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Road To Signing Day: Florida Gators Closing In On James Robinson?
After starting out the 2017 recruiting cycle slow, the Florida Gators have picked up speed. How are they fairing with top recruits such as James Robinson?The Under Armour All-American Game is in the books, and the Florida Gators have to be feeling good coming out of it. What exactly happened to make the Gators feel so good?Let me break it down.
News
No new commits this week, but the Gators have to be feeling good about some recruits. Four-star outside linebacker Levi Jones stated that he would like to get away from the state of Texas.
He followed that up by saying Texas is still in the equation for his commitment, but he isn’t forced to stay home.
Florida is one of the three teams in his supposed final three, as well as Florida State and Texas. Gators interim defensive coordinator Randy Shannon also coached Jones’ father with the Miami Dolphins.
It seems to be a two-way battle for Jones between FSU, and UF, but FSU seems to have the upper hand.
I touched on offensive tackle recruit Tony Gray a little last week and will do so more again this week. Gray still has a couple of visits left on his schedule, but has stated that he has already made up his mind. That could be good news for the Gators, especially since the last five “Crystal Balls” on 247 Sports have Gray going to UF.
Four-star wide receiver James Robinson abruptly announced Florida as his leader earlier this week during the UAAG practices, but quickly backed down on it as he still wants to enjoy his recruitment process. He most likely was pressured into doing so by media members at the practices, but the Gators were reportedly his leader beforehand anyway.
His recruitment process seems to be down to UF, Alabama, and Oklahoma. The word is that almost all of his family is lobbying for him to play his ball in Gainesville, which is a good sign.
News
Four-star athlete Christopher Henderson announced that Florida is in his top three, along with Alabama and Miami. The video in which he does so is below.
The Gators are believed the frontrunner for the Columbus HS standout. Even I have him coming here.
Four-star defensive end and Alabama native LaBryan Ray announced that the Gators will get his final visit. His commitment process seems to be down to two schools in Alabama and Florida.
What should help the Gators in this recruiting battle is Alabama surprisingly landing four-star JUCO defensive end Isaiah Buggs and now emerging as four-star defensive end Jarez Parks’ frontrunner.
If Parks goes to the Tide, Ray should be a Gator.
Four-star defensive tackle Elijah Conliffe was just recently offered by the Gators. Florida will now attempt to shore up their defensive tackle board as Aubrey Solomon becomes increasingly less likely as well as already losing so many defensive tackles this cycle.
Aubrey Solomon is becoming increasingly less likely to be a Gator, apprehended from this DawgNation Article. His commitment will also come a month later than most, on March 1st rather than February 1st, which most likely no longer gives Florida his last visit.
Rumors
This was believed to be the case beforehand, but the debacle earlier this week kinda doubled down on it. Florida should be James Robinson’s leader. This isn’t really a surprise, and I’m almost certain he will end up a Gator, but this is still something that isn’t 100% certain, hence more of a rumor.
Rahyme Johnson is no longer looking like a Gator. With Johnson’s failure to take a visit during the season to Gainesville, it has negatively affected his recruitment process.
Over the last few days, Johnson has received six-plus rapid UCLA Crystal Ball predictions on 247. I’m doubtful that Johnson will end up in Orange & Blue.
Checking In
Finally some good news with four-star cornerback Elijah Blades? Though he is uncommitted and has fans panicking, yes, I think so. Elijah retweeted and tweeted some fairly Gator friendly things the other night.
Twitter isn’t the end-all, be-all, but it’s the only positive light the California native has given the Gators in the recent days. Look at the tweet below.
He know https://t.co/yUb5Cc9YiZ
— ELIJAH – BLADES™ (@savageszniv) December 31, 2016
Four-star athlete and cornerback Christopher Henderson has been turning heads at the UAAG practices. First reported by Zach Abolverdi, Henderson has been playing fantastic all week and the wideouts have been raving about him.
That’s a great sign, as the Gators made it into his final three as seen above.
Four-star wide receiver commit Daquon Green has been recruiting James Robinson hard and will continue to do so until he commits. That’s a good sign for the Gators, which could strengthen their already loaded wide receiving corps for years to come.
On the same subject of Robinson, he also was considered one of the best wideouts and stood out the most during the UAAG practices. He showed good size and ball skills, as stated by Abolverdi.
Class Of 2017 Prediction –
Quarterback (1) –
3-Star Jake Allen
1/1/16 Notes: Nothing has changed.
12/26/16 Notes: Nothing has changed.
12/18/16 Notes: Nothing has changed.
12/11/16 Notes: It’s very unlikely that the Gators will take another quarterback with three in the system next year and one already committed. Allen lost a star, but the talent is there.
Running Back (2) –
3-Star Malik Davis
3-Star Adarius Lemons (Pending Grades)
1/1/16 Notes: Nothing has changed.
12/26/16 Notes: Nothing has changed.
12/18/16 Notes: Based on his recent tweets, three-star running back Adarius Lemons seems to be closer to being academically eligible to sign with Florida. Only time will tell.
12/11/16 Notes: Malik Davis is pretty much a lock, and if Adarius Lemons can’t qualify, it seems he will be the only back taken. Yesterday was the last possible date for Lemons to take the ACT to take it before National Signing Day.
Wide Receiver (2) –
4- Star Daquon Green
4-Star James Robinson
1/1/16 Notes: Robinson abruptly named Florida his leader. Even if he backed off on it, he wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t true. We knew this going into the practices. So, nothing has really changed.
12/26/16 Notes: The above two are fully expected, but recent rumors have pointed to possibly adding Michael Harley to this class. I am still a little skeptical he will get an offer because of his small frame, but we will see. Until he gets an offer, can’t even bother to add him to the class.
12/18/16 Notes: Nothing has changed.
12/11/16 Notes: Both are pretty many locks to The Swamp. I can’t see it going any other way, even if Clemson and Alabama make a late push for Robinson.
Tight End (2) –
3-Star Zech Byrd
4-Star Kemore Gamble
1/1/16 Notes: Nothing has changed.
12/26/16 Notes: Nothing has changed.
12/18/16 Notes: Nothing has changed.
12/11/16 Notes: Nothing to really see or talk about here. Both will be in The Swamp come next summer. Doubt the Gators add another tight end, as it hasn’t even seemed liked they have pushed for one.
Offensive Line (3) –
4-Star Kadeem Telfort
4-Star T.J. Moore
4-Star Kai Leon-Herbert
1/1/16 Notes: A lot of Crystal Balls are heading Florida’s way with four-star offensive tackle Tony Gray, but I’m not seeing it. I think he’s being a hard sell and leading the predictors in the wrong direction. I don’t think he ends up here, but I could be wrong, which would obviously be for the better.
12/26/16 Notes: Moore joined the class as expected from last week, and now I also expect 4-Star Kai Leon-Herbert. I have read, heard and seen enough for me to feel confident with this selection. Herbert will be on Florida’s campus four days before signing day and his announcement is expected to come on the 28th. All signs point to KLH joining the Orange & Blue.
12/18/16 Notes: Donaldson has closed up shop, so I was wrong on that. I am seeing and hearing nothing but good reports on Herbert, but this was before Wilson going to UGA. I think that hurts the Gators in more ways than one. T.J. Moore, on the other hand, has been trending up with the Gators. Florida holds the right to his last visit and reportedly the running is between UF and North Carolina State. For him to choose N.C. State over the Gators would be a shocker.
12/11/16 Notes: Telfort is a lock. If you are following me on Twitter, you know I’m relatively optimistic the Gators can flip Donaldson. The in-home visit seemed to have gone great and he will have a shot at immediate playtime here in the swamp.
Defensive Line (4)
4-Star Zachary Carter
4-Star Elijah Conliffe
3-Star Tyrone Truesdell
3-Star Kyree Campbell
1/1/16 Notes: Florida recently extended an offer to four-star defensive tackle Elijah Conliffe.. The recruiting battle is reportedly between UF and Tennessee, but I can’t see the Gators losing this one with how much of a need defensive tackle is. That’s the reasoning behind me adding him to the board. As far as dropping Aubrey Solomon, everything I’m hearing points to him going to Georgia or Alabama. That’s the reason he was dropped. Lastly, I’m waiting another week or so to make a decision on LaBryan Ray. Waiting on one or two more pieces to move.
12/26/16 Notes: Nothing has changed.
12/18/16 Notes: Nothing has changed.
12/11/16 Notes: Go big or home. Three of the four on the list are potentially locks. Solomon is the only one in doubt. He had to schedule the Gators as his last visit for a reason. In my eyes, it means he would like to come here, but he needs one last “woo.”
Linebackers (2) –
3-Star Ventrell Miller
3-Star James Houston
1/1/16 Notes: With Rahyme Johnson basically out of the picture, it’s Levi Jones or bust for the Gators. Unfortunately, with Tim Brewster recruiting Jones for the Seminoles currently, I’m seeing it as a bust. Big time kid comes off my board for the Gators, unfortunately.
12/26/16 Notes: Nothing has changed.
12/18/16 Notes: Nothing has changed.
12/11/16 Notes: The linebacker class is lackluster on paper, but the film checks out for all three of these guys.
Defensive Backs (4)
4-Star Elijah Blades
4-Star Marco Wilson
4-Star Brad Stewart
3-Star Shawn Davis
3-Star Brian Edwards
1/1/16 Notes: Small change on the DB board as I add three-star Brian Edwards. It’s really a matter of whether or not the Gators want to “take” Edwards and that he isn’t feeling disrespected in any way because of the delay. Edwards appears to be the backup plan to four-star Tray Bishop and the extreme backup plan if Florida loses Elijah Blades. I think with Bishop most likely becoming a Bulldog, the Gators will take Edwards. Small get, but Brian Edwards has elite size.
12/26/16 Notes: A little bit of a Blades scare is brewing, but I still think he finishes off as a Gator.
12/18/16 Notes: I still do not have the utmost confidence in landing Bishop like some others.
12/11/16 Notes: This cornerback class is loaded. Stewart is more of a prototypical safety, which is where he’ll most likely play at the next level. The Gators appear to be trending upwards for four-star Tray Bishop and four-star Devon Hunter, but I’m not as confident in those two to put them on my prediction board. Even without them, this is one heck of a DB class.
Athletes (1) –
3-Star Kadarius Toney
4-Star Christopher Henderson
1/1/16 Notes: Nothing has changed.
12/26/16 Notes: Nothing has changed.
12/18/16 Notes: Don’t know how or why I forgot to add “Hendo” to the board last week, but now he’s here. Almost a surefire lock for Florida.
12/11/16 Notes: Filthy athletic ability. Zero ideas where he will play, but I can assure it will not be at quarterback.
Until next week!
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