Gators announce 2012 Recruiting Class

[travisduncan]

We'll have reaction from Coach Will Muschamp and analysis coming up, in the meantime here is the official class as provided by the UF Athletics Communications Dept.

EARLY ENROLLEES

Name Pos Ht Wt Hometown/Previous School

Willie Bailey DB 6-1 167 Hallandale, FL/Hallandale
Jessamen Dunker OL 6-4 320 Boynton Beach, FL/Boynton Beach Comm.
D.J. Humphries OL 6-6 271 Charlotte, NC/Mallard Creek
Damien Jacobs DL 6-3 310 Scooba, MS/East Mississippi CC
Antonio Morrison LB 6-1 209 Bolingbrook, IL/Bolingbrook
Latroy Pittman WR 6-0 195 Citra, FL/North Marion

SIGNED NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT

Name Pos Ht Wt Hometown/Previous School
Raphael Andrades WR 6-0 190 Tallahassee, FL/Lincoln
Jonathan Bullard DL 6-3 263 Shelby, NC/Crest Senior
Bryan Cox Jr. DL 6-3 247 Fort Lauderdale, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas
Dante Fowler Jr. OLB 6-3 261 St. Petersburg, FL/Lakewood Senior
Austin Hardin K 5-10 204 Atlanta, GA/Marist School
Matt Jones RB 6-2 213 Seffner, FL/Armwood
Rhaheim Ledbetter DB 5-11 195 Shelby, NC/Crest Senior
Jafar Mann DL 6-3 293 Stone Mountain, GA/Stephenson
Marcus Maye DB 5-11 200 Melbourne, FL/Holy Trinity Episcopal School
Alex McCalister OLB 6-6 223 Clemmons, NC/West Forsyth HS
Skyler Mornhinweg QB 6-3 190 Philadelphia, PA/Saint Joseph's Prep
Dante Phillips DL 6-6 270 Venice, FL/Venice Senior
Brian Poole CB 5-10 202 Bradenton, FL/Southeast
Jeremi Powell LB 6-1 193 Largo, FL/Pinellas Park
Kent Taylor TE 6-5 225 Land O'Lakes, FL/Land O'Lakes
Colin Thompson TE 6-4 252 Warminster, PA/Archbishop Wood
Quinteze Williams DL 6-5 255 Tyrone, GA/Sandy Creek

 

[DRU2012]

Thanks, travis--that's 23, which on first glance leaves just 2 open, but in truth there's room for a few more with various waivers and moves-to-be-made (the result of last year's small class, attrition through transfers, and our overall low total number of scholarship players on our roster coming INTO the day)...One of those is hopefully earmarked for Diggs, of course, but (aside from Harvey-Clemons, who I seriously doubt will flip from UGA), who else out there are we after? There are some well-thought-of kids out there still, and there are almost certainly also some "hidden gems", some overlooked guys that we can consider, take another look at now as result of having missed out on 2 or 3 of the 5-star ones we were hoping on. For eg., maybe we offer another QB, Paxton or Guy? Who are some others who might be waiting to hear from someone like us before signing at another , smaller program? I'm asking this not only of travis, but all our members: Who do you think or know we are interested in, or WOULD LIKE TO SEE us go after now?

 

[Escambia94]

See my sticky thread in the Recruiting section. Paxton Lynch and Jacob Guy have committed elsewhere due to Skyler Mornhinweg (note: I will spell that guy's last name differently every time!).

If you are an optimist, you can look for Harvey-Clemons to flip last minute. Stefon Diggs is hard to read. Just remember that they are all 18-ish years old. Those two are the high-ranked players left on the board.

 

[DRU2012]

See my sticky thread in the Recruiting section. Paxton Lynch and Jacob Guy have committed elsewhere due to Skyler Mornhinweg (note: I will spell that guy's last name differently every time!).

If you are an optimist, you can look for Harvey-Clemons to flip last minute. Stefon Diggs is hard to read. Just remember that they are all 18-ish years old. Those two are the high-ranked players left on the board.

OK, but what about the other part of my question, the one that I am really interested in--ie. Are there any out there that either you've heard of some interest in, or someone YOU would like to see us go after? I'm talking here about "off the radar", guys who we might take a chance on now, with spaces open after all...Peace was part of an alternate approach to talent that was able to recognize and bring along prospects that were often missed by the elite large programs--and the portions of those classes that stayed and excelled were at least equal in percentage to those at teams packed with 4- and 5-star players. We'll likely feel his influence in this and other regards in seasons to come, but can we grab a couple now? After some of these classes-full of self-entitled losers who thought the whole team and program ought to be happy and thankful that they chose US, I look forward to a more level-headed, balanced group of individuals joining our TEAM and working hard to be a part of it, part of building something special. For that, we need to place as much value on drive and commitment to getting better and becoming good teammates, as on reputation and the raw skills that "experts" SAY they have.
I see this staff already going that way...In fact, I have been assured that there have been several such players "off the beaten path" that were being followed and scrutinized with just such contingencies in mind--but my source (not surprisingly) has clammed up these last few days, and by now will give me not a hint even in terms of position, let alone identity. So again I ask: Is there anyone out there you would guess or even just LIKE to see us reaching for now, at the end?

 

[Escambia94]

There are few others left to chase after. I think Stefon Diggs is the last we sign or don't sign. My other thread shows which others we chased, and where else they signed. There is a one in a bazillion chance that Josh Harvey Clemons listens to momma and flips to Florida, and there is a chance Diggs flips last minute. Either way, this class will finish in the top 5.

If you follow recruiting through Twitter and your paid subscription to ESPN insider you would look at my list and want to add Kelvin Taylor, Barry Sanders Junior, and a bunch of others as misses. I only listed what I think were the serious targets. There is nobody else left, high profile or hidden.

 

[DRU2012]

You are probably right--or damn close, anyway (I just get the feeling, again from what's NOT being said, that there's a "someone else" that might be added to this class)...Regardless, I hope in future years we might begin to take a bit more independent path to choosing our prospective classes--if only in finding and bringing in some of these "hidden gems" in addition to going after the obvious "top-rated-talents" that seem suitable Gators-to-be.
We are already taking a different approach than was done during the Meyer years, I'm assured: there is more of a focus on that last, "suitable Gators-to-be" as a consideration than there has been in the past. We are openly expecting young men to make a commitment to us, and in return we are in most cases offering a full commitment in return--in the form of a 4-year, full-ride offer, rather than the year-by-year fine print in many of the major college scholarship offers. In this way, it's not just "words"; in this way, it is made clearly important to both parties, coaches and program on the one hand, recruit and family on the other, that we want and intend to join and stand by each other.
It's not for everybody; it may have cost us with some formerly leaning-towards-us recruits, who preferred the stroking "You're gonna be the MAN!"-promises of our rivals (Kiffen AND Meyer are, each in their own separate styles and ways, masters of this approach) to the more serious (and sincere) focus above. So be it. In the long run, we'[ll get our share, and it'll pay off in who stays and excels and the success we'll sustain as a program (for one thing, it would be nice to find ourselves only losing guys early to the NFL, instead of transferring out in ignominious irrelevance).

(Btw--it occurs to me that it'd be interesting comparing and contrasting Kiffen and Meyer, their many differences but certain important overlaps...)

 

[Escambia94]

Another way to look at this is that with a class of 23, we have room for at least 2 EEs this time next year. Factor in a few juniors and seniors departing, and those 2 extra slots are no big deal.

The key takeaway is that Will Muschamp knows how to recruit a defense. We can only hope that Brent Pease will add a solid offensive recruiting effort next year. I will post an analysis of the Gators' recruiting over the past few years to show that we should be in good shape even though that coach up north is starting to gain steam in the recruiting arena.