Tag: Tyree Patterson

Florida EDGE commit trending toward early signing period flip

Florida could be losing a member of its recruiting class of 2023 on the first day of the early signing period.

The insiders at both 247Sports and On3 are reporting that Florida edge rusher commit [autotag]Isaiah Nixon[/autotag] is likely to sign with the UCF Knights on Wednesday when the early signing period opens up.

Of course, Nixon was originally committed to the Knights until a June visit to the Swamp forced his initial flip. 247Sports’ Jacob Rudner said that the this move has been described as a “mutual parting of ways,” and On3’s Corey Bender said that he wouldn’t consider this a “flip,” per se.

It shouldn’t take long for some clarity to develop in this situation. Nixon is planning on signing on the first day of the early period, which is less than 24 hours out at this point. It wouldn’t be a national signing day without some drama, and UCF did just land former Gators wide receiver commit [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag] as well. Well played, Knights. Well played.

Nixon is the only edge rusher in Florida’s class labeled as such, but there are plenty of defensive linemen coming in that could shift positions. Florida may need to look more aggressively for an edge in the transfer portal to fill out the depth chart, though.

Nixon is a four-star recruit that is ranked No. 267 overall and No. 32 among edge rushers in the class of 2023 on the 247Sports composite. The On3 consensus is a bit higher on him at No. 250 nationally and No. 27 among those at his position.

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UCF earns pledge from recent Florida WR decommit

As many expected, former Florida wide receiver commit Tyree Patterson has officially pledged his services to UCF.

Eustis wide receiver [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag], who decommitted from the Gators on Wednesday, has now pledged his services to the UCF Knights.

Florida fans paying close attention might have seen this move coming when Patterson missed his official visit to the Swamp a few weekends ago and kept a date locked in with UCF for the following weekend. In the end, the Knights were the better fit and Patterson should be a weapon for them in the Big 12.

A three-star receiver, according to both 247Sports and On3’s composite ranking systems, Patterson would have to prove himself to get playing time at Florida over the three other four-star receivers in the class. The talent is certainly there — Patterson went for over 100 yards a few times to start his senior year before shutting things down to focus on getting ready for college — but there’s a clearer path in Orlando.

Patterson’s commitment to UCF is less of a loss for the Gators and more of a gain for the Knights. Plenty of three-star recruits get lost in the SEC shuffle when they could thrive at a smaller program and transfer out if necessary. UCF is the best of both worlds as he’ll be joining the Knights just as they enter the Big 12.

Hopefully, Florida won’t live to regret the flip in a matchup down the road.

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Gators lose commitment from in-state 2023 wide receiver

Florida football’s 2023 recruiting class shrank on Wednesday as the Gators lost a commitment from an in-state receiver.

Eustis wide receiver [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag] is no longer committed to the University of Florida, according to a report from All Gators.

Patterson was Billy Napier’s longest-standing commitment aside from Aaron Gates, who stayed true to Florida through the coaching change. He was supposed to be in Gainesville for an official visit over the weekend but never made it to campus. His upcoming visit to Orlando to check in with the UCF Knights could produce a commitment considering the most recent development in his recruitment.

With the loss of Patterson, Florida is down to three receivers in the class of 2023: [autotag]Andy Jean[/autotag], [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag] and [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag]. All three are four-star recruits, according to 247 Sports, and Patterson was considered a three-star talent. That’s not to say that losing Patterson is ideal for Florida, but a crowded room losing its lowest-rated verbal commitment is fairly common. There’s simply more opportunity for him at another program such as UCF.

Finding a replacement receiver to fill Patterson’s spot in the class of 2023 might be tricky but it could also be unnecessary. Florida’s likely to attract some elite receivers in the upcoming cycles with [autotag]Jaden Rashada[/autotag] and [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] coming in at the quarterback spot over the next two years.

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This 4-star DB commit has locked in his official visit date with Florida

December is a big recruiting month for the entire college football world, and Florida is loading up on official visitors.

Florida only allowed recruits to make official visits on Oct. 15 for the LSU game during the regular season, but the Gators are planning a big weekend in the Swamp now that the year is coming to an end. Several of Florida’s commits that have yet to make their official visits to the university will do so over the next few weeks, and four-star Wharton (Tampa, Florida) defensive back [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] is the latest to set his plans.

According to 247Sports, Johnson plans to stop by UF for a multi-day visit the weekend of Dec. 9, the same day four other Gators commits have scheduled their official visits. He’ll join fellow four-star defensive backs [autotag]Ja’Keem Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag], four-star linebacker [autotag]Jaden Robinson[/autotag] and three-star wide receiver [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag]. That quintet will enjoy all the riches that come with a Florida official visit and help recruit four-star UCF defensive line commit [autotag]John Walker[/autotag] and four-star undecided running back [autotag]Mark Fletcher[/autotag].

Johnson might be a key player in Florida’s recruitment of Fletcher. Both were once committed to Ohio State, but Johnson backed off that pledge and flipped to Florida. Now decommitted from OSU, Fletcher is deciding between UF and Miami. Meeting up with a player who made a similar decision could help Fletcher feel more comfortable with his decision.

The Gators are in need of some youth in the secondary and the feeling is that Johnson will get early playing time in the Swamp. Safeties coach and defensive coordinator Patrick Toney was a key player in landing Johnson, so there’s good reason to think that he’ll have a considerable role in the defensive scheme.

Johnson is ranked No. 98 overall on the 247Sports composite and is No. 7 among safeties in the class of 2023.

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Florida WR commit to make official visits to UF and UCF

The Gators won’t be the only team to get three-star wide receiver commit Tyree Patterson on campus for an official visit in the near future.

Eustis High wide receiver [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag] has been committed to the Florida Gators since Easter, but he has yet to take his official visit to the school. That will change in December, according to 247Sports.

Patterson has scheduled his official visit to the Swamp for Dec. 9-11, but that won’t be the only trip he takes. UCF will get him on campus on Dec. 16-18, after the Florida trip. Patterson has family connections to the Knights and will give the school at least one more look.

At one point, Patterson expected to sign early in December, but those plans have now been pushed back by a few months.

“I’m making my decision like 2 weeks after my officials, but my dad rented this building out and I’m (gonna) try to sign on signing day (Feb. 1) but I sign in March 10th but I’ma try to sign earlier.”

Ranked No. 877 overall on the 247Sports composite, Patterson is one of the lower-ranked players in Florida’s class, but that doesn’t mean he’s any less valuable of an asset for the Gators compared to the other receivers under commitment.

It does seem like Patterson could be seriously considering a flip to UCF, though, and don’t forget that the Knights will join the Big 12 next year. For now, Florida still has him under verbal commitment, and the staff should roll out the red carpet to ensure that he sticks with that pledge.

UCF is a growing power in the college football world, but playing for Billy Napier in the SEC should still be more enticing for a young athlete.

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Gators lose commitment from local WR recruit following LSU loss

Florida has one of the best incoming receiver classes in the country under commitment, but one player just backed off their pledge.

Florida lost its first commitment of the 2023 cycle on Sunday. Three-star athlete [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag], the brother UF wide receiver [autotag]Trent Whittemore[/autotag], backed off his verbal pledge via a post on Twitter.

Whittemore’s decommitment comes the day after Florida’s 45-35 loss to LSU. The loss probably didn’t help, but Whittemore’s been looking at options for a bit. He’s coming off an official visit to Mississippi State and holds offers from Penn State, Miami and UCF among others. It doesn’t seem like Florida has a shot to get him back with a deep wide receiver class already locked down. It’s possible that a crowded room contributed to Whittemore’s decision too.

Florida has a trio of incoming four-star receivers under verbal commitment. [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag], an Orlando area speedster ranked in the top 100 on the 247Sports composite, leads the group. [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] and [autotag]Andy Jean[/autotag] are the other four-star receivers coming to Gainesville next year. [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag], who is rated as a three-star recruit but has had some monster games during his senior year, rounds out the group.

Losing Whittemore hurts the team, but Florida’s got plenty of talent to fall back on. Hopefully, the decommitment does create a domino effect for the Gators. UF is still ranked No. 8 in the 2023 cycle by On3 and 247Sports, but another decommitment could change that.

Whittemore is ranked No. 432 overall on the 247Sports composite and is No. 28 among athletes, but the site’s individual rankings are a bit more bullish on him. The Top247 has him at No. 171 nationally and No. 12 among athletes. He should get a decent amount of attention now that he’s opened things back up.

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Florida commits in action during Week 2 of high school football

Take a look at how Florida’s top recruits fared this past week on the high school gridiron.

Week one of college football was plenty exciting, but there was still high school football action as well, and Florida’s commits put up some highlights.

Two players were on a bye, four-star receiver [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] and four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Will Norman[/autotag]. The latter has had an interesting high school journey that took another turn over the weekend.

A good chunk of the class was in attendance for Florida’s upset win over the Utah Utes on Saturday as well. Seeing the Swamp over capacity and experiencing Billy Napier’s first game day as the head coach of the Gators sat well with them.

Here’s a look at what Florida’s recruiting class of 2023 did over the weekend.

Highlights from Florida commits over first full weekend high school action

High school football is in full swing and the Florida Gators’ commits are putting up highlight after highlight.

High school football is in full swing across the country and that means there are highlights to watch from Florida’s commitments in the class of 2023.

While everyone was in action, high school clips are tougher to find than college football clips or NFL action. A good chunk of the class has some sort of media available, though, so that’s what we’re looking at here today.

Four-star running back [autotag]Treyaun Webb[/autotag] had the best week with 191 yards on 18 carries in a 48-40 win on Friday. Four-star receiver [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] also shined with six catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

[autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag] left his game early with an apparent knee injury in the first quarter and didn’t return, but Gator Country’s Nick Marcinko noted that he appeared to be okay watching from the sidelines.

Florida’s quarterback commit, [autotag]Marcus Stokes[/autotag], had a rough day, completing just five of 20 pass attempts for 76 yards and an interception. He did manage to score a rushing touchdown to make up for the turnover, though.

[autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag], who is listed as an athlete, was 10-14 for 126 yards and a touchdown Thursday. He added 71 yards on the ground and a pair of scores on a field that was ruined by the weather.

Three-star wide receiver [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag] had a nice 100-yard game with a touchdown despite a team loss Friday.

Two Florida coaches in top 15 of 247Sports’ recruiter rankings

Florida’s coaching staff has been on a roll lately, and much of it is thanks to two men in particular. 247Sports has them in their top 15.

When [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] assembled his staff at the University of Florida, he said that he wanted to prioritize recruiting. Twenty commitments into the class of 2023 and one class of 2024 four-star verbally pledge to the Orange and Blue, it’s safe to say that Napier was successful, and the numbers back it up.

Co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach [autotag]Sean Spencer[/autotag] is ranked No. 7 on the 247Sports 2023 football recruiter rankings, and [autotag]Keary Colbert[/autotag] is ranked No. 11, which is good for the second-highest placement of any wide receivers coach on the list.

Spencer has been the primary recruiter on five of Florida’s commitments and has played a secondary role in the recruitment of two others. He’s directly responsible for the additions of No. 70 [autotag]Kelby Collins[/autotag], No. 145 [autotag]Will Norman[/autotag], No. 205 [autotag]Isaiah Nixon[/autotag], No. 218 [autotag]Kamran James[/autotag] and four-star [autotag]Gavin Hill[/autotag]. Despite the battery of four-stars committed to Florida thanks to Spencer, he ranks fourth among defensive line recruiters in the country. Clemson‘s Nick Eason, Notre Dame‘s Al Washington and Alabama‘s Freddie Roach are all ranked above Spencer in ascending order.

Still, it’s clear that coach Chaos’ stint in the NFL paid off, and he’s once again at the top of the recruiting game. Florida has the potential to bring in the strongest defensive line classes in the upcoming cycle, assuming all commitments put pen to paper during one of the signing periods.

Colbert has been the primary on five recruits as well, all of whom will play receiver for UF. No. 78 [autotag]Aidan Mizell[/autotag] leads the group and should be paired with No. 142 [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag] to do some damage. Four-stars [autotag]Andy Jean[/autotag] and [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag] round out the blue-chip names in the class and three-star [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag] adds some depth to the class. And there’s potential to add more receivers to the group.

The only other receivers coach ranked higher by 247Sports is Ohio State‘s Brian Hartline, who has brought in four recruits that average a 96.48 grade. The next receivers coach on the list is Texas’ Brennan Marion at No. 20 and three commits under his belt.

Florida’s other co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach [autotag]Patrick Toney[/autotag] is ranked No. 31 and the only other Gator inside the top 100. Cornerbacks coach [autotag]Corey Raymond[/autotag] should be next to break that threshold if he can add one of his high-profile targets. Currently ranked No. 101, adding either four-star [autotag]Dijon Johnson[/autotag] or five-star [autotag]Cormani McClain[/autotag] should do the trick for Raymond.

Outside linebackers coach [autotag]Mike Peterson[/autotag] is ranked No. 111, offensive coordinator and offense line coach [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] is ranked No. 188, inside linebacker coach [autotag]Jay Bateman[/autotag] is No. 190, tight ends coach [autotag]William Peagler[/autotag] is No. 240 and running backs coach [autotag]Jabbar Juluke[/autotag] rounds out the group at No. 338 on the list. Assistant offensive line coach [autotag]Darnell Stapleton[/autotag] received secondary credits for four commitments and ranks No. 259 as well.

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This 4-star South Florida wide receiver has UF in his top 5

Florida landed in four-star wide receiver Andy Jean’s top five. Could the Gators add another receiver to the class of 2023?

The Florida Gators are in the mix for another elite receiver from the class of 2023. Northwestern (Miami, Florida) four-star [autotag]Andy Jean[/autotag] narrowed things down to five schools on Saturday: Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Miami and Texas A&M.

Jean’s recruitment has been an interesting one to follow. He committed to the Hurricanes back in late January but backed off that pledge by March after making an unofficial visit to the Swamp. Miami is the closest team to him in proximity so it’s been fairly easy for Mario Cristobal’s staff to get together with Jean, but he only took officials to TAMU and UF over the summer. The other three should come during the season to see how teams and coaches react in person.

Following his official visit to Florida, Jean named the Gators as the current leaders in his recruitment, according to 247Sports.

“It got Florida at the top for sure,” Jean said. “They are my leader for sure right now. Cuz the energy and the culture. Florida is a place that is building. I want to go to a school that is building. Not just have something. I want to help build and be a legend wherever I go.”

The Gators have already earned commitments from three wide receivers in the class, four-star [autotag]Eugene Wilson III[/autotag], three-star [autotag]Creed Whittemore[/autotag] and three-star [autotag]Tyree Patterson[/autotag]. But [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] is looking to bring in an elite class at the position and adding another four-star like Jean gets the job done.

He’s ranked No. 299 nationally on the 247Sports Composite and is No. 38 among receivers in the class of 2023. Florida is currently the favorite to land him with an 86.0% chance, according to the On3 recruiting prediction machine.

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