Florida Gators recruiting intel: Nov. 19 Target Watch
The early signing period begins Dec. 4 and the Florida Gators have 15 commitments with several spots open (for now). Here’s a quick overview of some top remaining targets as of Tuesday ….
***
Ty Jackson, LB, Loxahatchee (Fla.) Seminole Ridge (USC Trojans commit): Late in the summer, many felt the Gators led. But following Florida’s loss to Miami he visited USC and committed to the Trojans during that trip. The Gators have been working hard to get Jackson back on campus ever since. But it’s unclear if that will happen again.
Muizz Tounkara, WR, League City (Texas) Clear Springs (Arizona commit): Tounkara will officially visit the Gators this weekend and if Florida continues to push it will have an excellent chance to flip him. At 6-foot-4, he is a big-body type that the Gators are craving in this class since they lost Joshua Moore to Miami. The chance to play in the SEC and catch passes from Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is more than a little appealing to this Texan. A big weekend in Gainesville might be enough to get him on board with Florida.
Matthew Lefeau, OL, Shasta College (Calif.): Lefeau, the No. 1 junior college interior offensive lineman in the country for the On3 Industry Rankings, will officially visit the Gators on Dec 9 — the week after signing day. Florida is his No. 1 school and if the Gators go for a commitment they will have a good chance to get it.
(NEW INTEL) Na’eem Offord, CB, Birmingham (Ala.) Parker (Ohio State commit): Offord’s official visit to Florida last weekend came somewhat out of the blue. But now, there is a sense in Gainesville the Gators have gained some ground on the Buckeyes — and the rest of the field. According to Offord, his focus is mainly on Ohio State, Oregon and Florida with a final decision to come signing day in early December. We believe Auburn is another contender to track. THE LATEST: Steve Wiltfong of On3 and Alex Gleitman of On3’s Ohio State site view Oregon as potentially the biggest threat to the Buckeyes. Meanwhile, a source at another school involved in this recruitment didn’t like Florida’s odds.
(NEW INTEL) Jahari Medlock, OT, Atlanta (Ga.) Drew (Cincinnati commit): Medlock’s official visit to Florida last month went well and he plans to return to Gainesville this weekend. That seems like a good sign for Florida. Medlock’s relationship with Florida offensive line coach Jonathan Decoster could be significant. Georgia Tech also is in the mix. One other school that is part of this recruitment thinks he lands with the Gators. THE LATEST: Per Corey Bender of Gators Online, Medlock definitely is a “take” for Florida at this time. Medlock will make a mid-week official visit to Georgia Tech this week.
Quincy Porter, WR, Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic (Ohio State commit): The Gators have been quietly working on Porter, a 4-star recruit, and hope to possibly get him in at some point for an official visit. But his games are on Saturdays, including this week.
Joshua Moore, WR, Pembroke Pines (Fla.) (Miami commit): Florida continues to work on Moore, a former UF commit, but for now it seems he’s solid to the ‘Canes.
Simona Fuailetolo, OT, Saint George (Utah) Desert HIlls: Fuailetolo officially visited the Gators in October and that seems to have gone well but we haven’t uncovered much about his recruitment of late.
Taren Hedrick, OT, Naples (Fla.) Community School (Ole Miss commit): As we reported a few weeks ago, the Gators never stopped recruiting Hedrick and he’s been more responsive in the past month than prior to that. But as of Tuesday, we haven’t heard anything about him visiting yet.
Javion Hilson, Edge, Cocoa (Fla.): Texas and Texas A&M seem to be getting the most traction with this top-100 recruit who officially visited Florida in June.
Jarquez Carter, DL, Newberry (Fla.) (Ohio State commit): Carter has attended multiple Florida games this season. At last check, he seemed to be fairly solid to the Buckeyes.
(NEW INTEL) Tavion Wallace, LB, Baxley (Ga.) Appling County (Arkansas commit): The line of communication between Wallace and the Gators remains open. It’s possible he will attend one of Florida’s last two games, his father told Gators Online.
Kellen Wiley, LB, Seffner (Fla.) Armwood: This looks like it has become a Texas-Miami battle at the moment. He’s someone the Gators have been tracking.
DJ Pickett, CB/S, Zephyrhills (Fla.) (LSU commit): The touted 5-star recruit was at one time expected to visit the Gators last weekend. But he instead ended up at Georgia. This feels like an uphill climb for Florida.
Kaylib Singleton, CB/S, Orange Park (Fla.) Oakleaf: If the Gators push, we think they’d have a good shot to land the former Rutgers commit. They watched him play in person a few weeks ago. He’ll be at Syracuse this weekend for an official visit and that’s something to watch.
Demetres Samuel, S, Palm Bay (Fla.) Heritage (Syracuse commit): The 4-star prospect has committed to Syracuse, then to Florida, then back to Syracuse. But he told us last week he continues to speak with the Gators.
Zelus Hicks, S, Carrollton (Ga.) (Texas commit): Hicks visited the Gators last weekend, but we haven’t heard any real Florida buzz yet.
(NEW INTEL) Myron Charles, DL, Port Charlotte (Texas commit): Charles, the highest-ranked defensive lineman in Florida, visited the Gators on Saturday and Florida continues to push. He officially visited UF in June. Can the Gators get him back on campus for the Ole Miss game? THE LATEST: It’s our understanding the Longhorns remain extremely confident in holding onto Charles at the moment. But there is some feeling at Gators HQ that proximity to home has the potential to be a factor in the end. Florida seems to be trending up.
(NEW INTEL) Solomon Thomas, IOL, Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines (FSU commit): Thomas has visited the Gators a bunch during the recruiting process and was back in town Saturday with his mother and other family. Other recruits told Gators Online they think Thomas had a good visit, is high on Florida coach Billy Napier and is strongly considering Florida. Having good friend Tramell Jones now committed at QB won’t hurt the Gators’ flip chances. THE LATEST: It’s still not clear at this time who Thomas will visit (if anyone) this weekend. It’s possible he checks out LSU. The schools involved expect NIL to play a significant role in this recruitment.
Ziyare Addison, OT, Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day (Oregon commit): Not that long ago it seemed likely Addison would attend a game at Florida this season but to our knowledge that hasn’t happened yet. Addison told Gators Online last week he felt great about his commitment to the Ducks.
(NEW INTEL) Dallas Wilson, WR, Tampa Bay Tech (Fla.) (Oregon commit): The Gators watched Wilson play in person last Friday night then finally got him back on campus the following day. After the game, he not only said Florida likely was his No. 2 behind Oregon but added he planned to return this weekend for an official. At last check, that was still being finalized. The two-hour distance from home potentially could give the Gators an assist. But it should be noted, he continues to say he is solid to the Ducks. THE LATEST: We continue to hear the Gators — and quarterback DJ Lagway — made a big impression on Wilson last week. Some people in his orbit think proximity to home is helping Florida right now in a big way because he has a large family. It feels like the Gators have some momentum. Per one source, they’ve definitely got a shot.
(NEW INTEL) Joseph Mbatchou, DL, Grayson (Ga.): After Mbatchou de-committed from the Gators a few weeks ago, most left them for dead in this recruitment. Not so fast. He returned to Gainesville this past weekend for an official visit and now there is buzz Florida and Texas are the two to watch at the moment. Two things have helped the Gators here: The school’s decision to keep Napier and the play of the defensive line. A signing day decision is likely. Florida is swinging. The LATEST: Texas is generating the most chatter at this time.
Tavaris Dice, OT/OG, Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes (Auburn commit): Dice, a 4-star recruit, is near the top of Florida’s wishlist. He was in Gainesville over the weekend and that was his second trip to UF this season. Florida has its foot on the gas. Multiple sources think the Gators have made some headway and have a legitimate chance. At last check, his plan was to visit Auburn this coming weekend.
(NEW INTEL) Jaime Ffrench, WR, Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin (Texas commit): With Jones, Ffrench’s quarterback at Mandarin, having committed to the Gators on Sunday, that might aid Florida’s chances with Ffrench. Also, Ffrench is close with Gators receiver commit Vernell Brown III. Meanwhile, he is keeping a close eye on Lagway since he’s the player Ffrench initially would be catching passes from in Gainesville. The Lagway factor is real and he apparently impressed Ffrench on Saturday. THE LATEST: Almost every source we’ve talked to has yet to get a good read on Ffrench’s situation. Some, though, are more optimistic about Florida’s chances than others. We don’t believe the Longhorns are quite as confidence as they were just a few days ago … but still feel fairly decent.
The post Florida Gators recruiting intel: Nov. 19 Target Watch appeared first on On3.
