Tag: Max Brown

Florida coaches high on QB recruit Max Brown’s upside

Coach Billy Napier said that Brown’s best football is in front of him.

Just a few weeks ago, Florida didn’t have a quarterback commit in its 2022 class. Four-star Texas prospect Nick Evers was pledged to the Gators for a while, but he decided to exit the class after the coaching change and signed with Oklahoma in December.

Even with the acquisition of Jack Miller from Ohio State via the transfer portal, coach Billy Napier still wanted to add a quarterback out of high school. The staff quickly identified Central Michigan commit Max Brown as a target, and it was able to sway him from his pledge to the Chippewas and add him to the 2022 class.

Brown is certainly raw. The three-star quarterback is just the No. 1,555 player in the nation and the No. 95 quarterback per the 247Sports composite, but Napier said during his press conference on Wednesday that he likes the upside for Brown.

“We’re very fortunate to add really two good quarterbacks to the team with Jack and Max, and certainly I think Max, when you turn the tape on, you can immediately see the baseball background,” Napier said, according to 247Sports’ Thomas Goldkamp. “The off-platform throws. Really a natural thrower. A guy that is projected to be kind of a middle-round draft pick in baseball.

“He was 6-foot-1.5 inches, 200 pounds on his visit. Dad played receiver in the National Football League. Really a good-looking athlete. We think he has upside. He just started playing quarterback two years ago. And a good runner. The guy can make some plays with his feet.”

With Brown’s addition, Florida’s quarterback room gets a bit crowded. It returns both primary quarterbacks from last year in Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson despite reports that the former planned to enter the transfer portal, and it also returns backups Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and Jalen Kitna in addition to Miller and Brown.

There will almost definitely be some attrition at the position following spring practice, but for now, the Gators have a lot of options. They will just hope Brown is able to develop into a valid one, and Napier certainly thinks that will be the case.

“We were able to go out to his school, observe him and were very impressed,” Napier said. “So there’s some pedigree there. The guy’s a winner. I’ve been impressed with his leadership skills. And I think his best football is in front of him.”

Florida has signed 17 players in the 2022 class — three of whom have already enrolled — and its class currently ranks 19th in the nation and ninth overall in the SEC.

[lawrence-related id=72289,72141,70278,70053,69961]

[listicle id=69643]

[listicle id=67186]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Florida lands its quarterback recruit for 2022 cycle

Max Brown, who recently decommitted from Central Michigan, joined Florida’s class after he picked up an offer during his visit this past weekend.

Florida’s 2022 class continues to grow, and now coach Billy Napier has found his first quarterback recruit. On Monday, Tulsa (Ok.) Lincoln Christian quarterback Max Brown announced that he would be committing to the Gators.

Brown was a former Central Michigan commit, but he decommitted from coach Jim McElwain and the Chippewas on Jan. 23 following his official visit to Gainesville this past weekend. It was there that he picked up a Florida offer, and he made his choice official shortly after.

He replaces Nick Evers, who decommitted following the coaching change and later signed with Oklahoma, as the quarterback recruit for this cycle. He announced his decision via his Twitter account.

Brown, the No. 1739 recruit in the class and No. 110-ranked quarterback, isn’t a highly rated recruit but he picked up some late interest, including from Washington, who he was slated to visit this coming weekend. Now, that trip is off as he prepares to make things official with the Gators on national signing day.

He told 247Sports’ Blake Alderman that getting the chance to see the campus solidified Florida as his first choice.

“Just getting out there really,” Brown said. “Just getting to see what home would be like if I came to The Swamp. It showed nothing but great things. They have a great coaching staff, great culture, and have great relationships with me. It was just everything you want in a visit, and everything you want in a program.”

Brown said the two relationships that were most influential in guiding him to Gainesville were those with Napier and Ryan O’Hara, an off-field analyst who will primarily work with quarterbacks. He told 247Sports that he knew he wanted to commit during the conversation with Napier where an offer was extended.

“When we talked about getting the offer when I was on the visit and I sat down with them, I knew I wanted to go there,” Brown said. “I sat down and talked with my family for about 30 minutes and that was when I knew I was going to be a Gator. It was a lot to process, but when we sat down, we made it official with Coach Napier.”

With the commitment of Brown and three-star defensive lineman Andrew Savaiinaea on Monday, Florida’s class is up to No. 26 in the national rankings from 247Sports, and it is no longer the SEC’s worst class, ranking ahead of Vanderbilt at 13th.

[lawrence-related id=68745,68346,68319,68277,68272]

[listicle id=63502]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Billy Napier visits this quarterback committed elsewhere

Napier and several other coaches went to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to meet with Central Michigan dual-threat quarterback commit Max Brown.

After losing the pledge of quarterback Nick Evers, who ultimately signed with Oklahoma in December during the coaching change, Florida no longer has a quarterback commit in its 2022 recruiting class. Though the Gators added a transfer from Ohio State in Jack Miller, a former four-star recruit who served as the backup to Heisman finalist C.J. Stroud in 2021, they would likely still prefer to add another signal-caller out of high school.

The top target at the moment seems to be Tulsa (OK) Lincoln Christian School dual-threat quarterback Max Brown, a Central Michigan commit. Brown pledged to the Chippewas back in July, but he chose not to sign during the early signing period in December.

With many of Florida’s coaches in the state of Texas visiting prospects this week, a group of them took a small trip to the north to visit with Brown, including head coach Billy Napier as well as offensive analyst Ryan O’Hara (the de facto quarterback coach) and tight ends coach William Peagler. Brown told 247Sports’ Blake Alderman that O’Hara has been his primary recruiter.

Brown is scheduled to visit Florida this coming weekend, though he does have a trip planned to Seattle to visit Washington the following weekend. The No. 1718 player in the country and No. 109 quarterback, Brown’s stock is rising and the Gators could be in a good position to land him.

[lawrence-related id=67556,67508,67504,67491,67487]

[listicle id=63502]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Florida staying in touch with this 3-star quarterback recruit

Max Brown is currently committed to Central Michigan, but that could change if UF were to extend an offer.

The quarterback position could get interesting for the Gators heading into 2022. Emory Jones, who started most of the season this year, has entered the transfer portal. Assuming he chooses to go elsewhere, Anthony Richardson, who had flashes of brilliance as a redshirt freshman but was limited by a lingering knee injury.

But the depth behind Richardson will be a question mark. Redshirt freshmen Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and Jalen Kitna will be back after seeing no playing time in their first year on campus, and the Gators also secured the commitment of Ohio State transfer Jack Miller, who was the backup to Heisman finalist C.J. Stroud in 2021.

UF currently doesn’t have any quarterbacks committed in the 2022 class after Nick Evers decommitted following the coaching change, eventually signing with Oklahoma. It may not stay that way, though.

[lawrence-related id=64420]

Per 247Sports, the staff has been in contact with Max Brown, a three-star quarterback from Lincoln Christian School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Brown, the No. 1712 player and No. 109 quarterback on the 247Sports Composite, is currently committed to Central Michigan.

The 6-foot-3-inch passer committed to the Chippewas back in July, but he chose to keep his options open and not sign during the early period this month. He has talked to both head coach Billy Napier and offensive analyst Ryan O’Hara, who works with quarterbacks. O’Hara has reportedly been Brown’s primary recruiter.

Brown doesn’t currently hold an offer from the Gators, but the staff has reportedly been “keeping tabs on him” since arriving in Gainesville. He doesn’t have a visit to UF set up currently, but that could be coming in the next few weeks. The only visit Brown has scheduled at the moment is a trip to Washington on Jan. 28.

He would almost certainly be a developmental prospect, but with a young starter in 2022 and some returning depth, the team would have the option to take their time in getting Brown ready to play.

[lawrence-related id=65895,65879,65856,65774,65770]

[listicle id=43616]

[listicle id=63253]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.