Florida Gators Capitalize on End of Dead Period; Recruiting Recap
Over the past two weeks and counting, the Florida Gators football program has been in a constant state of movement.
While its players continue to prepare on the gridiron for the grueling season yet to come during the fall, its coaches and recruiting coordinators have been laying the groundwork for the new blood of players set to enter the program in the coming years.
There have been a couple of big weekends of official visits in Gainesville already, including at the start of the month from June 4-6, and last weekend from June 11-13, as well as numerous recruiting camps. Both weekends of visits included several top-tier recruits that met with the team, and have come away with great reviews of the program, something that isn't uncommon during the annual recruiting frenzy.
However, this year is just the third in which Florida head coach Dan Mullen has been able to host players, and with more accomplishments to showcase, including an impressive victory over Georgia last season, there is more reason to give Florida an advantage when it comes to bringing in some of the best players around the nation.
While there have been recruits from plenty of classes, 2022, 2023 and even beyond, Florida is certainly focusing its attention primarily on its upcoming class of '22, working on garnering commitments from the next class of great athletes.
Some of the highlights from the class include visits from defensive tackles Walter Nolen (Cordova, Tenn.) and Chris McClellan (Owasso, Okla.), athlete Gentry Williams (Tulsa, Okla.), wide receiver Evan Stewart Frisco (Texas), defensive end Enai White (Philadelphia (Pa), offensive tackle Tyler Booker (Bradenton, Fla.), running back Jamarion Miller (Tyler, Tx.) and many more.
The team also saw a few of its committed '22 recruits come to see the campus for the first time on official visits, including receiver Isaiah Bond (Buford, Ga.), tight end/offensive tackle Tony Livingston (Tampa, Fla.), cornerback Julian Humphrey (Houston, Tx.) and quarterback Nick Evers (Flower Mound, Tx).
The recruits had plenty to say over the past couple of weeks, and it ought to bode well for the future of the Florida football program.
What They Said:
Below are quotes of interest from the recruits over the past couple of weeks:
"Because it's Florida, and it's in The Swamp. You can't beat that. And plus, they produce really, really good [defensive backs]. And it's like, it's different from Texas, I already feel home." - Humphrey
"They were already pretty high but this is just that much more." - McClellan
"Florida is just [the] best of both worlds, to be real." - Stewart
"I just saw how the other players interacted with each other, how it was like a real brotherhood, family mentality amongst the group ..." - Booker
"You know, there's no place like Florida. This is a pretty well-rounded school, you know, all aspects." - Evers
“To be honest just a place that I feel comfortable that I feel like will benefit me not only being an athlete but like the student side." - Thomas
“It was everything I expected it to be. Starting from the whole staff with coach Mullen, coach McGee, coach Gonzales. I’m really glad I came.” - Williams
"The trip was the best one I’ve had so far ...” - Miller
Moving Forward:
It's clear that Florida has left an impression on the recruits thus far. Whether the first impressions will be lasting remains to be seen but don't be surprised to see Florida land at least a couple of these highly-touted recruits by the team National Signing Day is upon us.
With the dead period completely behind college athletics, the opportunities that Florida now has are boundless, there is plenty to gather and plenty of work to get done in the coming weeks and heading into the season.
In the past, Florida hasn't been one of the top-tier schools in the ever-important recruiting rankings, but that is certainly bound to change, perhaps even this year. Under the leadership of head coach Dan Mullen, Florida looks poised to land its best recruiting class yet, and that's something Gators fans ought to be excited about.
Florida will continue its recruiting season, including camps such as the one hosted over the past few days on campus, hosting plenty of prospects from future recruiting classes. The visits aren't all yet complete for the summer; they're just getting started.