A trio of UF-related recruiting notes

– From ESPN, five-star David Sharpe (Jacksonville, Fla./Providence) will be in South Carolina for the highly-anticipated top-ten matchup between Georgia and Clemson this weekend.

#ESPN300 No. 15 @SHARPECITYY will be at #Georgia at #Clemson Saturday. Elite talent. http://t.co/9uXcTaI9JH
— Gerry Hamilton (@HamiltonESPN) August 26, 2013

Both schools are considered prime contenders (along with Florida) for the 6-foot-6, 290-pound offensive lineman.

– According to 247Sports ($), the Gators have moved into the second place (behind Clemson) for 6-foot-7, 215-pound defensive end Lorenzo Featherston (Greensboro, N.C./Page). With the need Florida has the defensive end position for the Class of 2014, this is a obviously a good development for UF. N.C. State, UNC and Tennessee make up the other programs in Featherston's top five. Florida defensive line coach Brad Lawing has had success in the past with taller defensive ends during his tenure at South Carolina, including Clifton Geathers (6-8), Devin Taylor (6-7) and Jadeveon Clowney (6-6).

As a junior, Featherston recorded 58 tackles (15 for loss) and a pair of sacks on a 7-5 squad. He's a project, who needs to add a lot of weight and technique to his game. But he's obviously a high-upside prospect, which explains why he's a consensus top-100 prospect.

– Per Rivals national analyst Mike Farrell, five-star defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge) will make an official visit to Florida the weekend of the Arkansas game.

Looks like Da'Shawn Hand will visit #gators oct 5 when they host Arkansas.
— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) August 26, 2013

Hand is a consensus top-10 national prospect, and Rivals has him rated as the No.1 prospect in the country for the Class of 2014. Michigan is the presumed leader, and Alabama is a strong contender as well. At 6-foot-4 and nearly 260 pounds, Hand would be an ideal fit as a versatile strong-side end/five-technique end/three-technique tackle in Florida's multiple-look defensive scheme.

Florida: the new prep OL powerhouse

Traditionally, in recruiting circles, the Midwest is sort of thought of as the place to go for big-time OL prospects. It makes sense. The Big Ten has long been considered the cradle of great offensive linemen, so it would stand to reason that prep coaches in that region would also focus on the quality of their offensive lines as an important cornerstone in the process of building their teams.

On the other hand, Florida has long been considered the place to go to for top-level skill talent. Running backs, receivers, defensive backs, linebackers, even pass-rushers. College programs can always get their fill in the Sunshine State. Quarterbacks and offensive linemen? Not so much. But perhaps that paradigm should be in for shift, at least, if recent recruiting rankings have any indication.

For the Class of 2012, John Theus (Jacksonville/Bolles) was widely-regarded as a consensus five-star prospect. He signed with Georgia, and showed a lot of promise in his first year, moving into the right tackle spot for the 'Dawgs and proving to be a significant contributor.

This past February, Laremy Tunsil (Lake City Columbia) surprised many by signing with Ole Miss. But what isn't surprising, is the fact he's already running second-team at left tackle in Oxford. Tunsil was also considered a five-star talent.

Now, David Sharpe (Jacksonville/Providence) is carrying the torch for Florida offensive linemen. Also considered a five-star talent with incredible upside, Sharpe has offers from nearly all the top programs in the country and has been selected to participate in the Army All-American Game (just as Theus and Tunsil did before him.)

While offensive linemen can often emerge on the radar late, Apopka's Martez Ivey has already staked a claim as one of the top prospects in the Class of 2015. If he continues on this current path, he will give the state of Florida a five-star offensive line prospect for the fourth year in a row.

Perhaps it's time to re-evaluate the level of players Florida is producing along the offensive line?

Martez Ivey highlights: