Florida Gators

For most highly rated high school football players, the path to college football is simple. Graduate from high school, enroll at the college you chose and begin your career. For new Florida defensive tackle signee Jarran Reed, the path has been much more difficult.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman, graduated from Goldsboro (N.C.) High School in 2011 and attended Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va. After graduating from the prep school, Reed attended East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, Mississippi.

Reed originally committed to his home-state North Carolina Tar Heels before switching his commitment to Ole Miss. It wasn't until national signing day that Reed made a final decision to choose the Gators.

Reed said his comfort level with the Florida coaching staff is what ultimately led to his decision to attend Florida.

"I wanted to go somewhere where I felt comfortable, somewhere where I'd like to be," Reed said. "I felt very comfortable with Florida. I felt real comfortable there and I feel like I'm very compatible with the team.

"I love Coach [Will] Muschamp. I know he's going to make me be a better player. Also playing under Coach Muschamp, with him being a defensive coach, he stays fired up about the defense, and that's one thing I love about our defense."

The three-star tackle admits his journey to major college football has been a difficult one, but Reed said his experience helped him grow on and off the field.

"It's been a hard journey but I've learned a lot," he said. "What it took for me to get here made me a better person and a better player and I'm just thankful or the chance that I got to come to Florida."

(Read full post)

Junior college defensive tackle Jarran Reed (Goldsboro, N.C./East Mississippi CC) has signed his letter of intent to play football at the University of Florida.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman chose Florida over Alabama.

Reed, who previously had been committed to Ole Miss before officially decommitting last Thursday, joins two other defensive tackles in Florida's class: commit Caleb Brantley and early enrollee Darious Cummings.

Reed, Cummings and Florida defensive tackle Damien Jacobs all attended EMCC.

ESPN RecruitingNation has signing day covered. Follow ESPNU’s coverage, chat with analysts and get breaking news on our Signing Day Live page beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET through 7 p.m. ET. For more on what to expect on signing day, check out the SEC conference breakdown .

Bold Prediction for the SEC:

Ole Miss' class will eventually be ranked in the top five nationally with the addition of No. 1 overall prospect Robert Nkemdiche from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson and possibly ESPN 150 prospects Chris Jones from Houston (Miss.) High and Antonio Conner from Batesville (Miss.) South Panola.

SEC East

Florida
Biggest need: Florida wants immediate help at defensive tackle. Jarran Reed from Scooba (Miss.) East should be able to provide that if he decides to sign with the Gators on national signing day.
Biggest recruit: The Gators have two five-star commitments: cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III from Tampa (Fla.) Wharton and running back Kelvin Taylor from Belle Glade (Fla.) Glades. No other school in the country can say that.

Georgia
Biggest need: The Bulldogs would like to pick up another top offensive lineman. They looked destined to land Laremy Tunsil from Lake City (Fla.), but the competition has heated up for him lately.
Biggest recruit: With 12 ESPN 300 commitments, Georgia has plenty of star power. However, it's impossible to overvalue the commitment of Brice Ramsey from Kingsland (Ga.) Camden, a quarterback the Bulldogs can build around.

(Read full post)