Florida Gators 2020 Signee Profile: DB Rashad Torrence II
Rashad Torrence II, Defensive Back
School: Marietta High School
Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 195 pounds
247Sports Composite Rating: Four-Stars, No. 32 Safety, No. 32 overall GA, No. 333 overall (National)
Recruitment History
With a rather dull recruitment — compared to a guy like Mordecai McDaniel, who jumped to the Florida train late in the process — Rashad Torrence II has been a Gator from the start.
Despite rolling in a multitude of offers from a number of elite-level P5 schools, the Marietta (Ga.) defensive back made up his mind following Early Signing Day 2018 during an unofficial visit to Florida.
Committing to the Gators on December 16, 2018, Torrence would prematurely shut down his recruitment, electing to become a Gator. Never wavering from this commitment, Torrence chose Florida for its strong academic prowess and an up-and-coming football program.
Putting his intentions down onto paper just over a year later on Early Signing Day 2019, Torrence early enrolled in the program as he looks to compete for early playing time at safety.
Long-Term Projection and Outlook
Standing at 6-0, 195 lbs., Torrence is another safety addition that contains the prototypical build for the position.
Showing incredible versatility at the highest level of Georgia High School football during his time in the Marietta secondary, Torrence brings desirable traits of physicality, burst, excellent technique in coverage and ball skills that will aid the Gators defense in both run support and the passing game.
Accounting for 111 tackles, two forced fumbles, seven passes defended, and an interception his senior season of high school, Torrence displayed a propensity to make plays.
Showing excellent vision and instincts to dissect plays from the secondary, Torrence is not just able, but willing to come down into the box and deliver bone-crushing blows to ball carriers when he gets the opportunity to do so.
Also, Torrence flashes an exceptional ability to maximize his just above-average speed by accompanying it with the footwork and technique of an already-polished SEC defensive back. This allows him to stick with any receiver he is matched up with, and make up ground against faster pass-catchers.
Likely to be paired alongside the track star and uber-athletic McDaniel on the back end of the UF secondary, the range of coverage from sideline to sideline makes it difficult for the opposition to hit the deep ball. On the other hand, no receiver is safe coming across the middle against that duo either, given their skills playing downhill.
With the most college-ready safety prospect of the 2020 class and an early enrollment that gave him an upper hand into the world of college football before the COVID-19 pandemic, Torrence could see early action with only three experienced safeties returning to the Gators squad.
Or, he could take the route of many other 2020 signees and start his Gator career on special teams, another place he can bust some heads with free reign.
