Florida Gators Future 50 Recruiting Notebook

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Before taking the field at IMG Academy on Saturday for Under Armour's Future 50 camp, every player in attendance met with the media on Friday to provide the latest updates on their recruitment.

AllGators met with ten prospects who have been in contact with the Florida Gators to varying degrees to see where things stand in their recruitment.

2024 RB Jerrick Gibson, IMG Academy (Fla.)

As a former commit to the Florida Gators before backing off his pledge, Gibson continues to roll through his recruitment process garnering increased attention along the way. Equipped with 21 offers and counting, the top-ranked running back in the nation continues to take things slow as he approaches his junior season.

Currently, he views Georgia, Tennessee and Texas as the schools recruiting him the hardest, but never counts the hometown team out of his recruitment.

“Florida [is] always gonna be in the mix,” the Gainesville native said. “I talk to Florida every now and then and I understand that [the staff] is behind on recruiting right now because they came in late. They gotta get all they [2023s] out the way, so I'm not really tripping on that.”

Gibson continued to say he plans to commit to his school of choice this time next year.

2023 S Joenel Aguero, St. John's Prep (Mass.)

Aguero, who has a commitment date set for July 23, released a final four in early June that consisted of Miami, Georgia, Florida, and Ohio State.

Aguero spoke extremely highly of defensive back coaches Corey Raymond and Patrick Toney and the relationship he has with them.

“C-Ray, coach Raymond and my guy coach PT. I don’t even really have to say what coach Raymond did, he put everyone in the league. So that’s something I look at.”

Aguero says the opportunity to play with former high school teammate and close friend Kamari Wilson is also something that is appealing to him about Florida.

“[Kamari] just told me Florida is the best decision he could have made for himself. And he learned from the coaches, and he’s really getting developed and he loves being there.” Aguero told AllGators. “We talk every day, that's a dog so he just told me he wants to play he want to play together again so he just keeps telling me to come [to Florida].

And while his commitment date isn’t for another week, Aguero said a decision has already been made.

“I already made my decision two days ago, I’m already locked in. It really just came down to development, where I felt at home, and just where my family felt the best.”

2023 CB Cormani McClain, Lakeland (Fla.)

Arguably the nation’s No. 1 prospect and certainly its premier cornerback, Cormani McClain has all but trimmed his list down to Florida, Alabama and Miami as his senior season at Lakeland (Fla.) approaches. His first official visit was to Coral Gables in June, a trip that “set the bar high” before his eventual officials to Gainesville and Tuscaloosa.

The Gators have cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond working significantly in their favor as they attempt to reel in the top recruit on their 2023 board. McClain may reunite with Raymond on July 29 when UF is expected to host recruits for Friday Night Lights, but that trip has yet to be locked in.

"Coach C-Ray, me and him have a great relationship, I think it's there,” McClain told AllGators. “He's produced a lot of great athletes. I look up to coach C-Ray as one of the guys that you know is going to get you to the league and [has the] things that you need to get there."

McClain hinted at the possibility of a visit to Georgia but admitted that the Bulldogs are on the outside looking in on his recruitment.

2023 LB Lewis Carter, Tampa Catholic (Fla.)

Carter has narrowed his list of schools down to Auburn, UCF, Oklahoma, and UNC ahead of Saturday’s decision date. Florida is a school that has been coming up in recent weeks but it looks like it’s going to be too little too late for the Gators.

“They’ve got a new coach or staff and stuff like that, but I feel like I was trying to give them the time to pick it back up. But they kind of came to the recruiting process late.”

With his commitment just hours away it appears the Gators are on the outside looking in for the talented in-state LB.

Carter said he initially had plans to attend Florida’s cookout on July 30 but said that may not be the case now with him about to pull himself off the market.

“I was planning on going to the cookout on July 30, but depending on where I commit I feel like I won’t be going there [now], it depends.”

Florida has struggled to recruit the LB position so far in the 2023 class so to lose a talent like Carter who is from a Gator prominent area like Tampa (Fla.) would be a tough blow.

2023 LB Jaiden Ausberry, University Lab (La.)

The Louisiana native says he still keeps in contact with Florida even though there was staff turnover less than a year ago. Ausberry took a couple of visits to Gainesville under the previous staff and could be looking to make the trip over in the near future. Billy Napier and Co. are trying to get him on campus for the July 30 cookout but it is still wait-and-see on Ausberry’s end.

Having someone like Corey Raymond on staff certainly helps with Louisiana-based prospects given that he spent about 10 years coaching for LSU which is literally minutes away from Ausberry’s high school, and that connection is still strong.

“I talk to coach Raymond a lot. You know, I’ve known him for a while too because he was at LSU for 10 years so me and him connect really well.”

With linebacker being one of Florida’s biggest positions of need, the Gators' coaching staff is selling Ausberry on the ability to come in and play early in his college career.

“So you know, their linebacker room is not that big right now. And [Patrick Toney] told me that I'll have a chance to come in here and play early. They’ve been wanting to get me down there for a visit ever since they got the new staff.”

Ausberry said co-defensive coordinator Patrick Toney sees him fitting in at WILL LB in Florida’s defense.

2023 CB Desmond Ricks, IMG Academy (Fla.)

Ricks is one of the hottest topics in the world of recruiting following a top ten teams list that rattled the nation’s core when he scorned previous leader FSU. This comes just a few months after he was trending toward committing to the Seminoles.

As for Florida, Ricks continues to be a top target for the Gators as they approach the 2024 class. Keeping consistent contact with the talented IMG Academy defensive back, the Gators invited him to return to campus for the barbecue and Friday Night Lights event on July 29. He accepted.

“I just wanted to go see [cornerbacks] coach [Corey] Raymond, and it's close to where my parents just moved," he said. “He wants to get me down [to Gainesville] so we can watch film."

While Florida stands on an equal playing field with the other nine schools in Ricks’ recruitment at the moment, the relationship being formed with Raymond presents the Gators with a firm foundation at the top of his process for the long haul.

2024 DL David Stone Jr., IMG Academy (Fla.)

Despite arriving in the state during his transfer to IMG Academy from the midwest in February, the 2024 defensive tackle has yet to be offered by the Florida staff.

However, that could be changing soon.

Receiving considerable interest from inside linebackers assistant Jamar Chaney and defensive line coach Sean Spencer, Stone has an optimistic outlook on the future of his recruitment process as it pertains to Florida.

“Oh, man, they're great I'm not gonna lie,” he said. “So, it's more just about me getting to meet the rest of the coaching staff, as well then catching a few games, because I went to a practice or two. I really did enjoy it there when I went.”

Some of that positivity could come from training with the same coach as current Gators defensive lineman Chris McClellan, as Stone receives first-hand information in regard to the program Napier is constructing at UF. He shared their intention to get him on campus sometime soon, with July 27 — when the summer cookout is taking place — as the tentative date for his latest unofficial visit.

On that trip to Gainesville, Stone Jr. is expecting to receive an offer as they enter what should be a highly competitive recruitment process moving forward.

2023 EDGE/TE Rico Walker, Hickory (N.C.)

Walker is one of many talents we are getting a final look at before he commits on Monday.

The Gators seem to be on the outside looking in for the talented athlete prospect expected to play defensive line primarily at the next level. However, giving him the option to play on both sides of the ball, doubling as a tight end, Florida is one of the schools latching onto the versatility he presents.

“I feel like me, the athleticism that I have, it would be unmatched at tight end,” he said. “But, everybody keeps telling me I’m a natural defensive player.”

His main contact points have been Mike Peterson and William Peagler, who he says have been playing tug-of-war trying to determine where he would lineup for the Gators during his recruitment.

“Those are my guys,” he said of the Florida position coaches.

Choosing between his previously released top five schools – Auburn, Florida, Maryland North Carolina and Tennessee – Walker kept his imminent decision close to the vest. With only a short time until that announcement is vocalized, he has yet to come to a firm standing on where he will continue his playing career.

2023 OT Miles McVay, East Saint Louis (Ill.)

McVay, like many others, plans to take himself off the recruiting market this summer with a scheduled commitment date of August 11. Going into that date he has shifted his attention toward just over a handful of schools, Florida, Alabama Jackson State, Michigan State, Oregon and Texas A&M. The Gators are a school that stood at top of his recruitment under the previous staff but since the staff turnover they have fallen off.

However, when asked what he thinks about the program and university as a whole he spoke glowingly.

“I'm not gonna lie, I was loving it wouldn't when I was down there. I feel like it was a place I could thrive and succeed at, of course, all the football stuff, but it's really the things outside of football,” said McVay. “I want to [major] in Journalism and Broadcasting. And that's one of the best places to do it. You know, Tim Tebow came from there and I would say he's a good broadcaster. So it was really the stuff outside of football that really got me intrigued at Florida.”

While he did say that Florida OL coach Rob Sale did stop by his school in the past and has been reaching out recently it looks like the Gators are again on the outside looking in for this recruitment, but even after his commitment, the process might not be over.

McVay said he could still take his remaining two official visits during the fall after he makes his commitment but he’s not 100 percent sure on that at this time.

2024 S Jordon Johnson-Rubell, IMG Academy (Fla.)

As this list indicates, Florida is recruiting just about every prospect that attends IMG Academy, and Johnson-Rubell is no different. The Fort Worth (Texas) Brewer product would like to play his college football west of Alabama and closer to home, but is willing to hear what the Gators have to offer.

“Florida, I’ve been talking to [defensive analyst] coach [Jamar] Chaney lately,” Johnson-Rubell shared. “He’s wanting me down there at the end of this month, so I’m trying to get down there.”

Johnson-Rubell also intends to visit Oregon and schools such as Texas, Texas A&M, LSU and Arkansas are currently pushing for him the hardest.

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