Kelleher proves to be a nice grab for UF

I don't think I'm really going out on a limb here, but I wanted to write about this anyways. Recent Florida commitment Nolan Kelleher, an offensive lineman out of the Charleston, S.C. area,  might prove to be one of the more important pledges of this class for UF as we move closer to National Signing Day.

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Touted as a three-star recruit by the many recruiting services when he committed just a couple of weeks ago, Kelleher has already been bumped up to four-star status by both Rivals and Scout in recent days (247Sports now stands as the lone holdout on moving Kelleher up, and I'm willing to bet that changes fairly soon).

Rankings aren't everything, but now that everyone is taking a closer look at Kelleher, they see what made him such a hotly-pursued recruit. The 6-foot-5, 300-pounder claimed offers from Clemson, Florida State and Georgia, among others. He had considerable interest from Stanford, as well. A versatile player who could line up at guard or possibly right tackle on the next level.

Lining up primarily as a left guard for Wando High School, Kelleher shows great mobility, which allows him to pull and get out front as a lead blocker on sweep plays. He's very athletic, and shows the ability to latch onto defenders and block them in space, which shouldn't be overlooked. And obviously, his strength and size allow him to completely overpower defenders at the high school level. That is very much apparent after watching just a few clips of him.

Here's video on Kelleher, who should prove to be one of the real gems for Florida's 2014 recruiting class:

Where the Gators stand: Offensive Line

This week, I'll be hitting each spot on the Gators depth chart with a position-by-position analysis on where Florida currently stands in regards to the Class of 2011, and what needs still have to be met across the board. This is the fifth part of the series, as the offense comes to a close with a look at the big guys up front.

Current Florida Depth Chart:

Left Tackle
73 - Xavier Nixon (6-5, 300, So.) OR
71 - Matt Patchan (6-6, 292, R-So.)
77 - Ian Silberman (6-5, 285, Fr.)

Left Guard
57 - Carl Johnson (6-5, 355, R-Sr.)
67 - Jon Halapio (6-3, 312, R-Fr.) OR
72 - Jon Harrison (6-3, 300, R-Fr.)

Center
55 - Maurkice Pouncey (6-4, 310, Sr.)
50 - Sam Robey (6-4, 293, R-So.)
58 - Nick Alajajian (6-4, 295, R-Fr.)

Right Guard
66 - James Wilson (6-3, 315, R-Jr.)
74 - Maurice Hurt (6-3, 320, R-Sr.)
78 - David Young (6-4, 304, R-So.)

Right Tackle
76 - Marcus Gilbert (6-5, 320, R-Sr.)
64 - Kyle Kohene (6-5, 300, R-Fr.)
75 - Chaz Green (6-5, 289, Fr.)

Committed to Florida for 2011
Tommy Jordan (6-4, 290, Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) - Jan. enrollee
Trip Thurman (6-6, 310, Dover, Del./Dover)

Top of the board
Cyrus Kouandjio (6-7, 320, Hyattsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic)
Josue Matias (6-5, 290, Union City, N.J./Union)
Xzavier Ward (6-7, 260, Moultrie, Ga./Colquitt County)
Marcus Jackson (6-2, 310, Vero Beach, Fla./Vero Beach) -- Committed to MIAMI
Kyler Kerbyson (6-4, 285, Knoxville, Tenn./Catholic)

Others to watch:
Uneik Crumbley (6-3, 340, Americus, Ga./Sumter)
Zach Hooks (6-4, 285, Aliquippa, Pa./Aliquippa)
Chase Hounshell (6-5, 260, Kirtland, Ohio/Lake Catholic)
Errin Joe (6-3, 285, Lakeland, Fla./Lake Gibson)
Kaleb Johnson (6-4, 285, Jacksonville, Fla./Ed White)
Dontae Levingston (6-4, 285, Harbor City, Calif./Narbonne)
Marquis Lucas (6-3, 305, Miami, Fla./Central)
Keith Lumpkin (6-8, 290, Jersey City, N.J./St. Peter's Prep)
Tyler Pierson (6-3, 265, Clearwater, Fla./Countryside)
Tony Posada (6-5, 315, Tampa, Fla./Plant)
Derrick Thorpe (6-4, 255, Neptune Beach, Fla./Fletcher)
Darrell Williams (6-5, 250, Orlando, Fla./Evans)

Analysis: It's always a safe bet for a college program to invest about one-third of their 85 allotted scholarships on the offensive and defensive lines (in other words, 28 or more of the scholarship players on a team should play along the line of scrimmage).

Looking at the Gators depth chart, Florida currently has 22 underclass players on the depth chart (23 if you include Chris Martin, who could end up at linebacker or defensive end in Gainesville). Florida will lose four seniors following this season who will have exhausted their college eligibility. Along with yearly attrition figured in, it would seem that the target number of linemen for this class would be something like eight, with four offensive linemen and four defensive linemen being a reasonable goal.

The real question here is, will Florida be able to get to four offensive linemen in the 2011 class?It doesn't seem like a sure bet at this point. It has been a down year around the state of Florida for the position (especially when compared with last year), and Florida has missed on a number of targets for one reason or another.

- Tyler Moore (6-6, 305, Clearwater, Fla./Countryside) was arguably the top lineman on the board for Steve Addazio early on. He narrowed things down to Nebraska and Florida before he decided to follow a long line of family members to play in Lincoln last fall.

- This spring, Florida targeted Jordan Prestwood (6-6, 275, Plant City, Fla./Plant City) as a potential left tackle candidate. The Gators would offer in March, shortly before Prestwood decided to commit to Notre Dame in early April.

- Although Bobby Hart (6-4, 290, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) was high on the Gators early on, Florida did not return the love, waiting until April to extend an offer. By that time, Hart had moved on to other schools, and would make a commitment to Florida State in July.

Beyond those three players, there may not be another offensive lineman from the state of Florida who gets an offer from the Gators unless something changes down the stretch. Clearly, Addazio is not all that impressed by the selection in-state this year, and has looked mostly to the Northeast to help replenish the reserves along the offensive front.

Say what you want about Tommy Jordan, but he was a September 1st offer for the Gators. Jordan impressed during a workout in Gainesville last summer, and was clearly high on the board for Florida from the outset. Jordan will be a versatile addition to the offensive line, and has the ability to line up at center, guard, or even possibly right offensive tackle.

Trip Thurman will join him, and he has the look of a future offensive tackle in Gainesville. More technically sound as a run blocker, he likely projects as a right tackle for the Gators. Thurman is every bit of 6-6, 310 pounds, and will give Addazio another big body to work with up front when he reports next fall.

The biggest priority now for Florida is that they add someone who can potentially contribute at left tackle down the road. Xavier Nixon has the look of a player who could go pro after the 2011 season and be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. If that scenario takes place, the left tackle Florida recruits in the 2011 class would get one year to prepare for the open position heading into the fall of 2012. As mentioned in the tight ends round-up, the Gators could elect for an tight end/offensive line 'tweener (Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Cameron Clear, Troy Niklas or Brandon Fulse) at the slot, or possibly look to prospects projected to play on the defensive line (Giorgio Newberry stands out there) to play left tackle down the road if some of the prospects at tackle do not pan out.

At the top, Cyrus Kouandjio is possibly the top offensive line prospect in the country, and he projects as a potential left tackle candidate. Florida does not appear to be a serious factor for his services at the present time, however. Josue Matias and Xzavier Ward are next on the board, and both currently look to have the Gators on their short lists. Ward is more of a true left tackle candidate, while Matias could project more as a right tackle. In any case, both are expected to visit Florida this fall, and they could be two of the names to closely watch at tackle as National Signing Day continues to creep closer.

Another name to watch is Chase Hounshell, who will visit Florida next week. A meeting with the Florida coaching staff could result in an offer. If that were to happen, Hounshell would draw strong interest at that left tackle slot as well.

An additional interior lineman would likely close out this class for the Gators along the offensive line. Keep in mind, true freshman Leon Orr could end up on the offensive line next spring, and that could be factoring in Florida's direction in regards to recruiting along the offensive front. In any case, the Gators are halfway to their goal, and look to need two more prospects to close this group out along the offensive line.

Cameron Clear impresses at Friday Night Lights...

One of the prospects who clearly stood out among the throng of high school football players at the Swamp on Friday night was the who actually stood out above the crowd. Monster tight end Cameron Clear (6-6, 265, Memphis, Tenn./Central) certainly made an impression on the field of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, drawing the interest of Urban Meyer, who made sure to walk over and greet #224 during warm-ups, not even waiting until the real work of Florida's Friday Night Lights elite prospect camp began.

Clear followed up that performance in Gainesville with a solid showing at the Gridiron Kings 7-on-7 tournament in Lake Buena Vista, where he made an impact at tight end for Team Southwest. Despite being a late addition to the roster on Sunday, Clear proved to be a big target, who showed good hands and athleticism for his size. He didn't get a ton of opportunities during the event, but he did make it count when his number was called.

Overall, it had to be considered a successful trip for Clear, who managed to earn a verbal offer from the Gators, on the basis of his showing in Gainesville. After staying in Gainesville for an extra day on Saturday and meeting with the coaching staff, Florida officially jumped into the Cameron Clear sweepstakes.

"Coach Meyer just told me they wanted me," Clear said of the offer he picked up from the Gators this weekend.

It was enough to propel the Gators into the mix on Clear's list of top schools for the time being.

"Right now I like Alabama, Duke, Florida, Ole Miss and Tennessee (in no particular order)," Clear said of his current favorites.

There is no timetable currently set for Clear to narrow down his list or make a decision. But if his first impressions of Florida are any indication, the Gators could be strongly in the mix to land his commitment from here on out.

"I love it," Clear said of Gainesville. "I feel like I could live here for college."

However, the big catch for Clear? Florida would prefer to bring him as an offensive tackle, the position he will likely end up at in college. Clear, of course, would like a shot at tight end. But for now, the Gators are very much in the mix, and will receive an official visit from the talented Tennessee if things stand as they currently do.

Trip Thurman talks Florida commitment...

I had a chance to catch up with monster offensive lineman Trip Thurman (6-6, 310, Dover, Del./Dover) after Florida's Friday Night Lights event in Gainesville this past weekend. After making the trip down to the Sunshine State on Thursday, Thurman went ahead with a long-expected public commitment to the Gators. Despite his deep ties to the University of Tennessee football program, there is no looking back for Thurman at this point, as he seems to be at peace with his decision to work under offensive line coach Steve Addazio for the next few years.

First off, let me just say that while many times the heights and weights of a prospect tend to be exaggerated, that is NOT the case at all with Thurman. He is simply enormous, and absolutely looks the part of how a Florida offensive lineman should be proportioned. I was a little surprised by just how big Thurman actually is, even though I had a chance to see him in person at a spring practice at Florida earlier in the year. He's pretty well put-together too. A lot of guys who weigh over 300 pounds at the high school tend to be a bit sloppy. Not Thurman. He looks like a guy who could take the field at the college level right now and hold his own (not to say he actually could, I have never seen him play, but I think you get my point...)

"The Swamp is the place to be when the lights come on," Thurman said of Florida. "I feel like have a big monkey off of my shoulders. I wanted to get this done before the season so I can just focus on that and keeping my grades up."

Even despite the family connections to the University of Tennessee, Thurman's parents were 100 percent behind his decision to go to Florida. Thurman himself said the decision was possible, in part, because of the business-like attitude he took towards his recruitment when schools started showing interest in him as a junior.

"I was a big Vols fan growing up," he said of his college allegiance growing up. "But when the recruiting process started, I didn't have aspirations of going to any one particular school."

However, it wasn't until a strong performance at a session of the Urban Meyer Football Camp in Gainesville last month that Florida became the odds-on favorite to land his commitment.

"In Delaware, you don't get much competition," Thurman noted of the landscape of high school football in his home state. "In camp (at Florida last month), I came down and I proved myself to (Coach Addazio)."

Although it's not entirely clear yet where exactly Thurman will line up, it's clear that with his size, he will have an excellent shot at finding his way onto the field for the Gators.

"They want me to play tackle," he said of the position he will play for Florida. "I'm not sure if it's right or left yet. I guess I'll find out when I get to work down here."

Regardless, if there is any concern of a possible commitment flip back to Tennessee down the stretch, there doesn't seem to be much indication on the part of Thurman that there is even a slight possibility that could happen.

"Knowing the situation that happened up at Tennessee, I think I can develop a strong hatred of that program," he said with a laugh.

Spoken just like a future Florida Gators, who will see some of his toughest battles against the Vols each September to open up play in the Southeastern Conference.