Tag: Kamar Wilcoxson

Florida DB Kamar Wilcoxson the latest to announce transfer portal plans

Florida loses former four-star defensive back Kamar Wilcoxson to transfer portal.

The week began with the dismissal of linebacker [autotag]Brenton Cox Jr[/autotag]. from the Florida Gators football program, and now another player has stepped away from the team: defensive back [autotag]Kamar Wilcoxson[/autotag].

A former four-star recruit out of IMG Academy, Wilcoxson committed to the University of Florida in 2020 and enrolled early after reclassifying from the class of 2021. He played in just two games that year, including the team’s Cotton Bowl appearance, but sat out all of his redshirt freshman year with an injury.

Now, he’s decided to move on from the program after appearing in just one game under [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] through the first nine weeks of the season. He’ll have to wait until Dec. 5 to officially enter his name into the portal, but the decision appears to be final considering the statement he put out on social media.

Wilcoxson is the third Gator to leave the team so far this year following the departures of Cox and offensive lineman Josh Braun. Cox is headed to the NFL, but the other two will test out the transfer portal. Billy Napier has talked about the transfer portal a lot since taking over at Florida and has maintained that the team will be more active as the roster slims down due to attrition.

There’s a good chance that Florida loses more players over the next month, and that’s simply the reality of today’s college football landscape.

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2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Safeties

Three returning starters headline the safeties group at Florida in 2022, but there’s a good amount of young talent behind them to be excited about.

Rounding out the defense in Gators Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the 2022 Florida football roster are the safeties.

Florida’s scheme calls for five defensive backs and utilizes the nickelback position, which they call the STAR. Fortunately, the Gators return starters at all three positions in 2022. [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag] and [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag] are back to man the safety spots, and [autotag]Tre’Vez Johnson[/autotag] is at the STAR.

Behind them are a group of relatively young and inexperienced players, some of which could take a huge step over the season if they see enough snaps. At the top of that list might be [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag], the surprise five-star signing that Billy Napier pulled off during the early signing period last year.

This should be one of the stronger position groups on the team this year given the returning experience in the room. Here is a look at all 13 safeties on the 2022 Florida football fall roster.

See also:

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Quarterbacks

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Running Backs

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Wide Receivers

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Tight Ends

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Offensive Line

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Defensive Line

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Outside Linebackers

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Linebacker

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Cornerbacks

Key Gators defensive back out for season

There was hope that Wilcoxson’s injury wouldn’t be too severe, but Dan Mullen announced he’ll be out for the year.

Gators coach Dan Mullen confirmed on Monday that Kamar Wilcoxson will be out for the season after knee surgery. Mullen downplayed the situation last week calling it a “slight knee injury,” but Wilcoxson hinted at things being more serious on social media.

Wilcoxson was set to play behind Tre’Vez Johnson at the STAR position for Florida. Jadarrius Perkins, who played 34 snaps against FAU, looks to be Wilcoxson’s replacement backing up Johnson.

Wilcoxson committed to Florida three separate times before finally making it to the university. When he finally decided on the Gators, he reclassified to join the team as a 17-year-old. He made one appearance in 2020 against Missouri and recorded a tackle and fumble recovery.

The Gators came out of Saturday’s win without any new injuries but four defensive linemen missed the game with injuries. Mullen’s downplaying of Wilcoxson’s injury could have been wishful thinking considering the team lost cornerback Jaydon Hill earlier in the summer.

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Florida football’s future STAR might be Kamar Wilcoxson

Kamar Wilcoxson will be a difference-maker for the Gators’ secondary, but maybe not this season.

Name: Kamar Wilcoxson

Number: 26

Position: Defensive Back

Class: Freshman

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 200 lbs

Hometown: Lithonia, Georgia

High School: IMG Academy (Fla.)

Twitter: @KamarWilcoxson4

2020 statistics:

TOT SOLO AST FR YDS INT YDS TD PD
3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Overview:

It took three separate commitments to the Gators to finally get Kamar Wilcoxson to Gainesville, but the redshirt freshman is now in a position to compete at the STAR position for Dan Mullen‘s team.

Wilcoxson de-committed from Florida in both 2019 and 2020 in one of the wildest recruiting sagas in recent Gators history. He made his third and final pledge to the Gators after rethinking his Tennessee commitment. From that point on it was all UF for the four-star recruit.

Originally part of the 2021 recruiting class, Wilcoxson reclassified and joined Florida in the fall of 2020. Before redshirting in his freshman year, Wilcoxson appeared in the Missouri game, collecting a tackle and a fumble recovery.

Wilcoxson hinted at an apparent injury on Twitter a week before the 2021 season, which could keep him out for much of the year. He was expected to compete for time at the STAR position behind Tre’Vez Johnson, but it looks like Jadarrius Perkins will take that backup spot in his absence.

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Gators defensive back announces apparent injury with cryptic tweet

Florida’s secondary can’t catch a break and the season hasn’t even started.

One week away from the start of Florida’s football season, defensive back Kamar Wilcoxson appears to be dealing with an injury.

The redshirt freshman all but announced the injury through a tweet that indicated he’d be out for an undisclosed reason. There is no official word on the injury, but early reports to 247Sports say it could be a meniscus tear. A full repair would require around 3-6 months of rehab.

Wilcoxson was in a battle for playing time with the team’s other young defensive backs. He played in one game last year and recorded a tackle and fumble recovery in it.

While he’s still young, the injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for Wilcoxson. Safety coach Wesley McGriff said last week that the young defensive back only needed experience to become a “key guy,” so this injury only delays his development further.

Wilcoxson was a four-star recruit, according to 247Sports, and reclassified to join the Gators as a member of the class of 2020. He is the latest Florida defensive back to go down before the season starts after Jaydon Hill tore his ACL.

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Here are five Florida redshirt freshmen to watch in 2021

GatorCountry made a list of five Gators redshirt freshmen to look out for in 2021. Here’s our take on each one.

It’s difficult for true freshmen to enter a Power Five program like Florida and make an immediate impact. Many of these players need a year to adjust to the sheer talent difference between high school and college football. After that redshirt season, many of these former recruits grab a spot in the rotation or find themselves as a starter.

However, for Florida players, it’s not uncommon for these players to still barely see significant snaps. Coach Dan Mullen and his coaching staff have a tendency to value seniority and experience more than other programs across the college football landscape.

Ethan Hughes of GatorCountry made a list of five Gators redshirt freshmen to look out for in 2021. Here’s Gators Wire’s take on each one.

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Safety prospect Kamar Wilcoxson enrolls at Florida, practices with team

IMG Academy four-star cornerback Kamar Wilcoxson has officially enrolled at UF and has practiced with the team as recently as Friday.

IMG Academy four-star cornerback Kamar Wilcoxson, who recommited to Florida on June 19 and later reclassified as a 2020 recruit after foregoing his final year of high school, has officially enrolled at the University of Florida and has practiced with the team as recently as Friday.

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Here is what 247Sports has to say about the talented young defensive back.

Versatile defensive back who could end up at corner or safety in college. Has a safety frame, shows a lot of range and does a nice job making plays sideline to sideline. Shows good ball skills, is a willing hitter and plays with a nice edge to his game. He has the athletic traits to play corner as well and shows both short area quickness, change of direction and long speed. His size and toughness is tailer made for press coverage and he plays with the kind of confidence and swagger you like to see in a corner. Where he ends up positionally will likely be determined by how much size he puts on but you love his versatility, skill set and ability to matchup with the big receivers in college football.

Wilcoxson is among four other safeties in the 2020 recruiting class, with Rashad Torrence II and also earning a four-star rating from both 247Sports and Rivals, while Tre’Vez Johnson earned a three-star rating from the two scouting services, respectively. The 2020 defensive backfield class also includes cornerbacks Jahari Rogers, Ethan Pouncey and — all dually rated as four-stars at their position — as well as Fenley Graham, who holds a three-star rating from 247Sports but a four-star from Rivals.

The talented incoming freshman had the following to say about the early start to his collegiate career in Gainesville.

“I am really exited to go to work with those guys and we have the same aspirations and it’s like everyone wants to see everyone succeed. That is a room I want to be in. I have been taking to Kaiir [Elam] a lot and he’s been telling me how stuff is going to be and the run down.”

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Four-star DB Kamar Wilcoxson reclassifies, joins 2020 class

Courted by Todd Grantham and Torrian Gray, Wilcoxson’s recruitment was one of the most eventful in recent Gators history.

The Florida Gators’ 2020 class already ranked No. 9 nationally, per the 247Sports Composite, but this collection of prospects became even stronger on Monday with four-star cornerback Kamar Wilcoxson’s decision to forgo his senior year of high school football and join the cycle.

Wilcoxson hinted at the choice to reclassify on his Twitter account, @KamarWilcoxson4.

While listed as a safety by the major recruiting services, many around the program project Wilcoxson to play cornerback in Gainesville. He spent his first three prep seasons at Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia and had planned to play his senior campaign at Bradenton’s IMG Academy, one of America’s premier talent-producing programs.

Courted by defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and position coach Torrian Gray, Wilcoxson’s recruitment was one of the most eventful in recent Gators history.

He initially committed to Florida on November 3, 2018 but backed off that pledge on April 27, 2019. One year to the day of his decommitment, April 27, 2020, he verbally agreed to play for Jeremy Pruitt’s Tennessee Volunteers.

His allegiance to Knoxville was short-lived, however, as on June 19, he flipped back to the Gators.

Wilcoxson was rated as the eighth-highest of Florida’s 23 current commits in the 2021 cycle, now, he slots in eleventh of the program’s 22 enrollees in the 2020 class.

He is expected to officially enroll and arrive on-campus later in August.

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Gators football drops to No. 8 in latest ESPN 2021 class rankings

ESPN unveiled their latest 2021 recruiting class rankings on July 23, and for the second-straight update, the Gators fell down the list.

ESPN unveiled their latest 2021 recruiting class rankings on July 23 (subscription required), and for the second-straight update, the Florida Gators fell down the list.

While the July 6 rankings saw the Gators drop two spots, the latest assessment was only a one-spot fall, resulting in the program slotting in at No. 8.

The Ohio State Buckeyes occupied the top spot, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide, who moved up 11 spots, the largest jump of any program to make the network’s top-25.

Mack Brown’s North Carolina Tar Heels, Jeremy Pruitt’s Tennessee Volunteers, and Ed Orgeron’s LSU Tigers, the reigning College Football Playoff national champions, completed the top-five.

“Dan Mullen’s third consecutive top-10 class in Gainesville is a near lock coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons and top-10 Associated Press Poll finishes, as well as the hiring of ace recruiter (tight ends coach) Tim Brewster,” ESPN began in their breakdown.

“Brewster immediately addressed the need at tight end with ESPN 300s Gage Wilcox and Nick Elksnis. There are two quarterbacks in the class in ESPN 300 Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and four-star Texan Jalen Kitna.

“A pair of ESPN 300 wide receivers are in the fold in Trevonte Rucker from an hour’s drive away and Georgia playmaker Daejon Reynolds. A third ESPN 300 wide receiver is Marcus Burke from Jacksonville powerhouse Trinity Christian.

“ESPN 300 in-state athlete Charles Montgomery could play on either side of the football. ESPN 300 Chief Borders is a versatile jumbo athlete who projects as an outside linebacker. A talented secondary group is made up of ESPN 300 and Tennessee flip Kamar Wilcoxson, LSU flip Dakota Mitchell, and four-star safety Donovan McMillon.

“ESPN 300 defensive end Tyreak Sapp will likely move to defensive tackle long-term. Four-star defensive end Justus Boone was a high-ceiling win out of the Palmetto State.”

The largest reason for Florida’s drop was four-star Baltimore, Maryland cornerback Clinton Burton, Jr.’s flip to the Boston College Eagles on July 17. Burton, Jr. was the second-highest rated commit in the cycle for the program, garnering a rating of 85 from ESPN, trailing only Sapp’s 86.

To make up for this loss, the Gators secured McMillon’s pledge the day after Burton, Jr.’s departure, and added Burke two days after that.

Overall, seven Southeastern Conference (SEC) schools made ESPN’s cut, representing over one-quarter of the list. Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs are No. 13, followed by Jimbo Fisher’s Texas A&M Aggies at No. 18, and Gus Malzahn’s Auburn Tigers at No. 22.

Other notables include Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines at No. 10, Manny Diaz’ Miami Hurricanes at No. 11, Kirk Ferentz’ Iowa Hawkeyes at No. 21, and Mike Norvell’s Florida State Seminoles at No. 23.

This No. 8 rating from ESPN is two spots higher than 247Sports’ view of Florida’s collection of prospects, which pegs the program at No. 10 nationally.

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18 Florida Gators commits named to Sports Illustrated’s All-American watch list

Featuring recruits in the 2021 class from all 50 United States, Sports Illustrated released their first annual All-American watch list.

Featuring recruits in the 2021 class from all 50 United States, Sports Illustrated released their first annual All-American watch list on July 15.

John Garcia, Jr., SI’s Director of Recruiting, spearheaded this project and AllGators’ Demetrius Harvey composed the initial list of the 18 Florida Gators commits to make the cut.

A total of 1,000 prospects earned this preseason recognition, with more than 700 of them having already announced their collegiate destination.

10 of the future Gators to receive this honor project to contribute on the offensive side of the football in Gainesville, led by Ocala four-star wide receiver Trevonte Rucker.

The No. 33 wideout in the class, per the 247Sports Composite, Rucker stands just under six feet and tips the scales at a reported 157 pounds. He will need to add some muscle to withstand the physicality of the Southeastern Conference, but strength and conditioning coach Nick Savage should have little trouble accomplishing that.

Each of the other two other receiver commits, Seffner’s Charles Montgomery and Loganville, Georgia’s Daejon Reynolds, both fellow four-stars, made the cut, as well. While listed as a wideout in this exercise, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Montgomery will likely line up in the backfield and see some carries at the collegiate level, too.

Both quarterback pledges, four-star Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and Burleson, Texas three-star Jalen Kitna, also earned the nod from SI.

Set to play his senior season at Grayson High School, where he will be teammates with Reynolds, Del Rio-Wilson has been steadily rising in the recruiting ranks after a strong showing at the Elite 11 Finals in Nashville, Tennessee from June 29-to-July 1.

Other offensive commits to receive this recognition were Tampa four-star tight end Gage Wilcox, and four three-stars, Jacksonville tight end Nick Elksnis, and Orlando’s Javonte Gardner, Stone Mountain, Georgia’s George Jackson, and Lynn Haven’s Adrein Strickland, all offensive tackle prospects.

On the defensive side of the football, Fort Lauderdale four-star defensive end Tyreak Sapp, Florida’s highest-rated player in the class, led the charge. He was joined by future linemates Justus Boone, another four-star from Sumter, South Carolina, and Fort Myers three-star Christopher Thomas.

Carrollton, Georgia four-star Chief Borders was the lone linebacker pledge to make the list, with the other four future defensive Gators, Baltimore, Maryland’s Clinton Burton, Jr. and Bradenton’s Kamar Wilcoxson, both four-stars, and Winter Park’s Dakota Mitchell and Tampa’s Jordan Young, each three-stars, all residing in the secondary.

This means all 18 of Florida’s current high school commits made the list, with the two other players in the cycle, four-star outside linebacker Diwun Black and three-star guard Deyavie Hammond, both being junior college transfers.

247Sports ranks the program’s 2021 class as the ninth-best in the nation, while ESPN is slightly higher on the group, pegging them at No. 7.

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