Florida Gators Recruiting: UF Gunning For #1

Fowler’s drama-filled recruitment included much worrying over the playing time, and perhaps some disagreements with his parents over where he should go, as well. Fowler has undeniable talent. He is explosive off the edge and has the ability to improve his game against the run, as well. But he also comes with some baggage, as he was suspended for much of his high school season after some disagreements with his coach. Like many high-profile recruits, Fowler is immature and will need to be de-recruited once he enters college. He is a high risk-high reward prospect with excellent upside.

For the first time in three years, Florida enters National Signing Day with both a lot to gain and a significant amount of stability. In 2010, Florida was trying to hold together a top class that threatened to fracture after Urban Meyer’s bizarre pseudo-retirement; in 2011, Will Muschamp was left to rally after Meyer departed Gainesville for real, and didn’t have much left on his plate except Marcus Roberson and Jacoby Brissett. Now, in 2012, Muschamp’s got a year under his belt as a head coach, and the only change for Florida comes at offensive coordinator, where Brent Pease was brought in to replace Charlie Weis — partly, as Muschamp reiterated, for continuity’s sake. And so Florida has a chance to close with a few five-stars that could make the Gators’ class one of the nation’s three best.

In the Florida program, Pease’s offense is the phase of the game that needs the most help, and the wide receiving corps the unit that needs reinforcements most desperately. But the Gators could score a couple of coups on and after Signing Day with wide receivers Stefon Diggs, considered a Florida lean, and Nelson Agholor, likely choosing between USC and Florida. Both are among the nation’s top 10 receivers, and each would give Pease a playmaker on the perimeter, but only Agholor is committing on Wednesday; Diggs will reveal his choice on February 10.

A huge battle in the Sunshine State will come to an end Wednesday morning, as cornerback Tracy Howard is set to make his commitment to either Florida, Florida State or Miami. Florida is the long-time favorite. Florida State is the wildcard. And Miami is the hometown team, but also the newcomer. The Miramar (Fla.) High quarterback is 5’11”, 180 pounds, and is rated four- or five-stars by all of the major recruiting services. He’s almost certainly the best cornerback in the state. And there are legitimate reasons why he would, and would not, attend each school.

Florida has been there for Howard since day one. Most still consider the Gators to be the favorite. There’s a family connection to Gainesville. The Gators play in the SEC. And, perhaps most importantly, UF plays a lot of man coverage. Howard is thought to want to play in a predominantly man coverage scheme. Of his three finalists, only UF does so, as it is a key part of Will Muschamp’s scheme, Florida’s defensive-minded head coach. And Howard should be able to play early at Florida.

Fans of Rutgers, Florida, Cal and other programs won’t have to wait quite so long to see where Darius Hamilton ends up. Hamilton was scheduled to sign on National Signing Day (February 1), but now comes word, according to Luke Stampini, that Hamilton will sign on Tuesday. Tuesday night, to be exact, on the Madison Square Garden Varsity cable network.

The defensive end plays for New Jersey’s Don Bosco Prep. Son of former NFLer Keith Hamilton, Darius is 6’4” and 250 pounds. He shows great promise against the run, but can also rush the passer. Hamilton’s skills against the run likely come from him playing a good bit of defensive tackle in high school. He’s clearly been coached up, and uses his hands well for a prospect of his age. The four major recruiting services award Hamilton five stars as a rating.

National Signing Day (February 1) is shaping up to be a bit anticlimactic for the Florida State Seminoles. Yes, the ‘Noles are in position to sign a few of the nation’s top uncommitted recruits, but the biggest news of the recruiting season seems to be happening this week.

On Friday, Florida State defensive end commitment Dante Fowler confirmed, via multiple reports, that his recruitment is over. This is big news, as the five-star defensive end from Lakewood (Fla.) High School had made no less than three trips to Gainesville while being committed to FSU. He would give one story to one reporter, and then a completely different story to another. Fowler was reportedly concerned about the Florida State depth chart, as the ‘Noles already feature two All-America candidates in Brandon Jenkins and Bjoern Werner, as well as two other five-star defensive end recruits in Chris Casher and Mario Edwards Jr., who confirmed earlier this week that he too would stick with his commitment to the Seminoles.

But Florida may have just caught a huge break. Multiple reports have Rutgers’ head coach Greg Schiano set to take the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coaching job.

So the deal appears to be getting done soon, according to the report. The Bucs are getting a guy who has spent the last decade as the Rutgers head coach compiling a 68-67 record (and 5-1 in Bowl games). Prior to Rutgers, he was the Miami defensive coordinator and before that he spent three seasons on the Chicago Bears coaching staff.Recruiting is all about relationships. And with just six days until signing day, this is going to be a disaster for Rutgers if the report is accurate. And Rutgers’ biggest loss would be a huge gain for the Gators. If the report is inaccurate, look for Schaino to quickly deny it.

There’s a new contender for the signature of linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons, as Florida State has put itself squarely in the discussion for his commitment. Clemons visited Florida State over the weekend, and FSU insiders, including those at Tomahawk Nation, say that the visit could not have gone better. Florida State opened Clemons’ eyes to a number of things about the school. And equally as important, the ‘Noles impressed Harvey-Clemons’ grandfather and legal guardian, Woodrow Clemons. The AJC has more:

The battle for ‘JHC’, as he is known in recruiting circles, is quite intense. And the beneficiaries are the the members of Mt. Calvary Baptist, who got to worship with Will Muschamp last week, and will have bible study with Georgia head man Mark Richt on Wednesday night. According to the AJC, Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher was just late on reserving his spot at worship with the Clemonses:

Alex McCalister, a talented defensive end recruit out of Clemmons (N.C.) West Forsyth High School has committed to The Florida Gators. McCalister is a fast-rising recruit who burst on to the scene with a strong senior year. He’s a developmental player at 6’6” and 220 pounds. The major recruiting services view him as a three-star recruit. McCalister holds offers from more than ten BCS schools, but his decision came down to Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Florida.

McCalister has ideal length for the defensive end position. And his frame is not such that it would be difficult to add bulk. No, McCalister will probably never be a great player against the run due to his height and build, but many excellent pass rushers have come out of high school looking like McCAlister.

Josh Harvey-Clemons of Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes is arguably the top player in the Peach State. The 6-foot-5”, 200-pound outside linebacker is a playmaking machine who lined up all over the field in high school. The national recruiting services rate him between four and five stars.

”Coach Richt and Coach Grantham said the same things: They need Josh in the ‘Sam’ linebacker position. With his frame and his speed, he’s the perfect fit for that scheme. They said he could go to the next level at that position. And they said he could come to Georgia and compete for playing time as a freshman.“Clemons is supposed to take his official visit to Florida State this weekend. Most Florida State insiders do not believe the ‘Noles have a real chance to land the Valdosta linebacker. But that he’s taking the official visit says FSU is not completely out of the picture.

Leonard Williams is one of the top recruits in the country. The defensive end from Daytona Beach Mainland (Fla.) is an impressive 6’5 and 255 pounds. He holds offers from most of the top schools in the country. And while a few of those schools might have filled up, Williams still has plenty of options. After Williams’ impressive week at the Under Armour All-America event, SB Nation caught up with him recently to find out what’s new with his recruitment.

SBN: Do you have a top group of schools you’re currently considering?

Stefon Diggs is one of the top recruits in the country. Starring for Good Counsel in Olney, Md., Diggs earned an invite to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and impressed all week during practices. The 6’0”, 190-pound Diggs possesses excellent speed and adequate size to impress at the receiver position.

And while his status as an elite recruit is certain, his recruitment is anything but. Diggs told ESPN that he has no idea where he will play his college ball, and is planning to wait until after signing day to make his decision:

It appears distance was a factor, per Gator Country’s Andrew Spivey:

The services are split on Salt. Some see him as a four-star defensive tackle. Others believe he should play offensive guard. Colleges are equally split. Cal offered him as an offensive guard, while Miami, Utah and Florida offered for defensive tackle.

Jonathan Bullard, one of the top defensive ends in the country, has committed to the Florida Gators. Bullard stars for Shelby, North Carolina’s Crest High School. Bullard held offers from most of the top schools in the country.

Bullard is roughly 6’4” and 255+ pounds, which classifies him as a strong-side defensive end. He’s raw, but shows the ability to shut down the run and set the edge. But he can also rush the passer. Like the Tigers and Gamecocks, the Gators run even and odd-front defenses, and Florida should be able to capitalize on Bullard’s versatility. The services rate Bullard as a high four-star or even a five-star recruit.

For more on Florida Gators recruiting, head to Alligator Army.

What an awful day for the Tennessee Volunteers. First, JUCO cornerback and Tennessee commitment Otis Jacobs signed with Texas A&M instead of the Volunteers. Then, the Vols lost another huge commitment, in Damien Jacobs, who switched at the last minute and signed with the Florida Gators.

And both losses are to conference rivals, now that Texas A&M is in the SEC.

Visesio “Junior” Salt, one of the top JUCO defensive tackles in the country, has committed to the Florida Gators. Salt, who stars for Walnut, California’s Mt. San Antonio Community College, stands 6’3” and weighs in at 340 pounds. H/t: Andrew Spivey of Gator Country.

The services are split on Salt. Some see him as a four-star defensive tackle. Others believe he should play offensive guard. Colleges are equally split. Cal offered him as an offensive guard, while Miami, Utah and Florida offered for defensive tackle.

Williams is 6’4” and 265 pounds, making him a strong-side defensive end. He excels at rushing the passer and playing against the run. Williams is long, and while raw, he does show the ability to use that length to control opposing blockers by creative separation. His power is too much for tackles to handle at the high school level.

Williams would be a perfect fit in a defense that plays multiple fronts, as the Gators do, because Williams is able to play both inside and outside the opposing offensive tackle.

Clemson, South Carolina or Florida? That is the question facing defensive end Jonathan Bullard. The talented recruit out of Shelby, NC’s Crest High School is set to make his decision next Wednesday.

Bullard is roughly 6’4” and 255+ pounds, which classifies him as a strong-side defensive end. He shows the ability to shut down the run and set the edge. But he can also rush the passer. The Tigers, Gators and Gamecocks all run even and odd-front defenses, and all three would be able to capitalize on Bullard’s versatility. The services regard Bullard as a high four-star or even a five-star recruit.

This is potentially big news, because many insiders believed that UF led for Diggs’ services before the departure of Charlie Weis.

He holds legitimate offers from just about every program in the country, and took the time to visit many of them. In the end, Diggs came down to Auburn, Florida, California, Maryland, Michigan, Oklahoma, USC and Virginia.

While many Gator fans were happy to see him go, the departure of Charlie Weis cast a cloud of uncertainty over Florida’s recruiting on the offensive side of the ball. With many top recruits scheduled to visit last weekend, I wondered if they might reschedule. Consider the cloud lifted, as UF hosted a solid recruiting weekend even without its offensive coordinator.

Athlete Josh Harvey-Clemons enjoyed his visit to Florida, ESPN reports: