Signees - the Defense

DT: Edwin Hebert enrolled in January and was previously written about.

Gary Brown – Quincy, FL
6’3”
275lbs
5 stars
#23 on the ESPN 150

Brown continues to impress with his play. He committed to Florida in March 2008 and never wavered, despite what the Seminoles will tell you. He was without a doubt the best DL prospect at the Under Armor All American game, and routinely game the OL fits. While his frame needs a little bulk, he has excellent skills, initial quickness and good motor. Has enough speed to run the QB and can be unstoppable when he stays low. Will need to work on breaking the habit of spinning off of blocks and improve his consistency.



DE: Kedric Johnson – Palmetto, FL
6’4”
220lbs
3 stars


He totaled 46 sacks over the past 2 seasons, so he obviously has some skill rushing the passer. Will need to put on some weight before he sees the field (word is that he is to 230lbs). Could be a real sleeper.

The ones that got away – Nick Kasa (Broomfield, Colorado) and/or Ryne Giddins (Seffner, FL). Kasa was committed to Florida for a long time before switching his commitment to Colorado. Seems that his parents (Florida grads) were more excited about him going to Florida than he was. Despite being a 5 star DE prospect, Kasa also let it be known that Florida was looking at him at TE, in the event that he couldn’t compete with the players already on the roster. Either way Kasa stated that he loved the State of Colorado and didn’t want to leave. Giddens ended up at USF and coincidentally his mother is now working at USF. Go figure. Apparently Giddens was going to announce his intentions at the Army All-American game and then something happened (rumors that a car drove over his foot were floating around). He ended up hurting himself before going to San Antonio and couldn’t play in the game or make his surprise USF over UF announcement. Once the charade was over, Giddens chose USF quietly and without much fanfare.

LB: Jon Bostic enrolled in January and was previously written about.

Jelani Jenkins – Wheaton, MD
6’1”
210lbs
4.45/40
5 stars
#9 on the ESPN 150

When reading this, remember that he is only 16, and should only get better. Played both LB and RB in high school, but will play LB at Florida. Plays hard every snap. Doesn’t have the bulk necessary yet, but has the frame to hold more weight without becoming too bulky. Tremendously quick and gets up to top speed in a very short distance. Excellent tackler and uses his lower body properly when tackling. Has plus football instincts, get an excellent jump on plays, but is under control enough not to overrun them. Also an excellent blitzer. All his weaknesses can be corrected by either coaching or within the weight room.

The one that got away – Jarvis Jones (Columbus, GA). Jarvis signed with USC and was a big loss because he was a Mike LB. When Brandon Spikes decided to stay for his senior year, Jarvis decided to go elsewhere. Would you trade Spikes for a freshman? Purely a business decision by him and you have to respect that. Jarvis said that he will always be a Gator fan and follow them.

CB: none

The ones that got away – Marsalis Teague (Paris, TN) and Greg Reid (Valdosta, GA). Both Teague and Reid were committed for a long time to the Gators. Reid opened the process back up during the Under Armor All American game, where he played extremely well. Initially he said that he committed to soon, but eventually the truth came out and he said that our depth chart was not attractive to him. Reid eventually signed with FSU, which is replacing 3 out of the 4 members of their Secondary. Funny story about Reid – after withdrawing his pledge to the Gators, everyone assumed that he was going to sign with Georgia (so much so that his grandmother wore Red & Black to his announcement). Well apparently one of the Georgia coaches sent the following text – “Keep on Reid, he loves the attention”. Unfortunately for the coach he sent it to Reid instead of to his fellow assistant coach. Teague on the other hand strung the Florida staff along until 2 or 3 days before signing day. Teague and Richardson became friends during the recruiting process and they both ended up at Tennessee. While I feel all is fair in Love, War and Recruiting, I find the Tennessee staff to be despicable (actually lower than FSU’s during their incredible run) and I have little respect for anyone who bought into their garbage.

S: Dee Finley enrolled in January and was previously written about.

Josh Evans – Irvington, NJ
6’1”
185lbs
4 stars

Extremely versatile athlete, can play safety or cornerback. For the record I have heard that he will play corner first. Good enough athlete that he could be a threat at WR. Possesses excellent agility and his hips are loose enough to play corner. Smart player on defense, with excellent timing on blitzes. Needs to work on tackling. Has make-up speed.

The one that got away – no one.