Thursday Recruiting Rundown, July 7
Only a matter of when. The month of June produced a plethora of top prospects visiting Florida’s four most well known programs – Florida, Florida State, Miami, and UCF – but did not immediately produce many commitments. That changed in the past week.
Here’s an overview of each program’s commitments, plus thoughts regarding what’s next.
Who Committed?
It’s been a wild last 48 hours alone, let alone week. Before this report makes its way to the internet there could be more prospects making verbal commitments to any one of these programs.
Florida – While the chase for a prep signal caller captured the attention of Gators fans in recent weeks, landing talented defensive end TJ Searcy from Thomaston (Ga.) Upson-Lee is a great pickup for Florida. He made his pledge on July 4.
Just today, Florida landed two more commitments, starting with Treyuan Webb, a talented running back from Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian. He is one of the best running backs in Florida and one that’s been coveted by several programs including Georgia and Oklahoma.
Finally, the Gators found a signal caller with Marcus Stokes. Also from the Jacksonville area as a member of the Ponte Vedra Beach (Fla.) Nease program, Stokes is a big-armed passer that recently competed at the Elite 11 finals.
Previously committed to Penn State, Stokes flipped to the Gators today. He’s a player with tremendous upside that just needs to be more consistent with his mechanics to be a good college quarterback.
Overall, Florida has landed six verbal commitments since June 1. It took a while, but the Gators are making headway along the recruiting trail.
Florida State – The Seminoles made a splash with Keldric Faulk’s commitment on July 5. The Highland Home (Ala.) High School prospect has the length to be a defensive end and the athleticism to be a stand up outside linebacker. He could play multiple roles for the Noles once in Tallahassee.
Keldric Faulk has been a coveted prospect since he was a freshman.
Securing the commitment of Faulk is a good sign for the Florida State coaching staff, as he turned down nearby Auburn, as well as recruiting behemoth Clemson, and rival Florida. That’s a difficult task to beat all three of those schools for a player from Alabama.
Miami – One of the hottest recruiting teams in the country during the past two weeks would be the Hurricanes, and they added talented tight end Riley Williams from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy and elite offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa, also from the same school, just since July 1.
Williams is a versatile tight end that has a chance to play right away in Coral Gables, as he’s powerful as a blocker and agile enough to be impactful down the field as a receiver.
Mauigoa is a rare talent at offensive tackle because his sheer strength cannot be taught. Originally from American Samoa, Mauigoa has transitioned to IMG and not missed a beat. He’s playing right tackle for the Ascenders but his natural feel for the game of football could lend him to playing left tackle or even guard for the Hurricanes. Bottom line, Mauigoa will likely see the field quite early for Miami.
UCF – The Knights needed to add linebacker help, and that’s what they received on Wednesday with the commitments of Andrew and Michael Harris from Altamonte Springs (Fla.) Lake Brantley.
All Smiles from everyone associated with the Harris twins after picking UCF.
Like Mauigoa, the twins came from another country. Of Jamaican descent, the two linebackers have picked up the game of football well. As athletic as any linebackers in the country, the Harris twins also have a natural feel for the game by way of tracking ball carriers in heavy traffic and understanding how and when to attack the line of scrimmage. Look for both of them to make their way to playing sooner than later.
What’s Next?
Look for more commitments in the next week. Many recruits are tired of the phone calls and text messages, plus they have seen the schools they were interested in attending during May and June official visits. More prospects are coming off the board.
In fact, look for Miami to add at least one more pledge in the next week, as well as each of Florida, Florida State and UCF to possibly receive good news as well. Keep in mind, however, these are teenagers. They change their minds constantly.
Next week’s edition will discuss more commitments, plus a dive into a numbers crunch. Will any of UF, FSU, UM or UCF hold off on high school prospects to take more Transfer Portal additions?
Follow along for UCF Knights coverage on social media at @UCF_FanNation on Twitter, and Inside The Knights on Facebook, for round-the-clock news and analysis.
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