How Leonard Taylor Committing to Miami Impacts Gators Recruiting
Not even two weeks after losing out on wide receiver Barshard Smith to the Miami Hurricanes, the Gators lost out on defensive lineman Leonard Taylor to the same program.
It would be an understatement to say it is disappointing for the program, as Florida's coaching staff has had their eyes set on talent-rich Miami Palmetto High School class of 2021 for some time.
RELATED: Florida Gators Priority 2021 DL Target Leonard Taylor Commits to Miami
For many months, it was assumed that the Gators would be in the running for most, if not all, of the 'Palmetto 5', the five best players at Miami Palmetto (Miami) in Taylor, Smith, defensive tackle and Miami commit Savion Collins, cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. and safety Corey Collier Jr.
Taylor, however, was widely thought of as the grand prize, so to speak. The player most programs in the nation would have loved to have joined them in 2021.
The Gators seemingly put all of their eggs in Taylor's basket along their defensive line this recruiting cycle, similar to what the team did with five-star defensive tackle Gervon Dexter in 2020, who looks to make his Florida debut at some point this season.
As mentioned previously, missing out on Taylor impacts the Gators in a variety of ways, one most-importantly being their ties to the South Florida recruiting area. While neither Marshall nor Collier has officially verbally committed anywhere, it is safe to say Taylor has impacted their foothold in the region.
Perhaps, however, there are other players the team could target to make up for it.
Currently, the Gators have four defensive linemen on the docket to sign with the Gators in the next few months. That includes St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) defensive end Tyreak Sapp, Dunbar (Fort Myers, Fla.), Sumter (S.C.) defensive end Justus Boone, defensive tackle Christopher Thomas and most recently, Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) defensive tackle Desmond Watson.
While the program has lost out on Taylor for now, they are currently in the running for another big-name defensive line recruit in Terrebonne (Houma, La.) prospect Maason Smith, who has recently placed Florida in his top eight along with LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Oklahoma, USC and Oregon.
Another big-time recruit, Vanguard Ocala (Fla.) defensive lineman Bryce Langston is on the team's radar. Langston has committed and de-committed from Florida before, however, the Gators remain a top team for his services as Langston will decide between Florida and LSU.
Finally, there are two other recruits the Gators are likely to keep their eyes on moving forward. Highland Springs (Va.) defensive lineman Kelvin Gilliam, who has spoken highly of the Gators in the past, and has placed the team in his "top teams" list recently, and current Ohio State commit, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) defensive lineman Tunmise Adeleye.
While he remains committed to the Buckeyes, Adeleye has received continued-push from Florida in his recruitment, and he has ties to Florida cornerback commit Kamar Wilcoxson who is reclassifying from the 2021 recruiting class into 2020. The two took a visit to the Gators' campus together in March. He remains a high-priority flip candidate for the Gators and will be something to keep an eye on moving forward.
While losing out on Taylor stings, this is not the end all-be all for Gators recruiting in 2021. There are still plenty of targets on the docket and plenty of time between now and Early Signing Day.