Tag: Ja’Keem Jackson

2023 Florida Football Position Preview: Cornerbacks

Jason Marshall Jr. is Florida’s top corner once again to start the 2023 season, but there is a ton of competition for the No. 2 spot.

Florida lost two cornerbacks to the transfer portal over the offseason, but the four strongest players in the position room — Jaydon Hill, Jalen Kimber, Jason Marshall Jr., and Devin Moore — are all returning for the 2023 campaign.

Marshall will lead the group as he looks to be the next UF cornerback drafted in the first round. The potential has always been there, but he’s had a relatively quiet career at Florida through three seasons. This could be the year he steps up and receives national attention.

Behind Marshall are seven other scholarship corners and two walk-ons. Hill and freshman Sharif Denson have spent the fall practicing with the safeties at the STAR position, so they’ll be previewed with that group. Hill’s position change has opened the door for several young corners to step up, though.

Here’s a look at every cornerback on Florida’s 2023 fall roster.

Two Gators named to On3’s Preseason Freshman All-American Team

A handful of freshman are expected to make an impact for Florida this season, including the two named preseason All-American team on Tuesday

The Florida Gators brought in a talented recruiting class during the 2023 cycle, and now it’s time to see which true freshmen will stand out early for the team. On3 released a preseason true freshman All-American team on Tuesday, and a pair of Gators made the cut — wide receiver Eugene “Tre” Wilson III and cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson.

On3 was the only recruiting service to list Wilson as a five-star talent during his recruitment, and they are backing off that assessment. In fact, the folks at On3 are doubling down

“I think when you’re looking at the receiver position, we highly value coordination, movement skills, and Eugene Wilson has all of that in spades,” On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Powers said. “… Just a phenomenal overall athlete. … Getting really strong reviews early on in his time at Florida. … So Eugene Wilson, he’s one that we’ve been high on for a long time, and I think he could be set to surprise some folks this year in Gainesville.”

Wilson should be the successor to Ricky Pearsall in the slot at Florida in 2024, but he could find snaps early as a freshman. If On3’s predictions are right, Pearsall could see more time out wide as Wilson establishes himself as a true freshman.

Jackson is another player that Powers thinks could fight his way into a regular role in his first year at Florida. He spent some time at receiver in high school before switching to cornerback but has shown a ton of promise since. His elite speed (sub-11-second 100-meter sprint) makes him stand out, and Florida doesn’t have a ton of depth as his position.

Junior Jason Marshall Jr. appears to be a lock for the No. 1 spot on the depth chart, and both Jalen Kimber and Devin Moore are solid options behind him. But, Jackson could very well be next on the list.

“Although Florida has some established corners returning for this fall … I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ja’Keem Jackson get on the field and impress early on in his career at a Gator,” Powers said. “Jackson’s received some strong reviews since enrolling. He’s one who we were very high on at On3 throughout the process. We really like the upside.”

It’s clear that Florida has some talented young players on its hands heading into the 2023 season, but opportunity can be tough to come by. Napier has shown a willingness to play freshman, though, and Florida’s roster went through a significant amount of turnover during the offseason.

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Florida offered this Orlando 4-star safety on a Junior Day visit

One of the recruits that visited and received an offer on Florida’s final Junior Day before the dead period was four-star safety Brandon Jacob.

The Florida Gators offered four-star safety [autotag]Brandon Jacob[/autotag] during the final Junior Day of the January recruiting period, according to 247Sports.

Jacob isn’t a stranger to the program, having been to a few games in the past, but this was his first real tour of what the school had to offer. As most unofficial visits to Florida over the last month or so have gone, Jacob got to spend a lot of time with players and coaches while inspecting the facilities, and things ended with a meeting in [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s offer where an offer was extended.

He got to sit in on meetings and talk with players from his area, such as freshmen defensive backs [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Castell[/autotag]. The coaches that spent the most time with him were safeties coach [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] and coach [autotag]Larry Williams[/autotag].

Napier offered Jacob personally, which meant a great deal to him, and the Gators appear to be sitting in a good spot with him as the spring approaches.

“I can say Florida is going to be a top school for me,” Jacob said. “Out of all my offers, even though they just now offered me, I feel like it’s huge and a big impact.”

Colorado, Maryland and Florida State are some of the other schools that are recruiting Jacob well. The heat should be turned up in March once visits are permitted again. Jacob doesn’t have any dates locked in yet, but he has some ideas of where he wants to stop by.

“I want to see Florida, Miami, Florida State, and Maryland in March,” he said. “I want to visit Colorado too, that is a goal of mine for the spring. Take some official visits in the summer and then commit maybe like August hopefully.”

The 247Sports composite ranks Jacob No. 291 overall in the class of 2024 and No. 24 among safeties. The On3 consensus is a bit more bearish on him at No. 305 nationally and No. 24 among those at his position.

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Where Florida’s 2023 recruiting class finished in the Top247

Eight players in Florida’s 2023 recruiting class finished the cycle ranked in the Top247.

247Sports updated its individual class of 2023 rankings, the Top247, one final time on Thursday, and the Florida Gators are bringing in a trio of top-100 recruits among plenty of other quality athletes.

Cornerback [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] leads the pack at No. 49 after moving up 23 spots following a strong postseason display at the Under Armour All-American game and practices. He’s the fourth-highest-rated cornerback in the class on 247Sports’ final board, and there’s plenty of reason to be excited about him as a Gator.

Defensive lineman [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag] just missed out on the top 50 at No. 53 overall, but he almost made as big of a jump as Jackson, moving 21 spots up the Top247. Another All-American game standout, Collins also shined at the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game to help boost his stock. He and Jackson could get early looks on the field at Florida and both enrolled early at the university.

Defensive lineman [autotag]Kamran James[/autotag] is the final Gators signee ranked in the top 100. Moving up 16 spots to No. 82 in the final Top247 update, James was one of the early gems Billy Napier and his recruiting staff identified and got to work on. He’s also enrolled early and set to be a part of a strong incoming defensive line class.

They rank wide receiver [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] just outside of the top 100 at No. 108, up four spots from No. 112. He’ll be a major addition to a receivers room that’s losing a decent amount of talent to the transfer portal and draft. Offensive lineman [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag] is next at No. 147, a one-spot improvement from the last update. The Florida State flip should be on the interior of Florida’s offensive line and joins the team as it loses four of five starters.

Rounding out the group is a trio of Gators signees that saw their rankings dip since the last update. Defensive back [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] dropped from No. 152 to No. 160, wide receiver [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag] fell from No. 189 to No. 202 and edge rusher [autotag]TJ Searcy[/autotag] went from No. 234 to No. 244.

Mizell’s senior year ended before it began because of injury, so that’s not on him. Johnson actually improved in rating from a 93 to a 94, but that didn’t save him from others who made bigger jumps at the last minute.

In total, Florida had eight players crack the 2023 Top247 and plenty of other four-star recruits that sit just outside. Not to mention quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] who would have led the group at No. 44 overall had he not been released from his national letter of intent.

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Florida drops outside top 10 in ESPN’s 2023 recruiting class rankings

After the departure of Jaden Rashada, the Florida Gators have dropped outside the top ten in ESPN’s 2023 recruiting class rankings.

The Florida Gators have dropped outside of the top 10 in ESPN’s ranking of 2023 recruiting classes. The Orange and Blue’s incoming class rank went from No. 9 to No. 11, largely due to [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag]’s departure from Florida’s class.

The Gators had been hovering around the top 10 of the recruiting rankings since July when a surge of commitments created a buzz around the Florida program and first-year head coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]. This was a stark contrast from the end of June when Napier penned an open letter to the Gator Nation, pleading for patience and trust in the process.

Napier was a fantastic recruiter at Louisiana, having the No. 1 recruiting class in the Sun Belt in all four seasons at the helm. But he didn’t do this alone. The addition of top-tier assistants such as assistant head coach and defense/cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag], co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag], and many more, have had a massive impact on the recruiting trail. Raymond is considered one of the best, if not the best, defensive backs developers in the nation.

The Gators were able to sign most of their 2023 commits during the early signing period in December. After the Rashada situation, Florida’s quarterback situation started to look murky, with [autotag]Jack Miller[/autotag] the lone scholarship quarterback from 2022 to remain on the roster. The arrival of [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] from Wisconsin creates some competition for the starting role.

Here is what ESPN’s Craig Haubert had to say about including the Gators in his latest 2023 class ranking:

Billy Napier has taken advantage of in-state talent with several Sunshine State pickups, assembling a strong secondary from that pool. The Gators have added several ESPN 300 DBs, including CBs [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] and CB [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag], who has good feet and brings a tough, scrappy demeanor. [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag], who stayed on even after committing to the previous staff, projects to defensive back and can be a versatile player with his quickness and ball skills. [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag], listed as an athlete, projects to WR and is a player who tests very well, which will translate to his play on the field. Adding more potential firepower to their passing attack is [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag], a lengthy target with big-play speed. [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] is a nice addition to the trenches, as he has been a multiyear starter at IMG Academy and should come in ready to compete for playing time. The Gators also flipped ESPN 300 OG [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag], a powerful and flexible big man who could work his way into the two-deep quickly, from Florida State. It is hard to win the SEC without being strong along the defensive front, and Collins leads a talented group of defensive linemen. Napier showed what he can do with a full cycle to work assembling one of the top classes in the country, but a late split with ESPN 300 QB Jaden Rashada still leaves a need under center.

The official national signing day is scheduled for Feb. 1, with most of the 2023 class deciding to enroll early and participate in spring practices.

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Billy Napier describes trio of defensive backs as a ‘very versatile group’

Gators fans could see some improvements in the secondary next season thanks to Napier’s positional overhaul.

The Florida secondary will be undergoing an overhaul for the 2023 season. Defensive backs [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag], [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag], [autotag]Donovan McMillon[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Collier Jr[/autotag]. have all left the program either due to graduation, declaring for the NFL draft or entering the transfer portal.

[autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag] and [autotag]Miguel Mitchell[/autotag] are the only returning safeties from the 2022 season. Because of the roster turnover, highly-touted recruits like [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag] will undoubtedly get playing time over the course of the season. But those aren’t the names that Napier singled out.

Head coach Billy Napier believes that [autotag]Jordan Castell[/autotag], [autotag]Bryce Thornton[/autotag], and [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag] are the early contenders to provide the position depth in 2023. In addition to being the team’s defensive coordinator, [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] is also tasked with being the safeties coach, working with cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] to craft the defensive backfield.

Napier praised Castell’s ability to cover receivers in man-to-man or zone coverage, Thornton’s football IQ, and Gates’ competitive nature, noting that he was the lone holdover from the previous staff to become a Florida Gator in 2023. Gates is coming off a torn ACL suffered in his final season of prep football, but the staff maintained their belief in him and brought him in.

Overall, the secondary looks to be at the dawn of a new era. For a long time, Florida fans were unsure about the talent level in the secondary. It seems like this group will be the ones to begin the process of restoring Florida to its “DBU” status, something that hasn’t been able to be said in a long time.

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Where Florida’s 2023 recruiting class finished in final On3 rankings

Half of Florida’s 2023 recruiting class wound up in the On3 top 300 after the final update was released on Tuesday.

The Florida Gators already signed the bulk of its 2023 recruiting class, and the haul is looking even better than expected after On3 provided its last update to its independent rankings, the On300.

Ten of Florida’s signees cracked the top 300 and five players made it into the top 100.

Again, this is On3’s independent rankings, which is used to reach the more commonly cited On3 consensus or 247Sports composite rankings. Those are aggregate scores that use different formulas depending on the site and are used more often because they help eliminate any one service’s individual bias.

Several of Florida’s signees participated in All-Star games and boosted their stock with good performances against some of the top players in the class. The two most notable were cornerback [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag], who each moved up over 50 spots to break into the top 50.

Here’s a look at where each Florida signee from the class of 2023 finished in the On300 rankings.

Five Florida football commits make Sports Illustrated’s top 99 prospects

Take a look at the five incoming Gators who made the cut for SI’s elite list of recruits.

Florida football is coming off a solid showing on the recruiting front in Billy Napier’s first full year at the helm, cracking a few top-10 rankings while sitting just outside in others. So far, the culmination of the efforts exerted by the coaching staff have yielded some encouraging results in the 2023 cycle.

With the most recent class of prep prospects wrapped up, Sports Illustrated’s John Garcia Jr. ranked the top 99 recruits coming out of high school this year. The Gators were among the schools with the most entries notching five names on the list — tied with the USC Trojans and LSU Tigers for eighth most.

Take a look below at five of the Orange and Blue’s current committed recruits who cracked SI’s top 99 prospects in the 2023 class along with their numbers from the 247Sports composite as well as the On3 consensus.

Florida makes top-10 appearance in ESPN’s 2023 recruiting class rankings

Florida cracked ESPN’s top 10 programs in its recent recruiting rankings.

The Florida Gators are among ESPN’s list of the Top 75 college football teams, based on their 2023 recruiting efforts. The Orange and Blue’s incoming class ranked just inside the top 10, coming in at No. 9.

The Gators had been hovering around the top 10 of the recruiting rankings since July when a surge of commitments created a buzz around the Florida program and first-year head coach Billy Napier. This was a stark contrast from the end of June when Napier penned an open letter to the Gator Nation, pleading for patience and trust in the process.

Napier was a fantastic recruiter at Louisiana, having the No. 1 recruiting class in the Sun Belt in all four seasons at the helm. But he didn’t do this alone. The addition of top-tier assistants such as assistant head coach and defense/cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag], co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag], and many more, have had a massive impact on the recruiting trail. Raymond is considered one of the best, if not the best, defensive backs developers in the nation.

Here is what ESPN’s Craig Haubert had to say about including the Gators in his list of the top 75 college teams:

Billy Napier has taken advantage of in-state talent with several Sunshine State pickups, assembling a strong secondary from that pool. The Gators have added several ESPN 300 DBs, including CBs [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] and CB [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag], who has good feet and brings a tough, scrappy demeanor. [autotag]Aaron Gates[/autotag], who stayed on even after committing to the previous staff, projects to defensive back and can be a versatile player with his quickness and ball skills. [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag], listed as an athlete, projects to WR and is a player who tests very well, which will translate to his play on the field. Adding more potential firepower to their passing attack is [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag], a lengthy target with big-play speed. Rashada hails from California but became a big in-state flip from Miami. With a smooth release and good arm strength, the newest Gator is one of the top QBs in the class. [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] is a nice addition to the trenches, as he has been a multiyear starter at IMG Academy and should come in ready to compete for playing time. They also flipped ESPN 300 OG [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag], a powerful and flexible big man who could work his way into the two-deep quickly, from Florida State. It is hard to win the SEC without being strong along the defensive front, and Collins leads a talented group of defensive linemen.

Notably, [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag]’s name is mentioned in Haubert’s write-up. Rashada, who signed his national letter of intent to play at the University of Florida back in December, has yet to enroll as a student despite expressing his intention to do so. The Rashada story is still developing and it is unclear if he will be on the roster come fall camp.

The official national signing day is scheduled for Feb. 1, with a portion of the 2023 class deciding to enroll early and participate in spring practices.

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Which Florida signees are participating in All-Star games?

Florida’s class of 2023 is almost ready to join the team, but a good chunk of the class still has one more game to play at the high school level.

Before they officially join the team in Gainesville, several of Florida’s signees from the class of 2023 will participate in high school All-Star games in January.

Nearly half the class will play in the Under Armour All-American game on Jan. 3, including five-star quarterback [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag], four-star offensive lineman [autotag]Roderick Kearney[/autotag], three-star lineman [autotag]Knijeah Harris[/autotag] and four-star receiver [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] on the offensive side of the ball. Hopefully, Rashad and Wilson can link up at some point during the game to give Gators fans a preview of the dynamic connection headed to Hogtown.

On defense, four-star defensive linemen [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Norman[/autotag] will join four-star safety [autotag]Jordan Castell[/autotag], four-star defensive back [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag] and four-star cornerbacks [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] on the field. With a bevy of defensive departures hitting the Gators this offseason, those players should have a decent shot at early playing time.

Then there’s the All-American Bowl on Jan. 7. Four-star Running back Treyaun Webb and four-star defensive lineman Kamran James will represent Florida during their final appearances at the high school level. Webb is a polished product despite splitting carries his senior year, so there’s not much to learn about him, but the staff and fans should get a clearer picture of where James stands as he competes against some of the top players in the country.

It’s almost time for the class of 2023 to transition to the next phase of their career, but it’s always nice to see these players get one last nod of recognition for their dominance at the prep level.

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