travisduncan
Gator Fan
ICON SMI Jan 02 2012: U.S. Army All-American Bowl East Team wide receiver Stefon Diggs (1) during the Monday East Team Practice for the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl at Heroes Stadium in San Antonio Texas.
IN just a few short months, the Gators will retake the field at The Swamp for the annual Blue and Orange game. This year's game will be Saturday April 7th at 1 p.m. the school announced this week.
It will be the first time we get to see about 15-25 new Gators take the field at the Swamp.
While the 2012 class will be noteworthy as coach Will Muschamp's first-much of the talk will surround a couple of Urban Meyer recruits, sophomore quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel, who will probably steal the headlines as they compete for the starter's job.
But lurking behind that impending controversy is the idea that, as bad as the 2011 season went on the field, off the field Will Muschamp has a huge recruiting class.
It's not huge per se in size (though he wants bigger players upfront, D.J. Humphries a 6-5 265 lb offensive lineman for example) ( or in class size just 18 so far) but huge in terms of hype, rankings and talent. And his players and his recruiting is how he'll be judged. The cupboard being bare will no longer fly. Not everything is Urban Meyer's fault.
The Gators in the 2012 recruiting rankings are right up there where they have been in the Meyer days among the National Powers. This is a big deal if you believe recruiting leads to championships. It hasn't been said a lot but Muchamp and his staff has got them one heck of a recruiting class-but you sense the excitement and fatigue of the 2011 campaign is putting a damper on what should be a bright outlook. But Aubrey Hill for one and Muschamp's staff have done an excellent job recruiting, and if you haven't noticed the way things go these days, recruiting isn't just the business of telling a kid come to Florida anymore. It's a dog fight. It's a dog fight with the Alabama's, the Georgia's the Auburn's, the Florida States among others.
-The Gators haven't secured any commitments in 2012 (they have 18 total to date with plenty of scholarships available) but that should change in the days leading up to National Signing Day February 1st.
Two key players the Gators are targeting which could bolster the class even further are:
-Wide receiver Stefon Diggs out of Olney, Maryland. Diggs is ranked as a Top 10 player in all of the 2012 class and among the Top 5 wideouts. Auburn is thought to be a leading destination along with Maryland and possibly Cal.
-Offensive lineman Avery Young out of Palm Beach Gardens is ranked as a Top 15 offensive lineman for 2012. Young has offers from Auburn and Georgia as well. Young won't make an announcement until National Signing day.
-Still as the class stands now the Gators are ranked No. 4 in the Rivals recruiting rankings (the only SEC school ranked higher is Alabama at No.1). ESPN ranks the Gators at No. 4 as well.
Here is what ESPN has to say about Muschamp's big class.:
Will Muschamp has the Gators rolling on the recruiting trail. Three of Florida's top prospects are on the offensive line, led by five-star OT D.J. Humphries (Charlotte, N.C./First Coast). Humphries, the top OT in the country and the No. 8 overall prospect, is a great blend of size and athleticism. He joins ESPNU 150 offensive tackles Jessamen Dunker (Boynton Beach, Fla./Boynton Beach) and Dante Phillips (Venice, Fla./Venice). Both have great size, length and upside to develop into very good college tackles. The Gators added some weapons for the passing game with a pair of Under Armour All-Americans in Colin Thompson (Warminster, Pa./Archbishop), the nation's top TE, and LaTroy Pittman (Citra, Fla./North Marion), a four-star wideout who is a physically impressive receiver with some playmaking ability. The Gators added a solid running back as well with four-star Matt Jones (Seffner, Fla./Armwood). The defense also gets a boost, highlighted by the addition of ESPNU 150 DE Jonathan Bullard (Shelby, N.C./Crest).
-John Brantley is preparing for Saturday's East-West Shrine game, and had this to say about his NFL or professional prospects:
“You’re not on the radar. You don’t have a bulls-eye on your back. You’re just out here with all these guys, having fun and trying to impress the NFL," Brantley told the school's official website.
The East-West Shrine game will air Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on the NFL Network.
-The Gators men's hoops team faces LSU at the O-Dome at 6 p.m. ET on FSN. The Gators have won two straights since dropping a game to the Vols on Jan. 7. The Gators have a 14-4 overall record and are 2-1 in the SEC.
LSU is 12-6 on the season and coming off a big win against Auburn in overtime Tuesday night.
Forward Patric Young is dealing with a tendinitis issue in his right ankle but should not miss any games according to coach Billy Donovan.