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.

Signees - the Offense

This year’s class of signees

Once again I will break the class down by position and give a star ranking of each recruit.

QB: Jordan Reed – New London, CT.
6’4”
235lbs
4.6/40
4 stars
#142 on the ESPN 150

Has the same build as Cam Newton, but is more equipped to be a pocket passer than Newton. Strong arm with a quick release. When he sets his feet has a big arm and great accuracy. Is capable of moving within the pocket and becoming a running threat. His size obviously makes him difficult to bring down when he is outside of the pocket. Still raw, needs to improve his throwing mechanics and willing to improve.

The one that got away – Denard Robinson – Deerfield Beach, FL. While it was clear that there was no way that Robinson would ever see the field as a true QB - his throwing motion is similar to Vince Young’s (read horrific) – Robinson is an exceptional athlete and would have slid nicely into a slot receiver role next year. In the end Robinson signed with Michigan and will be given an opportunity to be RichRod’s Pat White in Ann Arbor.



RB: Mike Gillislee – DeLand, FL
6’0”
190lbs
4.5/40
3 stars
#129 on the ESPN 150

More of an athlete than a true RB, since he is more of an outside threat than a between the tackles runner. Dangerous and elusive in the open field, although he does have a deceptively strong lower body. Once he gets the corner, he has that “second gear” to separate from defenders. Has the frame to hold additional weight and could develop into a slashing back. Keeping in line with the current RBs on the Florida roster, possesses excellent hands and receiving skills. Will afford the OC the ability to take advantage of potential mismatches with his versatility.

The one that got away – Trent Richardson – Pensacola, FL. Committed to Alabama early in the process and then toyed with the idea of moving to another school. In the end Richardson stayed with the Tide. Richardson has the ability to be that back that Coach Meyer hasn’t been able to land since his arrival at Florida. Richardson ending up in Tuscaloosa might not be a bad thing, since it has come out that Richardson has at least two children under the age of two and more baggage is starting to emerge since his commitment.

WR: Andre Debose – Sanford, FL
6’0”
180lbs
4.4/40
5 stars
#17 on the ESPN 150

The most important player on Florida recruiting board. Has the ability and skill level to replace Percy Harvin with his combination of speed, quickness and acceleration. Played in a variety of spots (QB, RB, WR) in high school, including both punt and kickoff returner. Dangerous in the open space. Kid is an absolute playmaker. Has the ability to get open quickly, gets in and out of his cuts well, and has consistent hands. Has a great attitude (pull up the video on YouTube and compare his commitment at the Under Armor game with his teammates and tell me who you would rather have representing your school). Due to the fact that he played other positions in high school, he will need to learn the nuances of the WR position.

FSU fans were clamoring about his late visit to their campus, but all their hopes were squashed when Andre and his father stopped by Gainesville after his visit in order to meet with Coach Meyer.

The one that got away – Nu’Keese Richardson? While it definitely hurt that Richardson switched on signing day, if we would have signed Richardson and lost Debose it would have cataclysmic to class. Richardson is a nice player, but at 5’9” 155lbs, he wasn’t going to contribute in Gainesville in the next two years (unless you count the hundreds of pictures of him in the tunnel of the Swamp that Coach Marotti has posted).


TE: Desmond Parks enrolled in January and was previously written about.

On the Board Still:

Orson Charles – Tampa Plant High School. Down to 3 schools, Georgia (considered the favorite), USC (visiting the weekend of Feb. 20th) and Florida (the school that most logically fits him). Would be an excellent replacement to CI (coincidentally he wants to wear #7). Playing with his high school QB at Georgia really working against us.

OL: Nick Alajajian and Jonatthon Harrison enrolled in January and were previously written about.

Xavier Nixon – OT Fayetteville, NC
6’6”
265lbs
5 stars
#50 on the ESPN 150

Could be Florida’s Andre Smith, he is that good of a player. He is tall, has long arms and light on his feet. While consistency needs to be worked on, he gives superior effort, excels in combination blocks and is extremely quick off the ball. He is also aggressive at the point of attack and has good football instincts. Improvement in his body control and work in the weight room could make him a complete tackle.

Was a silent commit after his visit for the LSU game, public announcement was held off until the Army All-American game due to the fact that his father (currently serving in Afghanistan) would be on leave and able to see the announcement.


Jon Halapio– OG St. Petersburg, FL
6’4”
300lbs
3 Stars

A mauler in every sense of the word. Has excellent balance and has good footwork. Needs to improve his technique and consistency. Pretty much defined an under the radar prospect until he was MVP of the Gainesville Nike Camp and he started picking up offers.


Kyle Koehne – OG Indianapolis, IN
6’6”
290lbs
4 Stars

Played tackle in high school, but will in all likelihood play guard in college. Basically the opposite of Halapio, Koehne excels technically and is sound in most blocking schemes, especially when covered during the running game. Koehne was the player of the year in the State of Indiana.

The one that got away - No one. In fact Miami was nice enough to sign one of our scraps - Jared Wheeler. Wheeler was considered to be too soft to play in the SEC after the Friday Night Lights camp and was slow played until Koehne committed.

Accumulated Recruiting Talent and Average Star Ratings

For the past 3 years we have put together a compilation of the trailing 4 years recruiting talent per Rivals for both total points and average star ratings.

Obviously this has some limitations as it doesn’t account for player losses nor those players that haven’t lived up to their reputations. However it does demonstrate which schools continue to win the battles for the most sought after players.

After signing day last year the top 20 teams by average star rating for the past 4 years was thus (with average star rating, and total points for the past 4 years) -

1 Southern Cal 4.01 10,722
2 Florida 3.75 9927
3 LSU 3.70 8402
4 Ohio State 3.67 7460
5 Texas 3.64 8173
6 Georgia 3.59 8466
7 Oklahoma 3.59 8747
8 Michigan 3.54 7934
9 Notre Dame 3.54 7526
10 Florida State 3.51 8930
11 Miami-FL 3.43 7680
12 Alabama 3.41 8176
13 Tennessee 3.35 7401
14 Auburn 3.29 7114
15 Clemson 3.28 6840
16 UCLA 3.26 5423
17 Nebraska 3.22 6503
18 Penn State 3.21 5398
19 California 3.18 5776
20 South Carolina 3.16 6058

In the final Coaches’ poll number for 2008 numbers 1 and 2 ended up reversed, so the talent did rise to achieve. LSU, at third, didn’t end up ranked, but Ohio State, Texas, Georgia and Oklahoma were all top 10 teams.

Michigan and Notre Dame were obvious busts, but in looking at 2008’s list you might have seen Alabama coming. And not to mention FSU, written off preseason last year, who ended up ranked 23rd in the final poll.

Which leads us to this year. Since the numbers below are based on 4 year totals and averages, we wouldn’t expect big changes. The top 25 teams by average star talent per Rivals over the past 4 years are (with average) –

1 Southern Cal 3.99
2 Florida 3.89
3 LSU 3.72
4 Alabama 3.61
5 Texas 3.70
6 Georgia 3.66
7 Florida State 3.46
8 Notre Dame 3.65
9 Ohio State 3.74
10 Oklahoma 3.54
11 Michigan 3.56
12 Miami-FL 3.38
13 Auburn 3.29
14 South Carolina 3.26
15 Tennessee 3.33
16 Clemson 3.39
17 UCLA 3.34
18 Ole Miss 3.03
19 North Carolina 3.11
20 Penn State 3.18
21 Nebraska 3.20
22 Virginia Tech 2.98
23 Illinois 3.00
24 Arkansas 3.02
25 California 3.12

The top 3 remain the same, but Alabama has made a big move from 12th to 4th. Others of note include –

FSU – On the comeback trail?

Notre Dame – supposedly still a lot of talent. Time for Weis to prove his worth, if any.

Michigan – there is talent there, but is it the right talent?

South Carolina – skill set getting better, but this is the SEC.

Tennessee – Lane, you have the horses. Do you have the brains?

UCLA – a bit of a surprise here. Will it show?

Ole Miss – from 31st last year to 18th. They aren’t likely to sneak up on anyone, anymore.

North Carolina – I think the time has come for them to start surprising people.

We also follow total accumulated talent (the total of all 4 years recruiting scores). This, theoretically, provides a measure of the total stockpile of talent (as opposed to the general quality) –

1 Southern Cal 10501
2 Florida 10477
3 LSU 9648
4 Alabama 9538
5 Texas 9139
6 Georgia 8705
7 Florida State 8502
8 Notre Dame 8429
9 Ohio State 8284
10 Oklahoma 8136
11 Michigan 8063
12 Miami-FL 7672
13 Auburn 7117
14 South Carolina 6700
15 Tennessee 6661
16 Clemson 6428
17 UCLA 6068
18 Ole Miss 5825
19 North Carolina 5814
20 Penn State 5581
21 Nebraska 5558
22 Virginia Tech 5014
23 Illinois 4990
24 Arkansas 4959
25 California 4932

According to Rivals, USC and Florida have really loaded up in the past 4 years, with Florida only 24 points behind USC, but 829 points ahead of 3rd place LSU.

I use these in making my preseason top 25 picks for the Blogpoll, which tend to be as good as anything the “consensus” comes up with.

About That Signing Class

I’m going to leave the particulars about individual players and positions to Scully, but if any of the Gator faithful are alarmed about the relative “poor” rating of the newest signing class at 10th per Rivals I have one word – relax.

At Florida we have an embarrassment of riches in everything lately (2 BCS titles in 3 years being among the most), and to even consider a 10th ranking in recruiting sub-par is somewhat absurd. However the 2009 Gator signing class is, by many metrics, the nation’s best.

For pure quality of talent we are number one according to the same Rival’s service that ranks us 10th. The top ten schools by average “star” rating per Rivals are -

1 Florida 3.94
2 USC 3.89
3 Texas 3.85
4 Georgia 3.83
5 Alabama 3.81
6 LSU 3.79
7 Ohio State 3.76
8 Florida State 3.62
9 Miami 3.6
10 Michigan 3.59

Once again the SEC pulls in a solid crop of top talent, with 4 of the top 10 schools coming from the conference. Likewise the state of Florida’s “Big 3” schools continue to haul in talent. Notably, when organized by average “star” rating 10 of the 12 SEC schools are in Rival’s top 25.

And while Alabama pulled in the first ranking by Rivals normal rating method, they did so mostly of the strength of numbers with a class that had 27 total commitments. Florida, who it must be noted needed very few signees (with 22 deep returning on defense), had only 16 commitments in a class that still ranked 10th, or 11 players fewer than the Tide.. In fact when you look at sheer numbers the fact Florida was ranked 10th overall is amazing, as Florida had the fewest recruits of any school ranked in the top 36.

When you consider that a very good player has a “4 star” ranking in Rivals the fact that Florida averaged 4 stars is pretty remarkable.

We didn’t need many players, but the ones we did sign are top quality talent. Our opponents shouldn’t take much comfort in the 10th overall ranking.

Orange & Blue Again

ESPN covering the Orange & Blue game again.

What's on the Roster - before signing day

Signing day was Tuesday, and before I get into a review of this year’s class, I think we need to look at the 2006, 2007 and 2008 classes – Meyer’s first 3 classes. To me it is the only real way to gain insight into what needed to be signed this year. It will also explain why we might have “missed” on some recruits.

Players will be broken down by position and star ranking. I have not included any kickers or punters, basically because I don’t think they should be ranked.

Offense:

QB 2006 – Tim Tebow – 5 star
2007 – John Brantley – 4
(Cam Newton is no longer attending UF)

2 players at the position
Average player ranking: 4.5 stars

RB 2006 – Emmanuel Moody – 4 star (originally signed with USC)
Brandon James – 2
2007 - Chris Rainey – 5
2008 - Jeff Demps – 4
TJ Pridemore – 3

5 players at the position
Average player ranking: 3.6 stars

WR 2006 - Riley Cooper – 4 stars
Justin Williams – 4
2007 - Deonte Thompson – 5
TJ Lawrence – 4
Paul Wilson – 3
2008 - Carl Moore – 5
Omarius Hines – 4
Frankie Hammond – 4

8 players at the position
Average player ranking: 4.125 stars

TE 2007 – Aaron Hernandez – 5 stars

1 player at the position
Average player ranking: 5 stars

OL 2006 - Carl Johnson – 5 stars
Marcus Gilbert – 4
Corey Hobbs – 4
Jim Barrie – 3
Maurice Hurt – 3
2007 - James Wilson – 5
Michael Pouncey – 4
Maurkice Pouncey – 4
2008 - Sam Robey – 4
David Young – 3
Byran Jones – 3

11 players at the position
Average player ranking: 3.82 stars

Total Offensive Players on the roster: 27
Average player ranking: 3.96 stars

Defense:

Safety 2006 - Bryan Thomas – 4 stars
2007 - Major Wright – 5
Ahmad Black – 4
2008 - Will Hill – 5

4 players at the position
Average player ranking: 4.5 stars

CB 2006 - Markihe Anderson – 3 stars
Wondy Pierre Louis – 3
2007 - Joe Haden – 4
Moses Jenkins – 3
2008 - Janoris Jenkins – 4
Jeremy Brown – 4
Adrian Bushell – 4

7 players at the position
Average player ranking: 3.57 stars

LB 2006 - Brandon Spikes – 5 stars
Dustin Doe – 4
A.J. Jones – 4
2007 - Lorenzo Edwards – 5
John Jones – 4
Brandon Hicks – 4
Steve Wilkes – 3
2008 - Brendan Beal – 4
Lerentee McCray – 4

9 players at the position
Average player ranking: 4.11 stars

DE 2006 - Jermaine Cunningham – 4 stars
2007 - Carlos Dunlap – 5
Justin Trattou – 5
Duke Lemmons – 4
2008 - William Green – 4
Earl Okine – 4

6 players at the position
Average player ranking: 4.33 stars

DT 2006 - Brandon Antwine – 4 stars
Terron Sanders – 3
Lawrence Marsh – 3
2007 - John Brown – 5
Torrey Davis – 5
Jaye Howard – 3
2008 - Matt Patchan – 5
Omar Hunter – 5
Troy Epps – 4

9 players at the position
Average player ranking: 4.11 stars

Total Defensive players on the roster: 35
Average player ranking: 4.09 stars

The talent level of the current roster is unbelievable - remember that a 4 star player is generally considered one of the top 150 players in the country for that year. It also shows some holes. For 2009 we needed to sign the following:

1-2 QBs – 1 is a must, 2 would be a luxury
1-2 RBs – preferably bigger than Demps and Rainey
1-3 WRs – 1 slot receiver and 1 outside receiver
1-2 TEs – biggest hole on the roster, looking at it from the outside.
4-5 OLs – this year is a must for quality offensive linemen
1-2 DEs – put me in the group that thinks Brendan Beal becomes a DE
2-3 DTs – my understanding is that the staff is worried about injuries at this position.
Plus you never know if John Brown and Torrey Davis will make it in the classroom
1-2 LBs – most talented group on the team
1 CBs – pretty young and loaded
1-2 Safeties – at the moment we are almost too good at this position with 3 quality players for
2 spots (and Munroe should be back this year).

Memo to Kiffin: Put Up or Shut Up

Lane Kiffin made a public accusation that Urban Meyer committed a recruiting violation.

However, per this story from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Tennessee spokeswoman Tiffany Carpenter told The Associated Press the school would not file an official complaint to the NCAA.

Either a violation has been committed, in which case a NCAA member coach would have a virtual duty to report it, or Lane Kiffin is a liar and slanderer.

Report the violation Lane. Or shut your trap.

Was Al Davis the Sane One?

After Raider's owner Al Davis fired Lane Kiffin this past September the Oakland owner held a press conference in which he made a series of unsavory accusations about Kiffin.

At the time I assumed - like many did - that it was simply more of the rantings of a formerly great NFL owner.

After Kiffin's latest public comments in which he has purposefully - perhaps slanderously - tweaked everyone from Meyer to Spurrier to Saban, one has to wonder what the hell Kiffin is up to.

I love the fierce rivalries of the SEC, and Kiffin's latest is gasoline to the flame. It's going to be mighty hot in Gainesville come that 3rd game in September.

a prediction

Since Lane Kiffin was hired up in Knoxville he has:

1. Called Florida and Coach Meyer out saying he cannot wait to sing Rocky Top after they beat the Gators next year.

2. Was told by Coach Meyer, more than once, to stop contacting Billy Gonzales about a coordinator job during our preparation for the National Championship game. Mind you that the job entailed less responsibilities than Coach Gonzales currently has on the Gator staff, since Lane will be calling the plays.

3. Swayed 2 of the Gators commits to Tennessee on National Signing Day - Marsalis Teague and Nu'Keese Richardson.

4. In addition he has made enemies with Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier for his actions on the recruiting trail. In fact, Saban told the players that were committed to Alabama that if they visited Knoxville their scholarship offer would be pulled.

I predict Coach Meyer will remind Lane of who is the boss in the Swamp on September 19th - not unlike what he did to CMR in Jacksonville last year. 60+ will be the goal.

Signing Day - as of 11:45am

I am going to try to update this throughout the day. I will also do a write-up on each of the signees.

Letters of Intent faxed to the staff

Andre Debose
Gary Brown
Mike Gillislee
Jon Halapio
Kyle Koehne
Kedric Johnson
Jelani Jenkins
Xavier Nixon
Josh Evans
Jordan Reed


Early enrollees:

Nick Alajajian
Jon Bostic
Edwin Herbert
Dee Finley
Jonotthan Harrison
Desmond Parks