023 standout from Fleming Island had a tremendous junior season, registering 76 total tackles, seven sacks and an interception. He is a three-star recruit according to 247Sports and is ranked as the No. 99 prospect in Florida as well as the No. 59 linebacker in the nation.

In addition to Rutgers, his offer list includes Delaware, Eastern Kentucky, Georgia Southern, Miami (Ohio), Middle Tennessee State, Troy and UT-Martin.

Fleming Island was 6-5 last season.

Wright tweeted about the recent offer from Rutgers on Tuesday night:

The 2023 recruiting class currently has three verbal commits, with two of the recruits currently top 10 players in New Jersey (four-star defensive lineman [autotag]JaSire Peterson[/autotag] and three-star offensive lineman [autotag]John Stone[/autotag]).

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Three-star wide receiver[autotag] Yazeed Haynes[/autotag] of Pennsylvania recently received an offer from Big Ten rival Minnesota.

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