Recruiting News & Notes, 9/17

– Florida RB Dalvin Cook took a visit to Texas over the weekend. Just in time to see what could be the last vestiges of the Mack Brown era as the Longhorns dropped a 44-23 decision to Ole Miss. Both Texas and USC have continued to try and position themselves with Cook, and it appears both will end up getting official visits from the five-star back. Still, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of concern from the UF perspective with anything Cook is doing. For now, at least.

– On Sunday night, we discussed the continued role of Nick Washington and Ahmad Fulwood in the recruiting game for Florida. 2014 UF pledge Quincy Wilson has also followed in those footsteps and been an active presence in the recruitments of Ermon Lane and Chris Lammons as well. Now, C'yontai Lewis appears to be making a move on this front as well.

Lewis, has gotten to know McAdory (Ala.) lineman Cory Thomas through their shared recruitments (both have been pursued heavily by both Florida and Mississippi State.) Now, he's making an interesting prediction as to where Thomas will end up:

Cory gone be a Gator🐊 w/m watch..
— Bigg Cee (@idunklewis) September 16, 2013

Long thought to be a Mississippi State lean, Thomas has since backed away from the stance. With the Bulldogs rough start to the season, perhaps Florida is looking like a much more attractive option for the 6-foot-6, 270-pound prospect?

– Last week, we took a look at offensive line recruiting for Florida, and what direction the Gators might decide to go in, in the wake of Benjamin Knox's de-commitment. The JUCO route would make a lot of sense for UF at this point, and former FSU/Notre Dame lineman Jordan Prestwood is playing out at Arizona Western C.C., apparently in position to enroll in January with three years of eligibility remaining. Prestwood was named in the above-linked piece as the #1 prospect on the list in line to get an offer. Well, guess what? The 6-foot-6, 310-pound prospect picked up tenders from Cal, Ole Miss and (gasp!) Florida State on Monday. Could the Gators be next to jump into the mix for the Plant City product?

– Going back to Tuesday's update on Florida stands with the Class of 2015, one of top corners on the board has cut his list to 10. Tyrek Cole (5-11, 170, Miramar) is one of the top three corners on the board for UF among the junior class. The Gators are clearly making him a priority, and he seems to be returning the favor at the moment:

My top ten 1⃣0⃣😎🏈 Colleges pic.twitter.com/Ges6JNLrkW
— Tyrek cole (@Cole_island) September 17, 2013

– Lastly, a quick update on the top remaining prospects on the board for Florida. Amended to 9/17. Not many changes, although there have been a few additions (former TCU DT commit Zaycoven Henderson and Louisiana LB prospect Kenny Young among them.)

1. DB Jamal Adams

2. DE Lorenzo Carter 

3. DB Adoree' Jackson
4. OL David Sharpe

5. WR Travis Rudolph

6. LB Dwight Williams

7. DE Lorenzo Featherston

8. DE Cory Thomas
9. RB Bo Scarbrough (Alabama)

10. TE Deandre Goolsby

11. RB Joe Mixon
12. DB Jalen Tabor
13. OL Jordan Sims
14. WR Artavis Scott (Clemson)
15. DT Thomas Holley  

16. OL Damien Mama
17. LB: Raekwon McMillan

18. DE Da'Shawn Hand 

19. LB Clifton Garrett
20. DE Richard Yeargin (Notre Dame)
21. DT Zaycoven Henderson

22. LB Nyles Morgan

23. DE Dewayne Hendrix

24. DE Jacob Pugh (Florida State)

25. OL Trevor Darling (Miami)
26. DT Davon Godchaux
27. DE Malik McDowell

28. WR Josh Malone 

29. DT Gerald Willis 

30. RB Leonard Fournette

31. WR Speedy Noil 

32. DT Anthony Moten 

33. LB Kenny Young
34. WR Johnnie Dixon

35. DB Marlon Humphrey
36. DT Jarran Reed

37. RB Tony James

38. DE Rohan Blackwood (Wisconsin)

39. TE Ravian Pierce

40. RB Cortavious Givens

41. DT Jeremy Patterson

42. TE Montez Sweat

43. DT Daniel Cage

A lack of production from the tight end position

Want to understand why Florida is struggling so much at the tight end position? Let me give you two reasons:

Former Dwyer standout Gerald Christian is playing well for Louisville. He's third on team with 10 catches for 129 yards and TD this season
— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) September 16, 2013

Former #UF tight end A.C. Leonard with 11 rec. for 97 yards thru 3 games for Tenn. St. Tigers averaging just 124.7 yards per game thru air.
— Justin Wells (@justinlwells) September 16, 2013

Of course, Leonard dug his own grave at Florida. If he keeps his nose clean, he's a major contributor on a team competing for a SEC crown. Although his numbers are not particularly impressive so far this season, keep in mind he did lead his team in receiving at Tennessee State a year ago with 51 receptions for 733 yards and six touchdowns.

Christian, on the other hand, is an unforced error on the part of the Florida staff. He should be a senior starter at tight end – a guy who could also line up at H-Back and fullback for the Gators as well.

This topic has been addressed previously in a post regarding the tight end position. Clay Burton is a solid contributor at the position. There's no reason he can't be a No. 2 or No. 3 tight end at a place like Florida. But he should not be a primary target in the passing game. The two guys who are no longer on the roster could have been, and that's the reason we've seen such a drop-off in production from the unit in light of Jordan Reed's decision to go pro.

Quite simply, the Gators have to get better at tight end moving forward. C'yontai Lewis appears as if he could be a good start towards improving the talent level at the position. But he's only the beginning. Florida has to go out and find some other guys in the 2014 and/or 2015 classes who can come in and allow the Gators to get more production out of this unit in the passing game. Period.

Recruiting News & Notes, 9/15

– First, to update this Thursday night post, which dealt with Florida's recruiting efforts during the Bye week. Here are a few more notes on where the UF coaches visited on Friday:

Head coach Will Muschamp clearly went where he felt needed the most, and that was to check in with top-ranked defensive end Lorenzo Carter as Norcross took on North Gwinnett in a highly-anticipated battle between a pair of five-star prospects in Carter and North Gwinnett junior offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt. The match-up reported lived up to expectations.

Coaches here at Norcross/North Gwinnett. Tony Elliot - #Clemson, Will Muschamp and DJ Durkin - #UF, Todd Grantham and Bryan McClendon - #UGA
— Jake Rowe (@JakeRoweRivals) September 13, 2013

Durkin, if you remember, had checked in with five-star LB Raekwon McMillan the night before in Hinesville, Ga.

Meanwhile, receivers coach Joker Phillips has not given up on the highly-touted receiver duo of Artavis Scott (2014, Clemson commitment) and George Campbell (2015, Michigan commitment) at East Lake High School in Tarpon Springs, despite the fact both players have already given pledges to other schools.

Joker Phillips, Univ Florida's receivers coach at East Lake v. Dunedin!
— Danny Bennett (@DannyWBennett) September 12, 2013

Running backs coach Brian White was in attendance as Alabama commitment Bo Scarbrough rolled up a four-score, 299-yard performance as the IMG Academy posted a 43-24 victory over Cardinal Newman. Of course, the Gators were also present for Travis Rudolph, who played well in a losing effort.

Florida RBs coach Brian White is here at IMG to watch Bo Scarbrough and Travis Rudolph pic.twitter.com/jIqNHlfIsF
— Derek Tyson (@DerekTysonESPN) September 13, 2013

Louisiana ace Derek Lewis was able to pull double-duty, as he was present for a pair of highly-anticipated tussles in St. Augustine-Edna Karr and John Curtis-St. Thomas Aquinas.

A lot of college coaches here to check out this game. LSU, Florida, Texas...just to name a few http://t.co/U3PoHUZqq7
— Hunter Paniagua (@HunterPaniagua) September 13, 2013

Prospects Lewis got to evaluate in-person included RB Leonard Fournette (St. Augustine), WR Speedy Noil and DL Gerald Willis (Edna Karr), LB Kenny Young (John Curtis) and DL Anthony Moten (St. Thomas Aquinas.) Of course, all of those guys (except for Young) have offers already, so it was more about having a Florida presence at the games than anything else at this point.

Other prospects Florida reportedly checked in with this week include QB commit Will Grier (Davidson, N.C.), CB pledge Chris Lammons (Plantation) and defensive line target Davon Godchaux (Plaquemine, La.)

– Even on a bye week, there's not enough time for the coaching staff to shake hands with every target and commitment remaining on the list. But one player for whom Florida reportedly made no effort to see last week is offensive tackle David Sharpe (Jacksonville Providence.) This one stands out, considering many analysts regard Sharpe as the top remaining prospect on the board. Perhaps we'll find out later this week that a coach did, in fact, stop by the high school. But if nothing else, UF was at least represented at his game by a couple of current players:

#gators Ahmad Fullwood and Nick Washington were at Providence vs Ponte Vedra tonight
— Blake Alderman (@MistaAlderman) September 14, 2013

Considering how well Washington seemed to recruit for Florida last year, maybe it was a good move to send him in lieu of a coach to Sharpe's game.

– Big week upcoming for the Gators, as the Florida-Tennessee is shaping up to be one of two major recruiting weekends for UF (with the final game against Florida State being the other.) Look for a post later in the week previewing some of the big names expected for the SEC opener in the Swamp.

Some random Gators recruiting/team thoughts

I received a question the other day from someone on Twitter as it relates to Derby (Kan.) tight end prospect Deandre Goolsby, and why Florida would continue to recruit him with a commitment in hand from talented pledge C'yontai Lewis. Why risk losing Lewis for Goolsby?

The answer is simple. Goolsby is one of the more talented prospects left on the board, and a commitment from him makes the Gators better as a team. Furthermore, with Lewis living right in the heart of Crimson Tide country, there has to be a little bit of concern with what a potential Alabama offer down the road would mean for where he signs on the dotted line.

 Aside from all of that, there's three other points I want to make in regards to Florida's current tight end quandry:

– This is arguably the worst position on the roster right now. Clay Burton and Tevin Westbrook came to UF as defensive ends, and both have since moved over to offense. They have a combined career offensive output of two receptions for 12 yards. Kent Taylor arrived at UF as a highly-touted recruit. But he's looked more like a bust so far. I actually have some hope for Colin Thompson's future, as a foot injury knocked him out last year and forced him to redshirt. But consider what he is. A great blocker, solid receiver. He will never put up elite numbers (which for a SEC tight end, I consider a benchmark of 45/600/7) for the position. He's solid #2 guy. The type Alabama has made a living on in recent years. This group has to get better.

– It shouldn't be this bad. A.C. Leonard should still be in Gainesville. He could have put up Aaron Hernandez-like numbers (yes, I hate to mention the name, but he is the standard for which all other future tight ends will be measured by at UF) but it wasn't in the cards. And does anyone think Gerald Christian couldn't help out right now? Sure, he wasn't quite the naturally-gifted pass-catcher Leonard was. But he was a versatile and talented player. Christian could contribute at fullback, H-Back, and probably put up a line of 35/450/5 in the passing game. Those guys are missed

– Look at the example Stanford has set. Since Harbaugh arrived on campus in 2007, to be followed by David Shaw, the Cardinal have recruited tight ends like it's going out of style. And I don't blame them. If a program can recruit 15 guys in a given year who can play, are 6-5 (or taller) and in the 220-250 pounds range, I'll take it every time. Those types of prospects are so versatile. On defense, they can play DE, DT, occasionally OLB. On offense they can play H-Back, fullback, tight end, and the bigger ones can grow into offensive linemen who can fill any of the roles up front. Will Muschamp loves to talk about how the SEC is a line-of-scrimmage league. Well, those guys can always fill a number of roles in and right around the line-of-scrimmage.

The Cardinal signed three more last year – Eric Cotton, Austin Hooper and Greg Taboada (a prospect out of Atlanta I personally hoped Florida would get involved with) – and they could very well sign three more this year. Who knows? I look back to the Class of 2012 for UF. The Gators landed two highly-touted guys at the position in Taylor and Thompson, but could have easily added at least one other in-state option. Sean Culkin was begging for a UF offer. Sean Price was a player who was very much attainable for the Gators. I'm curious to watch those two guys over the next 2-3 years to see if they make Florida regret not trying to bring them in.

In any case, I got a little long-winded there. But for all these reasons, UF should continue recruiting tight ends like Goolsby and others for 2014. Sure, it is a bit of a down year for the position currently, but names will keep emerging. Just look at how the NFL has resorted to finding talent at the position – they won't hesitate to look to the hardwood, if need be. Hopefully the Gators will continue to be creative on the recruiting trail as well.