Florida Gators: Stanford Cardinal
Smythe talks Stanford, visit plans 
December, 26, 2012
12/26/12
10:44
PM ET
By
Sam Khan Jr. | ESPN.com
HOUSTON -- The decision to decommit from Texas wasn't an easy one for Belton (Texas) High School tight end Durham Smythe. But for him, it was the right decision.
Now, as the weeks pass and national signing day approaches, Smythe is weighing all the options in front of him. He has plenty, but he's still in the process of trying to decide where he'll take his remaining official visits. After checking in for the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl -- set for Sunday at Reliant Stadium -- on Wednesday, he discussed all that has been going on since he made his decision.
"The week that I decommitted it was pretty crazy because the dead period was about to start at that point, so toward the end of that week, a lot of coaches and a lot of schools tried to get in contact with me to schedule home visits and stuff like that," Smythe said. "Over the dead period I've been in contact with coaches once a week on Facebook and stuff like that. It's been busy and right now I'm just in a period where I'm evaluating things and I'm trying to pick a couple favorites so I can take official visits there and have a base to compare."
Now, as the weeks pass and national signing day approaches, Smythe is weighing all the options in front of him. He has plenty, but he's still in the process of trying to decide where he'll take his remaining official visits. After checking in for the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl -- set for Sunday at Reliant Stadium -- on Wednesday, he discussed all that has been going on since he made his decision.
"The week that I decommitted it was pretty crazy because the dead period was about to start at that point, so toward the end of that week, a lot of coaches and a lot of schools tried to get in contact with me to schedule home visits and stuff like that," Smythe said. "Over the dead period I've been in contact with coaches once a week on Facebook and stuff like that. It's been busy and right now I'm just in a period where I'm evaluating things and I'm trying to pick a couple favorites so I can take official visits there and have a base to compare."
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Tom Hauck for ESPN.comDefensive end Jordan Sherit is a four-star prospect ranked No. 254 in the ESPN 300.
Tom Hauck for ESPN.comDefensive end Jordan Sherit is a four-star prospect ranked No. 254 in the ESPN 300.Sherit, ranked a four-star player, said it was a difficult decision, but in the end, he chose the school that made him feel the most comfortable.
"First of all I want to say this was a very tough decision for me," Sherit said. "The hardest thing for me is when you build relationships with schools like USF and Miami in the beginning and now you have to go away from that. I liked the academics at Stanford, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt. But when it came down to it, it was the family environment I felt at the University of Florida. I felt 100 percent comfortable with Coach [Will] Muschamp and the whole coaching staff.
"The fact it's in the SEC conference, it's close to home and not to mention the networking at the University of Florida in the state is bar-none. It's the biggest and the greatest in the state. You can be anywhere in a Gators shirt and someone will just walk up to you and give you the Gator chomp. Really, as far as networking goes, it's Gator Nation -- it's not just fans, it's a nation. Just getting to know the other commits and the players, it's become second nature to me. It was a no-brainer."
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Five-star cornerback prospect Vernon Hargreaves III (Tampa, Fla./Wharton) won defensive MVP of the IMG Madden 7-on-7 National Championship tournament on Sunday after Team Tampa beat Max Ex Blue 28-17 to win the tournament.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound athlete had several interceptions over the course of the two-day tournament, including one against Michigan quarterback commit Shane Morris in the championship game.
As for recruiting, the talented corner who has more than 50 scholarship offers said three schools are starting to stand out to him.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound athlete had several interceptions over the course of the two-day tournament, including one against Michigan quarterback commit Shane Morris in the championship game.
As for recruiting, the talented corner who has more than 50 scholarship offers said three schools are starting to stand out to him.
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- With 18 verbal commitments and just over seven months until signing day, the Gators have filled about 75 percent of their recruiting class. Over the next two weeks, GatorNation will take a look at some uncommitted prospects who could end up in the Florida Gators' recruiting class. Some of them are highly rated and some might surprise you. Next up is defensive end Jordan Sherit (Tampa, Fla./Hillsborough).
Why he could end up in Florida's class
Sherit has visited Gainesville three times since the spring football game and he admits distance could play a factor in his college decision. Florida's depth at defensive end is not very good, and with his athletic ability, the 6-foot-4, 238-pound Sherit could be in a position to earn early playing time if he chose the Gators. The proximity to home combined with his fondness for the Florida coaching staff could be enough to convince the four-star defensive end to pick UF.
Why he could end up in Florida's class
Sherit has visited Gainesville three times since the spring football game and he admits distance could play a factor in his college decision. Florida's depth at defensive end is not very good, and with his athletic ability, the 6-foot-4, 238-pound Sherit could be in a position to earn early playing time if he chose the Gators. The proximity to home combined with his fondness for the Florida coaching staff could be enough to convince the four-star defensive end to pick UF.
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Four-star linebacker prospect Alex Anzalone (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing HS) decommitted from Ohio State on Friday and has eliminated the Buckeyes from contention. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound athlete confirmed his decision to reopen his recruitment via text message.
"After discussing it with my family, it was truly a decision based on my best interest," Anzalone wrote.
Ranked as the No. 5 outside linebacker and the No. 61 player overall in the ESPN 150, Anzalone said he is still considering Florida, Stanford, USC, Penn State and Notre Dame.
Anzalone, who has already committed to play in the Under Armour All-America game, said he has no new timetable for making a decision.
"After discussing it with my family, it was truly a decision based on my best interest," Anzalone wrote.
Ranked as the No. 5 outside linebacker and the No. 61 player overall in the ESPN 150, Anzalone said he is still considering Florida, Stanford, USC, Penn State and Notre Dame.
Anzalone, who has already committed to play in the Under Armour All-America game, said he has no new timetable for making a decision.
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Four-star defensive end prospect Jordan Sherit from Tampa (Fla.) Hillsborough visited Florida with his mother and stepfather on Saturday. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound athlete said he was blown away by his experience.
"It was great, it really was," Sherit said. "I've been to Florida before but this was like the pinnacle. I saw everything from the O'Dome to alligators. I got to share this opportunity with my parents and show them what it's all about. I think their opinion is better than what it was before."
Florida offered Sherit in early April. This was the first time his parents had been to Gainesville with their son holding an offer from a school that was one of his childhood favorites.
"It was great, it really was," Sherit said. "I've been to Florida before but this was like the pinnacle. I saw everything from the O'Dome to alligators. I got to share this opportunity with my parents and show them what it's all about. I think their opinion is better than what it was before."
Florida offered Sherit in early April. This was the first time his parents had been to Gainesville with their son holding an offer from a school that was one of his childhood favorites.
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Four-star defensive end Jordan Sherit of Tampa (Fla.) Hillsborough was one of the top defensive ends to participate at the Orlando NFTC on Sunday. But the 6-foot-4, 238-pound athlete's day was cut short when he went down with a shoulder injury during one-on-one drills and was not able to return.
The competitive Sherit was disappointed with the injury but said he was able to take in some valuable coaching lessons during the camp.
"I felt I did well during these drills," Sherit said, "but the one-on-one's I didn't really get an opportunity to do as much as I would have liked. Overall, I thought I learned some things and I did well. I can go back to my school and build on these things and get better all around."
The competitive Sherit was disappointed with the injury but said he was able to take in some valuable coaching lessons during the camp.
"I felt I did well during these drills," Sherit said, "but the one-on-one's I didn't really get an opportunity to do as much as I would have liked. Overall, I thought I learned some things and I did well. I can go back to my school and build on these things and get better all around."
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- ESPNU 150 Watch List linebacker Alex Anzalone (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyoming Area) visited Florida with his dad this weekend. Anzalone arrived on Thursday and left Saturday after Florida completed its third practice of the spring.
Anzalone said his visit was better than expected.
"It went really well. It was awesome," Anzalone said. "We got to see all the facilities and the coaches. We went through schemes to see where I would play. Yeah, it was awesome. The practices were intense. Definitely a lot different than my high school. I know coach [Will] Muschamp was disappointed with the first practice I guess because of the tempo, but I thought it was pretty high-tempo for me."
Anzalone said his visit was better than expected.
"It went really well. It was awesome," Anzalone said. "We got to see all the facilities and the coaches. We went through schemes to see where I would play. Yeah, it was awesome. The practices were intense. Definitely a lot different than my high school. I know coach [Will] Muschamp was disappointed with the first practice I guess because of the tempo, but I thought it was pretty high-tempo for me."
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The state of Florida is loaded with wide receivers for the 2013 recruiting class, but the Gators have turned their attention to a California receiver because of his ties to the Florida football staff.
Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian receiver Francis Owusu is the younger brother of former Stanford standout Chris Owusu. The older Owusu, a receiver and kick returner, set the Pac-10 record for kickoff returns for a touchdown with three, and more recently tied for the fastest 40-yard dash time (4.36) at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Florida's linebackers and special teams coach D.J. Durkin and director of player personnel Jon Haskins both have ties to the Owusu family.
Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian receiver Francis Owusu is the younger brother of former Stanford standout Chris Owusu. The older Owusu, a receiver and kick returner, set the Pac-10 record for kickoff returns for a touchdown with three, and more recently tied for the fastest 40-yard dash time (4.36) at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Florida's linebackers and special teams coach D.J. Durkin and director of player personnel Jon Haskins both have ties to the Owusu family.
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ESPN The Magazine and RecruitingNation compiled the past five years (2007-11) of ESPNU 150 rankings and then crowned college football's top 10 recruiting programs.
Here's how they did it:
Here's the top 10:
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. USC 4. Alabama
5. Florida State
6. Notre Dame
T-7. Georgia
t-7: LSU
9. Miami
T-10. Ohio State
T-10. Oklahoma
Here's what it says about Florida:
Here's how they did it:
Our methodology was simple: We re-tallied the scores following signing day and ranked the schools based on total number of ESPNU 150 recruits (there have been 900) hauled in over the last six years. Of course, like success on the field, recruiting is cyclical -- and fans of programs both on and off this list might look back on Feb. 1, 2012 as the day their team began its rise (or fall) on the trail.
Here's the top 10:
1. Florida
2. Texas
3. USC 4. Alabama
5. Florida State
6. Notre Dame
T-7. Georgia
t-7: LSU
9. Miami
T-10. Ohio State
T-10. Oklahoma
Here's what it says about Florida:
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Michael DiRocco
Michael DiRocco came to ESPN.com in 2011 after spending 10 and a half years covering UF for the Florida Times-Union. He lives in Middleburg, Fla., with his wife and two sons. Email him at espndirocco@gmail.com.
Derek Tyson
Derek Tyson joined ESPN.com in 2011. He worked as a football and recruiting analyst for GatorCountry.com before joining ESPN. He currently resides in Gainesville, Fla. Email him at derektysonespn@gmail.com.