Who are Florida\u2019s top recruiting targets?<\/p>\n
Welcome to the Ten Most Wanted<\/em>.<\/p>\n Here, we\u2019ve considered where we think each player sits on the Florida board, the program\u2019s need at the position, the Gators\u2019 chances of landing the prospect as well as the recruit\u2019s skill set. Also, Florida must have at least a somewhat realistic shot of landing a prospect for him to make our list.<\/p>\n The Ten Most Wante<\/em>d is extremely fluid. In recruiting, things can change on both sides in an instant. Florida\u2019s recruiting board will shift \u2014 and shift a lot \u2014 all the way up until National Signing Day in December.\u00a0<\/p>\n Finally \u2026 please remember, this is\u00a0our<\/em>\u00a0list, not the Florida staff\u2019s.<\/p>\n The Gators have the No. 4 recruiting class in the country for On3, with seven prospects in the fold for Billy Napier\u2019s <\/a><\/strong>program. Today, Gators Online <\/strong>takes a look at Florida\u2019s 10 Most Wanted<\/em> targets in the Sunshine State.<\/p>\n Flipping Smith away from the Buckeyes is going to be difficult for any program, but the 5-star prospect is keeping the door cracked open. Additional official visits are expected to take place as well.<\/p>\n One of those schools on the radar is Florida. Smith recently logged a return trip to Gainesville, and to sweeten it up more, Gators quarterback commit\u00a0DJ Lagway<\/a>\u00a0flew in the night prior to make sure he was present for Smith\u2019s visit. I\u2019m told that move by Lagway made a major impression on the wide receiver.<\/p>\n However, I believe Smith\u2019s relationship with Billy Gonzales<\/a><\/strong> is the key here. The presence of Keary Colbert was arguably the No. 1 reason why the Gators were previously in the picture. so that bond with Gonzales is something we will be monitoring.<\/p>\n UF will need to land an official visit in order to have a real shot at changing the mind of the South Florida native. Georgia, Miami and Alabama are schools actively in pursuit as well.<\/p>\n Gibson has official visits scheduled with Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Miami and Alabama. Those are on the calendar for June, while schools such as Florida, Oklahoma and Ohio State are also in the picture.<\/p>\n The former Gators commit was recently back home in Gainesville for Easter, so he made sure to make another stop on campus. He was then in attendance for the Orange and Blue Game as well, so Billy Napier\u2019s staff has already received a trio of visits in 2023.<\/p>\n However, Texas is the school positioned the best right now. Gibson does not need to officially visit the Gators due to proximity and his familiarity with the program, but it\u2019s a stinger for Miami to receive one, especially with him being a former commit from Gainesville.<\/p>\n The Gators have catching up to do either way, and with two running backs already committed, Gibson\u2019s position is not a big priority right now. We are obviously continuing to track his recruitment though.<\/p>\n This is a recruitment that could go in several directions.<\/p>\n Back in the fall, the top-50 prospect made a commitment to Michigan State. He continues to say all the right things about that pledge as well, so don\u2019t be surprised if the four-star prospect stays put. That commitment remains intact despite additional programs consistently trying to flip him.<\/p>\n However, Florida and Florida State have been surging in recent months; in fact, if you are asking me, staying put in the Sunshine State seems like the most-likely scenario right now.<\/p>\n Howard grew up a huge Seminoles fan and has been in Tallahassee a whole lot. That is where I was leaning for several months, but I\u2019m giving the Gators the slight edge right now.<\/p>\n The South Florida native has been to Gainesville several times over the past month and is planning to return for an official visit. Corey Raymond has also been turning up the heat as of late and has the full respect of the rangy defender. His resume is something other DB coaches do not have; it\u2019s that simple.<\/p>\n Additional programs are still in the picture, but I am focused on Michigan State, Florida and FSU.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, I submitted an\u00a0On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine<\/a>\u00a0for the Gators to land Mincey. My confidence level for the pick is currently at 65 percent.<\/p>\n Right now, I still don\u2019t see Mincey leaving the state for college. The likes of Alabama, Tennessee, Notre Dame, LSU and Michigan have also offered, but most of the attention is on Florida and Florida State.<\/p>\n The Gators, however, have received the most visits and already hosted Mincey multiple times this year. UF is doing a good job of building trust and having that face time with him, especially Corey Raymond.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a different feeling when you know you are a priority for arguably the top secondary coach in college football. Raymond\u2019s presence is Gainesville is a major appeal for the Daytona Beach native.<\/p>\n There is some versatility with Mincey. He can operate as a bigger cornerback or roam in the back end of the defense at safety or nickel. There is a good chance he would start out at cornerback for UF though.<\/p>\n Nothing is guaranteed in recruiting, but intel suggests that UF holds the advantage heading into May.<\/p>\n Florida is currently the No. 1 school for Tampa (Fla.) Catholic\u2019s star pass catcher. Tennessee and Clemson are likely the Gators\u2019 top competition right now, but all momentum is favoring the Orange and Blue.<\/p>\n The proximity advantage is huge for UF. That will allow Moore to visit several times over the summer, during the season, or even both; however, that obviously benefits additional in-state programs as well, as Miami, Florida State and UCF have received visits in recent months as well.<\/p>\n In addition to feeling like a priority, Moore has really connected with Billy Gonzales. They have only met one time, but it was a strong first impression that led to UF climbing to the top. It sure does not hurt that Moore\u2019s mother is a big Gators fan as well.<\/p>\n All in all, 40-plus schools have offered and Moore is only a junior with one year of football experience. And while he is a member of the On300, one could say he deserves another bump nationally. The 6-foot-4 Moore is coveted by the nation\u2019s best and deservedly so.<\/p>\n Although he didn\u2019t flip from FSU and remains on the market, I still feel strong about where the Gators stand with the blue-chip defensive back.<\/p>\n Price received an offer last summer and then attended Friday Night Lights and multiple home games. He was also present for one of UF\u2019s junior days in January and the Orange and Blue Game, so that comfort level in Gainesville is different than most. Pride will return in the summer for an official visit as well.<\/p>\n However, even before Pride reopened his recruitment, the Gators were making a whole lot of noise. He was in Gainesville more than he was in Tallahassee, at least for a good portion of his junior year, and continues to feel like a big need for several staff members.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, I submitted an On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine pick for the Gators to come out on top. My confidence level for the pick is at 75 percent, and as of today, nothing has changed.<\/p>\n The 2024 prospect has already set foot on campus nearly a dozen times and most recently visited for the Orange and Blue Game. He has major ties to the SEC program as well, as his mother is a Florida graduate along with his late uncle and former Gators wide receiver, Aubrey Hill.<\/p>\n Additional schools are getting the opportunity to make an impression though, as the likes of Miami, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas, Florida State, Kentucky and Georgia Tech were included in Jackson\u2019s spring visit schedule<\/a>. Several official visits will be taking place as well.<\/p>\n Jackson has yet to name a clear-cut leader, but there is no doubt who is trending. Those odds, according to\u00a0On3\u2019s Recruiting Prediction Machine<\/a>, are sitting at 96.5 percent.<\/p>\n Sean Spencer, Kali James and Billy Napier are among those in communication with the hometown star.<\/p>\n Due to proximity and the amount of visits he has taken to both schools, I believe Florida and Florida State are positioned best for McCray, who is teammates with Zay Mincey at Daytona Beach Mainland.<\/p>\n When McCray attended a spring practice in early March, it marked his second visit to Gainesville this year, as he journeyed up to campus in late January as well. His stock is soaring from a rankings standpoint, but he has also emerged as one of the Gators\u2019 priority targets in the trenches.<\/p>\n The Gators, according to\u00a0On3\u2019s Recruiting Prediction Machine<\/a>, are trending with odds of 34.2 percent; however, I\u2019m giving the slight edge to the Seminoles right now. There is not much separation between the two, but the ACC program has generated more buzz to this point.<\/p>\n They don\u2019t draw them up much better at 6-foot-6.5, 260 pounds, and because of that, McCray is being pursued by a boatload of additional programs as well, including Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, LSU, Michigan, Auburn and Texas A&M.<\/p>\n You can expect the lifelong favorite Gators to be in the mix until the end. On top of that, Napier\u2019s staff is prioritizing Robinson on a daily basis. He previously told me that donning that Florida uniform would be a \u201cdream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n The Orlando native has already visited UF multiple times this year and recently scheduled an official visit. That multi-day experience at the Swamp is set for June 2-4. Billy Napier and defensive coordinator Sean Spencer are among those recruiting Robinson on behalf of UF. <\/p>\n The Gators, according to\u00a0On3\u2019s Recruiting Prediction Machine<\/a>, are trending with odds of 33.7 percent. I\u2019m not ready to submit a prediction though, as Texas, Georgia, Miami, FSU, USC and Oklahoma are some schools in pursuit as well. I believe Florida and Texas are the schools sitting in the best spot though.<\/p>\n We will see if the Gators can lock this one up while he is in town for his OV.<\/p>\n Will it be Florida, Penn State or West Virginia for the top-200 prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking<\/a>? Those are the schools sitting out front for Hawkins, who is a native of West Virginia.<\/p>\n However, only Florida has secured an official visit date to this point. That second trip to the Swamp is locked in for June 10-12. The Gators just offered over a month ago but quickly made up ground to become a major contender for Hawkins.<\/p>\n While on campus earlier this spring, Hawkins relished the family-like atmosphere within the program. He also enjoyed his conversations with Billy Gonzales, saying his skill set was mentioned in the same sentence as Percy Harvin. The Gators definitely check the box for on-field fit, as Hawks can see himself flourishing in their offensive attack. He previously mentioned the \u201cvibe\u201d in Gainesville as well.<\/p>\n This recruitment is very close at the top. It\u2019s nearly a coin flip between the Gators and Nittany Lions, while the Mountaineers are likely sitting in third.<\/p>\n Stay tuned to Gators Online<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The post Florida\u2019s 10\u00a0Most Wanted \u2026 in the Sunshine State<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Who are Florida\u2019s top recruiting targets? Welcome to the Ten Most Wanted. Here, we\u2019ve considered…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3684\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Ohio State wide receiver commit Jeremiah Smith<\/a><\/h2>\n
Five-star running back Jerrick Gibson<\/a><\/h2>\n
Michigan State cornerback commit\u00a0Jamari Howard<\/a><\/h2>\n
Top-100 safety Zay Mincey<\/a><\/h2>\n
On300 wide receiver TJ Moore<\/a><\/h2>\n
On300 safety Jordan Pride<\/a><\/h2>\n
Four-star defensive lineman\u00a0Kendall Jackson<\/a><\/h2>\n
Top-100 defensive lineman LJ McCray<\/a><\/h2>\n
Four-star defensive lineman D\u2019antre Robinson<\/a><\/h2>\n
IMG Academy wide receiver Jerrae Hawkins<\/a><\/h2>\n