Ten Florida receivers who have shined this fall

We're just past the midway point of the high school season for Florida. Most teams now have six games in the books, and some players in the passing game have really started to break away from the pack. Here's eight ten receivers (well, actually, nine receivers and a tight end) who have emerged this fall. Some were already well-known coming into the season. Some of the others? Well, they weren't quite as well known before this fall.

Now, keep in mind, I'm not advocating that these are the eight best wide receiver prospects in Florida. There have been a number of top prospects (Ermon Lane, Ja'Von Harrison, Corey Holmes and Artavis Scott among them) whose numbers haven't matched those of the players in this post for one reason or another. However, the below-listed prospects have raised their level of play this fall, without a doubt.

Ryan Sousa (6-0, 177, Lake Nona) – The prolific senior out of the Orlando area continues to put up big numbers. Sousa had over 2,400 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns over the past two seasons, and his numbers continue to trend up for Lake Nona. Through six games this fall, Sousa has grabbed 59 receptions for 901 yards (15.3 ypc) and 10 scores. FSU commitment.



Natrelle Jamerson (6-0, 175, Ocala Vanguard) – Jamerson has been a part of a prolific offensive attack for the Knights this fall. Through six games, Jamerson has 39 receptions for 785 yards (20.1 ypc) and eight scores. Tight end Elkanah Dillon has also been very effective for the Vanguard passing game this season, as the Knights are 3-3 on the season.



Mike Boone (5-9, 175, Glen St. Mary Baker County) – Following a 46-7 victory against Paxon on Friday night, the FIU pledge had nabbed 48 receptions for 841 yards (17.5 ypc) and 11 scores through seven games for 5-2 Baker County.



Jordan Franks (6-4, 210, Crawfordville Wakulla) – The senior tight end has thrived with brother Feleipe throwing him passes this fall. Franks had notched 40 receptions for 742 yards (18.6 ypc) and seven scores for the 6-1 War Eagles, before a 28-7 victory over Starke Bradford on Friday night.



Anthony "Shug" Rhynes (5-11, 190, Tampa Middleton) – Rhynes' performance has been overshadowed by the fact he competes on a 1-5 team. Still, the senior receiver had 23 receptions for 811 yards and seven scores following into a 26-21 victory for Middleton on Friday night against Blake, the Tigers' first victory of the season. Rhynes had a 70-yard pass reception for a score in the game.

Travis Rudolph (6-1, 188, West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman) – The Under Armour All-American has put together good numbers on the ground and as a receiver over the past three seasons. But nothing like he's done so far this fall. Through seven games, Rudolph already has career highs of 36 receptions, 762 yards (21.2 ypc) and 11 touchdowns for the 4-2 Crusaders. Rudolph has certainly emerged as one of the top prospects in the state of Florida at the wide receiver position, if not the best.



J.C. Jackson (5-10, 185, Immokalee) – After another big game for the Florida commitment on Friday night in a win over Naples, Jackson now has 18 receptions for 615 yards (34.2 ypc) and 9 scores for Immokalee, despite the fact he's only played in five games for the Indians, who are now 5-2 on the season. Jackson now has two games of 200+ receiving yards in the last three weeks for Immokalee.



Stephen Denmark (6-3, 200, Tallahassee Rickards) – Denmark has been a standout on a surprising 6-0 Rickards squad. He has 23 receptions for 632 yards (27.5 ypc) and eight scores for the season. He also added an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against FAMU High on Thursday, demonstrating why his stock should continue to rise over the course of this season and heading into the weeks leading up to National Signing Day.

Garrett Johnson (5-10, 168, Winter Garden West Orange) – The explosive slot receiver has been incredibly productive once against for West Orange this fall, nabbing 38 receptions for 607 yards (16.0 ypc) and nine touchdowns for the 6-1 Warriors before a 56-7 win over Cypress Creek on Friday night. Johnson had a 63-yard reception for a touchdown and also returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown in that contest as well. Johnson is committed to Kentucky.



Ny'Qwan Murray (5-11, 170, Orlando Oak Ridge) – The central Florida speedster recently picked up his first FBS offer from Cincinnati. Murray had 41 receptions for 788 yards (19.2 ypc) and 10 scores before a 23-20 win over Ocoee to move their record to 4-3 on the year. Murray had a 99-yard TD reception against East Ridge earlier this season, which is linked below.

Replacing Dominique Easley no easy task

The Gators have been trying to prepare for a future without Dominique Easley since last year. It has proven to be a difficult process, to date.

It was Will Muschamp, who spoke after the Kentucky game about how much more difficult it is to double-team an interior lineman, as opposed to someone out on the edge. So while Dominique Easley may give up some girth and brute strength playing on the interior at 285, his first step and explosiveness more than make up for that. Muschamp and his staff have clearly been in the market for a player who can potentially provide that same spark from the middle. They've struck out so far.

Florida made a spirited run at one-time Alabama commit DeMarcus Walker out of Jacksonville late last year. The Gators appeared poised to land the big defensive lineman before he made the late switch to follow Crimson Tide assistant Jeremy Pruitt to Tallahassee, where Pruitt took over as defensive coordinator for Florida State following the BCS National Championship Game.

This year, the Gators landed an early commitment from St. Thomas Aquinas defensive tackle Anthony Moten, another player who fit in the Easley mold in terms of bringing quickness from the interior, and the positional versatility to potentially play either end or tackle at Florida. But he bailed on his pledge to UF after the summer and currently appears to be favoring Miami.

There have been some others, as well. JUCO prospect Davonte Lambert was hotly pursued by Florida but would go on to commit to Tennessee. Louisiana native Davon Godchaux was another UF target who went elsewhere, giving a pledge to LSU this week. Gerald Willis, another prospect from the Pelican State, also appears headed to LSU. Most analysts have Illinois lineman Dewayne Hendrix pegged to Tennessee, where he will visit this weekend for the Georgia game. Needless to say, the search has been somewhat futile to date.

From looking at the prospects defensive line coach Brad Lawing continues to pursue, it seems clear Florida is in the market for two things: a long, angular, athletic pass-rusher in the mold of a Lorenzo Carter or Lorenzo Featherston, and then the best candidate the UF staff can find in the mold of Easley. Expect the Gators to continue evaluating other prospects in that mold (possibly looking to the JUCO ranks), and don't be surprised if they try to turn things around with one of the above-listed prospects (with the exception of Walker, of course) before they sign on the dotted line.

Five names to keep an eye on

A quick look at five prospects who were off-the-radar (or perhaps more on the fringe of it) heading into the season. All five players have had a strong start to the season and will force many BCS programs to take a closer look at their highlight tape (and perhaps in some cases, their transcripts as well) over the coming months.

1. LB Jakob Johnson (6-4, 240, Jacksonville Ribault) – We've already covered the German transplant in-depth over the past few days (both here and here). Nine tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in a win against Baker County last week proved to be a statement game for the versatile and athletically gifted prospect who has the ability to play as a linebacker in space, but the type of frame that suggests he could end up on the defensive line in time. Idaho, Tennessee and Tulane have already offered. A whole bunch of other schools are starting to sniff around now too.

2. LB Josh Black (6-2, 225, Tampa Sickles) – Off to a hot start with 34 tackles, 9.0 sacks, 10 QB hurries and a forced fumble through four games on a 4-0 squad. Black currently claims tenders from the likes of Arizona, Iowa State, Minnesota and South Florida among his current FBS options. But if he keeps up this performance throughout the rest of the season, bigger schools could come calling in time. Another defensive end who will likely have to make the transition to LB (whether it be in a 3-4 or 4-3 alignment) at the next level.



3. DT Freddie Booth-Lloyd (6-1, 305, Cocoa) – The big man is a space eater on the interior of the defensive line. Could also project as an offensive guard at the next level, although his lack of height may hinder him on offense. But he's got plenty of size for the defensive line. His numbers to date (20 tackles, three sacks and a blocked field goal through three games) suggest he has more than enough ability to play on that side of the ball in college. And, don't forget he's already done this over the course of the season as well:

@justinlwells don't forget the 80 yard pick 6 Booth Lloyd has too!
— J Worden (@coachjpworden) September 27, 2013

His pick-six is the first highlight on this tape. Talk about a dancing bear.



Booth-Lloyd will need to continue to re-shape his body as he moves on to college, however. Georgia Tech, Iowa State and Michigan State have all reportedly offered. Miami has shown considerable interest in Booth-Lloyd as well.

4. FB Jeremiah Jackson (6-0, 210, Brooksville Hernando) – An extremely versatile player for Hernando, Jackson has been his usual, productive self on defense with 49 tackles (5.0 for loss), two hurries and a forced fumble through the first month of the season. He also has four career interceptions, and while Jackson only has two carries for three yards through the first three games, he's recorded 210 carries for 1,233 yards and 13 scores in three-plus seasons on offense for the Leopards. Jackson claims no offers at the moment. If the Gators elect to take a fullback this year, other options could include Kellen Snider (6-1, 215, Ft. White), Kyle Forde (6-0, 225, Bradenton IMG Academy), Greg Gooch (6-1, 235, Longwood Lyman) and Kevin Bronson (6-3, 250 Delray Beach Village Academy).



5. WR Anthony Rhynes (6-0, 200, Tampa Middleton) – Although Middleton is off to an 0-3 start, Rhynes is having an awfully productive season in limited opportunities from the receiver position. 11 receptions for 467 yards and five touchdowns through three games for Rhynes. That's 42.3 yards PER RECEPTION. Incredible numbers for a prospect suddenly emerging on the radar for a struggling team. Rhynes doesn't even appear to be on the radar for college yet. That will surely change in short order.

@justinlwells Jeremiah had 26 tackles in ONE game this year. And I think Shug Rhynes has two 90+yd TD catches. Crazy stats.
— John C. Cotey (@JohnnyHomeTeam) September 27, 2013

Class of 1994: Loaded to the brim with NFL Talent

This is the fourth installment in our running anthology of posts looking back at past recruiting classes for the Florida Gators. Today's entry highlights the Class of 1994.

Although only one national publication had the Gators ranked among the nation's top ten (Max Emfinger, who slotted Florida in eighth), Steve Spurrier announced an 18-man recruiting class on February 2, 1994 that would prove to be one of the most talented groups ever hauled in by the University of Florida:

Reidel Anthony, Back (5-11, 165), Belle Glade (Glades Central)
Teako Brown, Back (5-11, 185), Miami (Carol City)
Ed Chester, Line (6-4, 270), Spring Hill (Springstead)
Antonio Cochran, Line (6-4, 235), Montezuma, Ga. (Macon County)
Willie Cohens, Line (6-3, 216), Starke (Bradford)
Mo Collins, Line, Charlotte, N.C (6-5, 265), Charlotte, N.C. (West Charlotte)
Tony George, Back (6-0, 180), Cincinnati, Ohio (Winton Woods)
Jacquez Green, Back (5-9, 170), Fort Valley, Ga. (Peach County)
Ike Hilliard, Back (6-0, 175), Patterson, La. (Patterson)
Mike Jackson, Line (6-5, 235), Wrightsville, Ga. (Johnson County)
Terry Jackson, Back (6-0, 200), Gainesville (P.K. Yonge)
Nafis Karim, Back (5-11, 165), Marietta, Ga. (Pope)
Travis McGriff, Back (5-11, 175), Gainesville (P.K. Yonge)
Mike Peterson, Back (6-1, 205), Alachua (Santa Fe)
Jamie Richardson, Back (5-11, 165), Tallhassee (Godby)
Dossy Robbins, Back (6-1, 235), Marathon
Deac Story, Line (6-4, 275), Winter Park
Fred Taylor, Back (6-1, 215), Belle Glades (Glades Central)

– Unlike Spurrier's prior classes, this one had a much stronger out-of-state feel to it. Only 11-of-18 players signed by Florida in 1994 hailed from inside the Sunshine State (61.1%).

– The Gators landed eight of the consensus top-50 prospects from inside the state borders in 1994, trailing FSU (9) by one. Miami finished with five. Auburn and Mississippi State led out-of-state programs with three signees each.

– Eventual UF Director of Player Personnel Jon Haskins makes an appearance in the top-50 rankings in 1994, as the 6-3, 228-pound linebacker out of Sarasota Riverview elected to sign with Stanford.

– Two of Florida's '94 signees failed to qualify. Antonio Cochran would later enroll at Georgia in 1997 after going the JUCO route (he started off at Okaloosa-Walton in Niceville before moving on to Middle Georgia College.) Jamie Richardson would eventually get to Florida after deferring his enrollment for a year.

Biggest Hits: Where to start. Ten members of this class went on to play in the NFL (Anthony, Collins, George, Green, Hilliard, T. Jackson, McGriff, Peterson,Taylor and Antonio Cochran, despite the fact he never ended up playing for Florida.) Ed Chester would have made 11, but his career would come to a grinding halt when LSU decided to take out his knees on a fateful night at the Swamp back in 1998. Teako Brown and Willie Cohens were also valued contributors during their time at Florida, despite the fact they never moved on to the next level.

Biggest Misses: Dossy Robbins was touted as the state's No. 1 fullback prospect, a player who even earned comparisons to Jerome Bettis from his high school coach for his combination of size and strength. Alas, Robbins never lettered at Florida. A suspected heart condition ended Mike Jackson's career after he collapsed during a workout in October of 1995.

The ones who got away: Merritt Island defensive lineman Antonio Ham (6-5, 235), went back-and-forth between Florida and Miami before deciding to sign with the Hurricanes on National Singing Day. Lake Worth defensive back Deon Humphrey (6-3, 218) – who converted to linebacker at Florida State – also passed on the Gators despite a spirited recruiting effort from UF. Both Ham and Humphrey would go on to play in the NFL.

Academic issues prevented Sarasota Riverview defensive back Amp Campbell (6-2, 175) from signing with UF. He had a solid, if unspectacular, career at Michigan State. Florida made a run at Ft. Lauderdale Dillard defensive lineman Charles Dorsey (6-2, 255), who elected to stick to school tradition and sign with Auburn. Dorsey was one of seven players from the high school to sign with Auburn over a four-year period.

Although the Gators heavily wooed Peyton Manning (6-5, 202, New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman), the future No. 1 overall pick wound up selecting Tennessee over a short list that included Florida, Ole Miss (where father Archie and brother Eli played) and Michigan. The Gators missed out on another highly-rated Louisiana prospect to Tennessee that year in Marrero offensive lineman Jarvis Reado (6-5, 284).

One guy who got away from Florida on Signing Day, but would eventually come back into the fold was Tallahassee Lincoln offensive lineman Zach Piller (6-5, 265). Piller transferred to UF after spending a year at Georgia Tech.

************

Tennessee signed a consensus top-two class (along with Florida State), a 22-man group that included the above-mentioned Manning and Reado, along with DE Johnathan Brown, DT Ron Green, PK Jeff Hall, DB Terry Fair and WR Marcus Nash.

The Seminoles' class included Humphrey, along with USA Today Defensive Player of the Year Lamont Green, who failed to live up to the hype while suiting up for the 'Noles. Other significant contributors included CB Samari Rolle and DT Orpheus Roye in a group that was somewhat underwhelming considering it was considered by some services to be the nation's top class.

In terms of pure talent, there is little doubt that this is the greatest class Florida has ever signed, pound-for-pound. If you throw in Zach Piller (who signed with GT but ended up at UF a year later), 11 of the 19 players that either signed or played for Florida would up in the NFL. Three of them were first-round draft picks (Anthony, Collins and Taylor). Despite some misses for the Gators on the trail in 1994, particularly on the offensive line and at linebacker, their evaluations turned out to be spot on. Or they just got a little lucky. Either way, it worked out for Spurrier and staff.