Now @SBNRecruiting writes that, according to sources, David Sharpe will visit Gainesville this weekend: http://t.co/ORMyWqI5Da
— Alligator Army (@AlligatorArmy) October 4, 2013
(Sharpe himself tweeted out on Friday afternoon that he would attend the Arkansas game as a guest of UF, but the post has since been removed).
Sharpe was originally scheduled to visit Florida State this weekend. And it probably should be noted that with FSU's noon kickoff against Maryland, and Florida pegged to take on Arkansas at 7:00 PM, he could possibly take in both games over the course of one afternoon/evening. Admittedly, that would be a busy day for anyone. But there's been no definitive information given on whether or not his FSU visit plans have been scrapped, so the possibility remains that he could see both schools play tomorrow.
In any case, the Gators have to work to try and stop the momentum from moving towards Georgia and Clemson on Saturday. I'd like to throw in there that sometimes, this is simply how recruiting works. A team has the good early positioning for a player (as Florida did in the spring with Sharpe), and then said prospect gets interested in seeing what else is out there. Sometimes, he likes the other options he goes to visit and ends up at another school, sometimes he goes back with the original program he favored. We'll have to see which direction Sharpe goes in here. But nothing can be ruled out at this time in terms of where he will sign, and that includes a program not currently believed to be heavily in the picture (which could very well be FSU, I might add).
Remember, Sharpe has been to Florida several times since the beginning of the year. He will likely make it back for the Florida State game in November and possibly an official visit down-the-road as well (and if he doesn't take an official visit to UF, he can always make the quick trip from Jacksonville to Gainesville for an unofficial, if need be). Perhaps Will Muschamp and Tim Davis can "stop the bleeding," so-to-speak, this weekend. Maybe this is the first step towards moving the Gators back into the driver's seat. Only time will tell on that one.
The rest of this entry is from this morning, as follows:
– It seems that Florida commitment Dalvin Cook has made plans as to when and where he will take his next official visit:
Elite RB plans visit to Arkansas: Running back Dalvin Cook, a Florida commitment, plans to officially visit Arkansas. http://t.co/5bGBq86avq
— Richard Davenport (@ArRecruitingGuy) October 4, 2013
A trip to Fayetteville would be Cook's second, following a September jaunt to Texas. While the 5-foot-11, 197-pound running back out of Miami Central is publicly leaving the door open, there seems to be a jovial and carefree approach to these official visits. He's not visiting schools he seems to be overly serious about (Florida State, Miami and even South Florida, where his former high school coach is now an assistant, would be much more concerning). And he keeps saying the right things about Florida to the press. Barring a change in this behavior, while these visits probably aren't preferred from the UF perspective, none of them have given reason to set off any alarms, so far.
– On Wednesday, I wrote about a planned official visit by New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr prospects Speedy Noil and Gerald Willis to Florida still being on for the Arkansas game this weekend. Reports from Rivals affiliate Inside The Gators earlier that day had suggested that Noil and Willis would postpone their visit again (they had originally been scheduled to visit Gainesville for the Tennessee game two weeks ago).
On Thursday, Luke Stampini of 247Sports affiliate GatorBait suggested the same thing – that Noil and Willis wouldn't be heading to The Swamp this weekend. However, there has been no actual word from the camps of either Noil or Willis, other than the interviews during an Under Armour All-America Game jersey ceremony on Wednesday when they both confirmed they were still heading to UF on Saturday.
So, what's the real answer? I guess we'll all find out within the next 24 hours, although the smoke from multiple outlets on this one suggesting that Noil and Willis will reschedule their official visits to UF for a second time (reportedly, until Vanderbilt weekend in November) indicates there is some legitimacy to the buzz floating around out there. Considering Noil and Willis have have now potentially postponed a planned trip to Gainesville twice, it's easy to come to the conclusion the pair aren't all that serious about Florida. But perhaps their reasons for doing so are legitimate (again, if they do in fact move their visit back as has been suggested).
In any case, while the chances were long that Florida could sign either player out of Louisiana to begin with, the pair are talented enough prospects to at least bring on campus and take a shot at convincing them UF is the place to be. However, assuming Noil and Willis don't visit this weekend, it does beg the question: will Will Muschamp and his staff simply cut bait and move on to other targets at this point? Or will they continue to recruit the top-100 prospects out of the Pelican State?
– Apopka junior fullback Chandler Cox picked up his first offer from Kentucky on Wednesday, according to the Orlando Sentinel. This interests Gators fans because Cox is the first real fullback to emerge on the radar for the Class of 2015, and the tender from UK was the first for 6-foot-1, 215 pound athlete.
There aren't a ton of teams in the market for pure fullbacks these days. But Florida does use a fullback quite regularly on offense, and with the Gators' top two players at the position both being juniors, it stands to reason that UF will likely be in the market for such a prospect at this time next year.
Cox is an intriguing player. He lines up all over the backfield, including at quarterback, for Apopka's unique offense, which employs quite a bit of the old-school single-wing formation to great success. Think of him as a modern-day Jim Jensen, if you will. A Swiss-army knife whose strength is in his ability to fill so many different roles. In a way, Cox could project as a potential replacement for Trey Burton, who has worn many different hats during his time in Gainesville. But the biggest difference between the two is clearly the fact that Cox is a much more effective blocker (as you can see in the film below). While he doesn't possess the brute strength and mass of a Hunter Joyer, Cox does have the frame to get much bigger in time, while likely proving to be a much more versatile and effective weapon with the ball in his hands.
It should also be noted that Cox is currently rated as the No. 4 prospect in Central Florida for 2015 by the Orlando Sentinel. Considering that area generally produces some pretty talented football players, that's certainly nothing to sneeze at. This kid can play.
Another factor to keep in mind: Cox is close friends with Apopka junior offensive tackle Martez Ivey, who figures to be one of the top prospects on the entire recruiting board the Gators in 2015. The two are reportedly pretty chummy, and reeling in Cox will certainly only help Florida's chances with Ivey as well.
Considering the position he plays, Florida was likely in no rush to extend an offer to Cox, as they kept track of his progress and made sure he was the guy they wanted to move forward with on an offer to at the fullback position in next year's recruiting cycle. And perhaps the Kentucky offer won't change a thing. But this development could also force UF to move up their timeline on extending a tender to the talented offensive weapon, in an effort to make sure both he (and Ivey) end up in Gainesville a couple of years down the line.
Scratch Speedy Noil and Gerald Willis III from #Floridas expected official visitors for #Arkansas game http://t.co/8d6MV5mXxg
— Blake Alderman (@MistaAlderman) October 2, 2013
On Thursday, Luke Stampini of 247Sports affiliate GatorBait suggested the same thing – that Noil and Willis wouldn't be heading to The Swamp this weekend. However, there has been no actual word from the camps of either Noil or Willis, other than the interviews during an Under Armour All-America Game jersey ceremony on Wednesday when they both confirmed they were still heading to UF on Saturday.
So, what's the real answer? I guess we'll all find out within the next 24 hours, although the smoke from multiple outlets on this one suggesting that Noil and Willis will reschedule their official visits to UF for a second time (reportedly, until Vanderbilt weekend in November) indicates there is some legitimacy to the buzz floating around out there. Considering Noil and Willis have have now potentially postponed a planned trip to Gainesville twice, it's easy to come to the conclusion the pair aren't all that serious about Florida. But perhaps their reasons for doing so are legitimate (again, if they do in fact move their visit back as has been suggested).
In any case, while the chances were long that Florida could sign either player out of Louisiana to begin with, the pair are talented enough prospects to at least bring on campus and take a shot at convincing them UF is the place to be. However, assuming Noil and Willis don't visit this weekend, it does beg the question: will Will Muschamp and his staff simply cut bait and move on to other targets at this point? Or will they continue to recruit the top-100 prospects out of the Pelican State?
– Apopka junior fullback Chandler Cox picked up his first offer from Kentucky on Wednesday, according to the Orlando Sentinel. This interests Gators fans because Cox is the first real fullback to emerge on the radar for the Class of 2015, and the tender from UK was the first for 6-foot-1, 215 pound athlete.
There aren't a ton of teams in the market for pure fullbacks these days. But Florida does use a fullback quite regularly on offense, and with the Gators' top two players at the position both being juniors, it stands to reason that UF will likely be in the market for such a prospect at this time next year.
Cox is an intriguing player. He lines up all over the backfield, including at quarterback, for Apopka's unique offense, which employs quite a bit of the old-school single-wing formation to great success. Think of him as a modern-day Jim Jensen, if you will. A Swiss-army knife whose strength is in his ability to fill so many different roles. In a way, Cox could project as a potential replacement for Trey Burton, who has worn many different hats during his time in Gainesville. But the biggest difference between the two is clearly the fact that Cox is a much more effective blocker (as you can see in the film below). While he doesn't possess the brute strength and mass of a Hunter Joyer, Cox does have the frame to get much bigger in time, while likely proving to be a much more versatile and effective weapon with the ball in his hands.
It should also be noted that Cox is currently rated as the No. 4 prospect in Central Florida for 2015 by the Orlando Sentinel. Considering that area generally produces some pretty talented football players, that's certainly nothing to sneeze at. This kid can play.
Another factor to keep in mind: Cox is close friends with Apopka junior offensive tackle Martez Ivey, who figures to be one of the top prospects on the entire recruiting board the Gators in 2015. The two are reportedly pretty chummy, and reeling in Cox will certainly only help Florida's chances with Ivey as well.
Considering the position he plays, Florida was likely in no rush to extend an offer to Cox, as they kept track of his progress and made sure he was the guy they wanted to move forward with on an offer to at the fullback position in next year's recruiting cycle. And perhaps the Kentucky offer won't change a thing. But this development could also force UF to move up their timeline on extending a tender to the talented offensive weapon, in an effort to make sure both he (and Ivey) end up in Gainesville a couple of years down the line.
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