I was speaking to a pretty well-connected fellow in the world of recruiting recently. He made a very good point to me, and in light of the now apparent "wavering" of running back Mike Bellamy (more on that later), it makes more sense than ever.
When Chris Dunkley signed with the Gators back in February, he did so with the understanding he would be wearing the #5 this coming fall (a number assigned to Gators All-American cornerback Joe Haden in 2009). You can find various pictures with him posing in the #5 jersey he was expected to wear this fall on his Facebook page. So imagine my surprise when I was flipping through the fall roster released by the Florida SID several days ago and happened to notice that Dunkley had instead been assigned #27 -- a curious choice for a player expected to contribute at wide receiver this fall for the Gators.
Meanwhile, the #5, she is still sitting wide open and right there for the taking.
Don't get me wrong, Joe Haden was a great player for the Gators during his three years, as evidenced by his selection among the top 10 picks of the NFL Draft by Cleveland back in April. His presence will be missed in Gainesville. But he wasn't so overwhelming on the field that his number is going to be retired anytime soon. This isn't the same deal as #15 being left vacated for the time being. This is something very different altogether.
Back to Mike Bellamy, and that Clemson commitment he was reportedly so solid on...
In talking with a well-connected person in SW Florida, he told me even before Friday Night Lights that regardless of what Bellamy was saying, that the door was still cracked open just a bit. Regardless of how adamant Bellamy was about heading to Clemson, following in C.J. Spiller's footsteps, and being excited to run down the Hill for every Tigers home game, his recruitment is not and will not be finished for some time. I believed my source then, and his words are even more spot on now that Bellamy is reportedly looking at Florida State due to "depth chart issues" at Clemson. His recruitment is going to be a volatile one until he signs on the dotted line because that's just the way it's going to be. Everyone should sit down, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the show.
So, where does the #5 fit into all of this?
As I said earlier, Dunkley was expected to wear the number ever since he committed to the Gators back in January. Is wasn't some dealbreaker...it was just a matter of the fact that Dunkley liked the number, and it would be there for the taking if Haden left early for the pros (which he ended up doing). Then all of the sudden, sometime over the summer...something happened to convince the Gators to assign Dunkley #27 instead. By all accounts, Dunkley has worked hard since signing his letter of intent paperwork with Florida. He has added some necessary bulk to help him through the SEC grind, he has stayed out of trouble off-the-field, and other than the fact he has some diva-ish qualities not all that unlike many star wide receivers (Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens come to mind), he has done the things he needs to do to put himself in a position to play as a true freshman. But then when I think about it, there was the little matter of Mike Bellamy attending Friday Night Lights, even after being "solid" to Clemson. He has long been rumored to have a strong appreciation of the Gators and the spread offense. He just happens to wear...
You guess it -- the number 5. Conspiracy theory or not? You tell me...
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