Hear are some storylines to keep an eye on as the week comes to an end. High school football practices start across the state of Florida starting next Monday (August 9th)...
- I confirmed this afternoon that Under Armour All-American CB Nick Waisome (5-10, 168, Groveland, Fla./South Lake) has pegged August 18th as his decision date. He has engaged in talks these past several days to have his announcement broadcast on ESPNU. In regards to who he will select -- the Gators have been considered the favorite for some time, but I have heard that Florida State made up some major ground during a trip Waisome took to Tallahassee last month. Georgia has also been a major factor in his recruitment, but seemed to fade over the summer (I was told the Bulldogs were out in front at one point during the spring). LSU and South Carolina comprise his other two finalists. Realistically, however, this is a battle between the two in-state rivals from the state of Sunshine for the commitment of Waisome. We will know in just under two weeks who the winner is...
- The Gators had a star-studded group attend their first practices of fall camp on Thursday. Two prospects in particular -- OL/DL Chase Hounshell (6-5, 265, Kirtland, Ohio/Lake Catholic) and RB Savon Huggins (5-11, 200, Jersey City, N.J./St. Peter's Prep) -- made long treks down to Florida to check out what The Swamp has to offer. It appears Hounshell is being targeted as a potential tackle candidate on the offensive line. Meanwhile, Huggins is a highly-regarded running back who could give Florida another every-down type in the backfield to go along with true freshman Mack Brown. A pair of Florida commitments, quarterback Jeff Driskel (6-4, 225, Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty) and fullback Hunter Joyer (5-11, 245, Tampa, Fla./Tampa Catholic) also were in attendance for the first day of fall workouts.
- As I posted on Twitter on Wednesday, defensive back Chris "Juice" Johnson (5-9, 205, Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic) is very close to making a commitment to the Gators public. At a media function for Marion County high school football teams, held at the Florida State Fire College on Wednesday, Johnson sported a blue Florida baseball hat and said "you could basically say I'm committed right now," of his current intentions as to what he will do for a college decision. Right now, it seems only a couple of points on the ACT are keeping Juice from going forward with that commitment. Expect it to happen in the near future, however.
- I think you really have to commend the efforts of Notre Dame wide receivers coach Tony Alford, and his imprint on the state of Florida this year. Alford has secured commitments from offensive lineman Jordan Prestwood (6-6, 275, Plant City/Plant City), defensive end/linebacker Clay Burton (6-3, 235, Nokomis/Venice) and defensive lineman Aaron Lynch (6-6, 265, Cape Coral/Island Coast). Burton had interest from around the Southeast, with offers from Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, LSU and Tennessee among others. The younger brother of Florida Gators true freshman quarterback Trey Burton, Clay settled in at defensive end last fall after bouncing between the offense (as a tight end) and defense as a sophomore to record 13 sacks in 2009. Prestwood is a tight end who will likely make the transition to offensive tackle in college. He had offers from Florida and Florida State along with many others before deciding on the Fighting Irish. The real prize of this group is Lynch, who is a massive prospect with tons of upside. He recorded 16 sacks last year at Island Coast, and would be a great fit at defensive end in Notre Dame's 3-4 scheme. He could also potentially grow into an offensive lineman, however. He has the frame to easily put on another 30-40 pounds without any problems, and he could be extremely effective as a left tackle on the next level. In any case, the efforts of Alford to grab this trio out of Florida (along with defensive end Anthony Rabasa, a native of Miami, who was recruited by defensive line coach Mike Elston) have given Notre Dame a strong presence in the Sunshine State this year.
Why does this get mention here, you ask? Because Alford was reportedly the first choice of Florida head coach Urban Meyer to replace departed assistant Kenny Carter, who followed Charlie Strong to Louisville. It seems Meyer had a good read on Alford's talents as a recruiter if those reports were in fact true.
- I keep getting questions on the recruitment of RB/LB James Wilder (6-2, 220, Tampa, Fla./Plant), and to be perfectly honest, I don't know what to think in regards as to what he will do anymore. Florida State clearly made a big push on his recent weekend stay in July, that much is clear. But the Seminoles were a bit late to the party, which makes me wonder if the positive post-visit vibes will wear off a bit as Wilder starts moving towards a decision. I maintain that UGA is a strong presence in this battle as they are they seem to be the best fit for his talents both on offense (Mark Richt has traditionally employed a Pro-Set base for his offenses since arriving in Athens in 2001) and defense (the 3-4 that new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has installed would allow Wilder to feature his talents as a superb pass-rusher out of the outside linebacker position). Florida has been the longest, most consistent, and most steady presence in the recruitment of Wilder. If it's a matter of which staff have built the best relationship with the talented prospect, I think it would be hard to argue anyone has Urban Meyer and Dan McCarney beat in that aspect.
So now, the question remains -- when does Wilder announce? It could happen this month, possibly at the nationally televised kickoff classic (preseason) game between Plant and Manatee High School of Bradenton (which features top RB prospect Mike Blakely, also a target of the Gators). Or perhaps Wilder will wait until after the season. In any case, his recruitment should continue to provide as much speculation around it as any in the country until that final decision is handed in.
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