How Kamar Wilcoxson's Reclassification Changes Florida Gators Recruiting
Florida fans received a pleasant surprise last night as news broke that now-former 2021 cornerback Kamar Wilcoxson (IMG Academy - Bradenton, Fla.) will be reclassifying into the 2020 class. For those unsure of what re-classifying is, it is when a prospect changes their graduation year, promptly allowing them to skip a year of high school or stay for an extra year.
In the sports world, this is more popular in basketball but has become an option for many football players, namely due to the coronavirus pandemic, as many football seasons are being canceled across the nation.
Some rising seniors like Wilcoxson would prefer to get to college, allowing him to get into a college program a year early and train. Wilcoxson is now able to go through a college strength program and will be able to learn the playbook, ultimately receiving extra time to prepare under college coaches.
Another 2021 prospect, five-star cornerback Tony Grimes (Princess Anne - Virginia Beach, Va.) took a similar route and will be suiting up for the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2020.
Gators head coach Dan Mullen is tedious when it comes to having exact numbers at each position on the roster, as he has made vividly clear throughout his two seasons at UF. With such news coming out, the Gators have a plethora of options they could take with this new open spot.
Find Another 2021 Cornerback
With the recent de-committment of fellow Clinton Burton Jr, who flipped to Boston College, the Gators are only down to one cornerback in the 2021 class, as that spot is held by Gaither (Tampa, Fla.) cornerback Jordan Young.
The Gators could turn up the heat on cornerback targets, such as Palmetto's (Miami, Fla.) Jason Marshall Jr. and Westlake's (Atlanta, Ga.) Nathaniel Wiggins, however, both appear to be leaning towards other programs at this time. Marshall has been coveted by Florida for a long while but appears to be trending towards Miami, while Wiggins named Florida and LSU his top two schools in July, heaping praise for LSU defensive backs coach Corey Raymond along the way.
With another five-star cornerback close to home, Florida could also wait it out until the 2022 class and put all of, or at least a good amount, of eggs in elite Jacksonville cornerback Jaheim Singletary's basket.
Take Another Offensive Lineman
With the loss of offensive tackle Issiah Walker to the transfer portal earlier this offseason, this could also be a viable option for the Gators.
Florida is in the mix for three-star OT Diego Pounds, four-star OT Yousef Mugharbil, and three-star OT William Parker.
Pounds' has been on the Gators' radar for a while now, as he was given an offer earlier this year in April. The same goes for Mugharbil, who recently put UF in his top seven schools, joining others such as in-state schools North Carolina & N.C State, Louisville, Penn State, Virginia Tech, and Tennessee.
Parker was just recently given an official offer by the Gators on August 1st, the first day when schools are allowed to send official offers to prospects.
The Gators have also had an interest in Miami commit, guard Laurence Seymore, who has been committed to the 'Canes for over two years. Flipping a long time commit will be a tall task, especially considering Miami's recent recruiting success and the fact that Seymore is from Miami himself.
Another offensive lineman the Gators will take a run at is OT Caleb Johnson, who is Jake Slaughter's teammate at Trinity Catholic in Ocala. Johnson was offered by the Gators on May 5th but committed to the Auburn Tigers only a few days after on May 15th.
Target a 2021 Running Back
It has been well-documented that Florida has not recruited the running back position to its fullest, as the Gators have missed on a slew of top targets at the position over the course of the last two cycles.
Head coach Dan Mullen and running backs coach Greg Knox have been selective when it comes to finding a perfect running back for their spread system, but another scholarship could allow for the Gators to look around. If they do, the first name to come up would be Alabama RB Jaylin White, who has the Gators in his top ten.
Although this option is intriguing, it feels unlikely that Florida would go this direction, as they have already dug in on the position in next year's class and are in a prime spot to land 2022 RBs Damari Alston and Jamie Felix.
Final Thoughts
All in all, the Gators have even more options to fill spots in the 2021 class due to Wilcoxson's decision to enroll a year early. With approximately four months until early signing day, the Gators are sitting at 22 commitments, pending many of their top targets decisions.
Florida targets that haven't been mentioned yet and have not decided include Palmetto (Miami, Fla.) defensive tackle Leonard Taylor and safety Corey Collier Jr., Ramsay (Birmingham, Ala.) edge rusher Jeremiah Williams, Vanguard (Ocala, Fla.) defensive end Bryce Langston, and IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) linebacker Xavien Sorey.
The Gators have options when it comes to filling Wilcoxson's spot in the class of 2021, and considering how large the class already is with targets remaining on the board and several months ahead to put on the finishing touches, perhaps it was the best move for both parties.
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