Tag: Gregory Smith

Gators linebacker at SEC media days names 4 teammates to watch

Shemar James thinks everyone needs to keep an eye on these four fellow defensive players in 2024.

SEC media days have come and gone, and the past week has offered many delicious morsels to help tide the nation’s appetite until the start of the college football season at the end of August.

One story of interest for fans of the Florida Gators comes from junior linebacker [autotag]Shemar James[/autotag], who was one of three players along with head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] to represent the Orange and Blue in Dallas, Texas.

He had some encouraging words about his team’s secondary this fall, naming four members of the secondary when asked if there are any defenders on his side of the ball that people do not know about yet.

“[autotag]Gregory Smith[/autotag], a freshman that came in, [autotag]Jameer Grimsley[/autotag], another freshman,” James offered first.

“[autotag]DJ Douglas[/autotag]…” he followed. “Got [autotag]Trikweze Bridges[/autotag], a transfer from Oregon. Those are some names that we have in the household right now that I believe are going to make a big splash this year.”

Gators four who will ‘make a big splash’

Smith was a four-star recruit and ranked No. 319 overall and No. 13 at the athlete position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at No. 262 overall and 19 at safety nationally in the 2024 cycle.

Grimsley was a top-100 transfer after enrolling early with the Alabama Crimson Tide but departed after the retirement of Nick Saban.

Douglas finished the 2023 campaign at Tulane with 54 tackles (39 solo), three interceptions, two pass breakups and a tackle-for-loss over 13 games with 12 starts at safety.

Bridges played cornerback and nickel at Oregon but switched to safety by coming to Gainesville. His peak came in 2022 when he started all 13 games, amassing 49 tackles (including a tackle for a loss), three interceptions and a forced fumble at cornerback that season.

Florida’s 2024 season opener

The Florida and the Miami Hurricanes open their schedule on Aug. 31 in Gainesville, Florida. Kickoff time is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

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Coveted Sunshine State ATH signs LOI with Florida football

This late-blooming athlete could be a huge get for the Gators down the line.

Florida football added another in-state recruit to its list of official signees with the program on Wednesday afternoon with the addition of three-star safety [autotag]Gregory Smith[/autotag] III out of Riverview (Florida) Sumner.

The 6-foot-4-inch, 195-pound defensive back has been verbally committed to the Gators since the day after Billy Napier’s staff extended a scholarship offer in October.

He made an official visit to Gainesville earlier this month which appears to have cinched things for both parties. The Sunshine State product also made official visits with the Toledo Rockets, Virginia Cavaliers and Vanderbilt Commodores, but the Orange and Blue just offered more.

“Florida offered, and they started showing love quick. I love that about them,” he told Swamp247’s Blake Alderman. “I got to know the staff really quick, probably the first two weeks. It’s really not that far, things like that. Every chance I get, they invite me up, so I take the opportunity to come up here. When I first came up here I got the OV set up. This is my last visit, my last OV for the year. I enjoyed it though.”

It is worth noting that Smith played most of his high school career at quarterback, but his physical talents project him much higher on the opposite side of the line.

“They just see me being someone to fit in well if I came up there,” Smith pnoted. “They have DB’s, but they said I have good speed, and they think I read offenses good. I play QB also for my team, and I feel like playing that position has helped me know what offenses are doing when I am on defense. I have the brain of a QB sort of as a DB.”

Smith is ranked No. 543 overall and No. 35 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 489 and 47, respectively.

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Gators hosts in-state ATH on official visit ahead of decision

Defensive back Gregory Smith III will announce his college commitment on Wednesday. The Florida Gators just hosted him on an official visit over the weekend.

Sumner High (Florida) safety [autotag]Gregory Smith[/autotag] has been a frequent visitor to the University of Florida this year, and he wrapped up his recruitment with an official visit to the Swamp over the weekend.

Smith has been high on UF since they offered, and getting to experience the perks of an official visit only impressed him more, according to Swamp247’s Blake Alderman who spoke with him after the visit.

“Florida offered, and they started showing love quick. I love that about them,” Smith said. “I got to know the staff really quick, probably the first two weeks. It’s really not that far, things like that. Every chance I get, they invite me up, so I take the opportunity to come up here. When I first came up here I got the OV set up. This is my last visit, my last OV for the year. I enjoyed it though.”

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Of course, the elephant in the room here is that Smith is a defensive back and Florida doesn’t have anyone to coach him (officially). All signs point to Los Angeles Chargers assistant defensive backs coach Will Harris moving to Gainesville, but the university has yet to make that hiring official. (Editor’s note: It is now official)

Smith is expecting to meet with Harris in the coming days, though, which could point toward his impending decision. On Dec. 3, Smith named a top six of Florida, Ole Miss, South Florida, Toledo, Vanderbilt and Virginia. He’ll announce his college commitment on Wednesday, Dec. 13.

Smith holds three-star status everywhere but On3, which puts him inside the top 300 and No. 28 among safeties in the class. The On3 industry ranking, which uses a weighted average of all four major recruiting services, has him down at No. 485 nationally, though.

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Florida will welcome highly touted recruits for one last weekend

The Florida Gators plan to welcome a handful of recruits for one last weekend in December.

The Florida Gators football season came to its unfortunate conclusion on Saturday night, after the Orange and Blue fell to arch-rival Florida State Seminoles, 24-15.

The Gators won’t be competing in a bowl game this year, so now the program’s attention will turn to the recruiting trail. Step one of the process has already started and the weekend of Dec. 8 will be monumental for recruiting the class of 2024.

The weekend will be the final time that UF is allowed to schedule official visits and put in their final word before national signing day.

Florida is expecting a lot of highly-touted recruits to pay a visit, from the uncommitted and committed, here’s a few highlights of the prospects who plan to visit the UF facilities.

Uncommitted four-star athlete from Tampa, Florida, [autotag]Gregory Smith[/autotag] will be the Gators’ greatest hope for signing someone who falls in the uncommitted category. Smith is the No. 47 safety in the nation and is No. 284 on the national rating system, according to On3 Sports.

Two commits to other SEC schools are also confirmed to be visiting Florida, four-star cornerback Jameer Grimsley and four-star running back Jadan Baugh.

Grimsley is the No. 19 ranked cornerback in the nation and No. 231 among all recruits in the Class of 2024, but he’s verbally committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Meanwhile, Jadan Baugh is the No. 28 running back and the No. 352 prospect nationally.

The only Florida commit who’s confirmed to be visiting is three-star German recruit Noel Portnjagin, the No. 78 offensive lineman and the No. 2 recruit from Germany.

The Florida Gators currently hold the No. 5 spot for recruiting the Class of 2024, falling two spots after a handful of their commits flipped elsewhere.

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Huskers offer class of 2024 recruit out of Florida

A class of 2024 recruit picked up an offer from the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Sunday afternoon.

A class of 2024 recruit picked up an offer from the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Sunday afternoon. Gregory Smith of Riverview (Fla.) Sumner announced the offer on social media.

“After a talk with (secondary/defensive pass game coordinator) Coach Evan Cooper, I am blessed to receive an offer from the Huskers.”

Smith is a 6-4, 200-pound athlete currently rated three stars by the major recruiting services. The recruit was in Gainesville over the weekend on an unofficial visit.

He has yet to take any official visits and plans on making a visit to Lincoln soon. Smith told recruiting service On3 (subscription required) that he is planning on scheduling a visit in November.

“We are planning on taking an official visit to Nebraska. I didn’t get a chance to schedule one yet. We are still talking.”

The prospect has picked up offers from Florida, Virginia Tech, Virginia, and Nebraska since Thursday.

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Gators offer rising in-state DB recruit, will host this weekend on visit

This fast-rising two-way high school high school senior just got an offer from the Orange and Blue Thursday night.

Billy Napier and Co. extended a scholarship offer Thursday night to a fast-rising Sunshine State prospect in the 2024 recruiting class.

Three-star defensive back [autotag]Gregory Smith[/autotag] out of Sumner (Florida) is the latest prep prospect to earn an offer from Florida after exploding on the scene as a two-way player from Riverview. The 6-foot-4-inch and 195-pound high school senior has passed for 626 yards and 13 touchdowns while adding 187 yards and four scores on the ground so far this fall while also notching 18 tackles, 3 pass breakups, plus an interception, caused fumble and a fumble recovery.

The talented athlete is expected to slot in at the safety position in the Swamp. Additionally, it appears that Napier and his army of staffers have made him feel very welcome in Gainesville.

“The offer from UF made me feel different,” Smith told Gators Online. “During this recruiting, they took their time and once they offered me, UF and their coaching staff took me in their hands quickly and showed much love for me. I am honored and thankful for this opportunity from UF. I will be up there this weekend!”

Florida hosts the Vanderbilt Commodores this Saturday for its annual homecoming game. Kickoff time is slated for 4 p.m. EDT.

Smith is ranked No. 742 overall and No. 73 at the athlete position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while On3 and its industry ranking do not have any information for him.

However, the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine does have data, with the South Florida Bulls in the lead with a 15.7% chance of landing him, followed by Florida (13.7%), Florida State Seminoles (11.8%) and Tulane Blue Wave (9.8%).

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