Releasing his latest “This week in recruiting” article on August 12 (subscription required), The Athletic’s Ari Wasserman praised the recent work of head coach Dan Mullen and the rest of his Florida Gators coaching staff on the recruiting trail.
“This week, Mullen enjoyed perhaps his best two days on the recruiting trail as Florida’s head coach,” he began.
“Mullen went into South Florida and landed teammates from Miami (Fla.) Palmetto who both rank in the top-100 nationally: (five-star cornerback Jason Marshall) and four-star safety Corey Collier, the No. 83 overall player. Florida’s class jumped to No. 6 nationally with the two commitments.
“We could make this a discussion about how Miami, which is recruiting quite well this season, missed on two local players who could have vaulted its class into the top-three in the nation. Remember, the Hurricanes have two five-star prospects from Miami committed, including defensive tackle Leonard Taylor, who also plays at Palmetto. The Hurricanes had a chance to do something truly remarkable.
“But you have to give credit to Florida for recruiting these two Palmetto stars. Even though they are much closer to Miami’s campus, they are still in-state prospects for the Gators.”
Florida’s upcoming class now stands at 24 members. Marshall, the lone five-star, is the highest-rated of the group, followed by Collier and Fort Lauderdale four-star defensive end Tyreak Sapp.
A name to watch to join this group is Bradenton four-star defensive end Tunmise Adeleye, who decommitted from Ryan Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes on August 11.
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Playing his first three seasons at Katy (Texas) High School, Tunmise plans to suit up for IMG Academy, one of the nation’s premier talent-producing programs, as a senior.
Florida first extended him an offer on January 29, 2019 and have twice secured his presence on campus, first on February 1 for a Junior Day and again on March 7 for an unofficial visit.
Defensive line coach David Turner and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham have been leading the charge on his recruitment.
On the offensive side of the football, Ocala wide receiver Trevonte Rucker and Loganville, Georgia quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and wideout Daejon Reynolds lead the way, with another receiver, Jacksonville’s Marcus Burke, not far behind.
As Wasserman mentioned, this collection of pledges now ranks No. 6 in America, per the 247Sports Composite, trailing only Ohio State, Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide, Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers, Mario Cristobal’s Oregon Ducks, and Jeremy Pruitt’s Tennessee Volunteers.
Ed Orgeron’s LSU Tigers, Clay Helton’s USC Trojans, and Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines round out the top-10.
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