Florida Gators: vernon hargreaves
Ranking UF top 10 freshmen contributors 
May, 16, 2013
May 16
9:00
AM ET
By
Michael DiRocco | ESPN.com
It’s Rankings Week at GatorNation. Every day we’ll rank some aspect of the Florida football program heading into the 2013 season. Today we’re ranking the top 10 UF freshmen with the chance of making the biggest impact in the fall. On Friday we’ll rank the Gators’ top needs in recruiting for the Class of 2014, as well as give you the top players the Gators are pursuing at those positions.
Freshmen with the best chance of making an impact
Freshmen with the best chance of making an impact
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Most of the attention has been on the five receivers Florida signed on Wednesday.
But the Gators had a pretty good haul in the secondary, too.
UF signed four defensive backs, including the nation’s No. 3 overall player in CB Vernon Hargreaves III (Tampa, Fla./Wharton), on Wednesday. But more importantly, those players were committed to UF as early as last February and never wavered.
But the Gators had a pretty good haul in the secondary, too.
UF signed four defensive backs, including the nation’s No. 3 overall player in CB Vernon Hargreaves III (Tampa, Fla./Wharton), on Wednesday. But more importantly, those players were committed to UF as early as last February and never wavered.
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
Wednesday's GatorNation chat continued ...
January, 10, 2013
Jan 10
4:00
PM ET
By
Michael DiRocco | ESPN.com
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- I was unable to get to all the questions on Wednesday’s weekly chat, but since there were so many -- and the angst from Florida’s Allstate Sugar Bowl loss to Louisville was still fresh -- we decided to answer them today.
Dave (New Jersey): Mike you say we are done with our class at 26? Don't we have 8 EEs that can date back to next year giving us another 6-7 spots open in this class? We lost a lot of bodies so the staff must get at least 31 in this class IMO. Thoughts?
The Gators will try and sign several more players, but Muschamp has gone on record before saying he’s not going to sign players just to fill out a class. I anticipate only two to three more commitments, if that. UF is still after DT Jarran Reed, Jay-nard Bostwick, Montravius Adams, Elijah Daniel, Jason Hatcher, Chris Jones, James Clark, Alex Collins, Jalen Ramsey, Kennard Swanson and Quinton Powell. If Muschamp can get some of those guys, fine, but if not, he won’t just sign guys so he can fill out the class.
RemmyR (Maple Shade, N.J.): Just want to say thanks to you for dropping UF science on us every week!!!
You’re welcome. I enjoy interacting with fans. You guys are the lifeblood of what I do so these chats are the least I can do.
Dave (New Jersey): Mike you say we are done with our class at 26? Don't we have 8 EEs that can date back to next year giving us another 6-7 spots open in this class? We lost a lot of bodies so the staff must get at least 31 in this class IMO. Thoughts?
The Gators will try and sign several more players, but Muschamp has gone on record before saying he’s not going to sign players just to fill out a class. I anticipate only two to three more commitments, if that. UF is still after DT Jarran Reed, Jay-nard Bostwick, Montravius Adams, Elijah Daniel, Jason Hatcher, Chris Jones, James Clark, Alex Collins, Jalen Ramsey, Kennard Swanson and Quinton Powell. If Muschamp can get some of those guys, fine, but if not, he won’t just sign guys so he can fill out the class.
RemmyR (Maple Shade, N.J.): Just want to say thanks to you for dropping UF science on us every week!!!
You’re welcome. I enjoy interacting with fans. You guys are the lifeblood of what I do so these chats are the least I can do.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- With just a player walk-through Thursday, things were relatively easy in Day 4 of practice at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports. A four-star defensive tackle gave further explanation about his decision to decommit from an SEC school, several players talked about who impressed them the most, and an ESPN 150 safety changed his decision date.
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Some colleges emphasize the importance of receiving official visits from prospects they are recruiting, but for the University of Florida, nothing is more important than getting prospects on campus for unofficial visits.
Just how important are unofficial visits to the Gators? Consider that 17 of Florida's 20 2013 verbal commitments committed to the Gators within a week of unofficially visiting the school.
"They were extremely important," Hargreaves said of his multiple visits to Florida. "You really get to see what the program is all about. I look at it as basically an official visit but without the game and you don't spend the night. You really get to see everything else, though, like the locker room and getting to hang out with the other plays. You get to hang out with the coaches. You get to see the academics. It's extremely important.
"You can sit down with the coaches and you can kind of do what you want to do. You can tell the coaches what you want to see and what you want to talk about. I think it would have been hard to commit without taking those unofficial visits to Florida."
For Florida head coach Will Muschamp, it's not just about a prospect getting to know more about his program, but rather it's an opportunity to learn more about what type of player the Gators are recruiting.
Just how important are unofficial visits to the Gators? Consider that 17 of Florida's 20 2013 verbal commitments committed to the Gators within a week of unofficially visiting the school.
Official Look At Unofficial Visits
Unofficial visits in college football mean - and cost - more than ever. Max Olson »
• Florida: The key to it all
• FSU: Noles know what they mean
• Georgia: Coaches keeping busy
• LSU: Setting the tone
• Michigan: Recruits savor BBQ
• Ohio State: The U word
• Oklahoma: Why fight it?
• Oregon: Proof is in the visit
• Penn State: Sooner the better
• Texas: Tales from the road
• Washington: Get 'em on campus
"They were extremely important," Hargreaves said of his multiple visits to Florida. "You really get to see what the program is all about. I look at it as basically an official visit but without the game and you don't spend the night. You really get to see everything else, though, like the locker room and getting to hang out with the other plays. You get to hang out with the coaches. You get to see the academics. It's extremely important.
"You can sit down with the coaches and you can kind of do what you want to do. You can tell the coaches what you want to see and what you want to talk about. I think it would have been hard to commit without taking those unofficial visits to Florida."
For Florida head coach Will Muschamp, it's not just about a prospect getting to know more about his program, but rather it's an opportunity to learn more about what type of player the Gators are recruiting.
Shaq Wiggins plans to take official to UF
July, 28, 2012
7/28/12
11:22
PM ET
By
Kipp Adams | ESPN.com
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Since cornerback Shaq Wiggins (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek) committed to the University of Georgia in February, the ESPN 150 prospect has been unabashed in his efforts to bring other top recruits to Athens. Several subsequent commitments have mentioned Wiggins as being in their ear, and as the highest rated Georgia commitment to date in the 2013 recruiting cycle, Wiggins is seen by many as the face of the Bulldogs' class.
Flash forward five months, and recent events have fueled speculation regarding Wiggins’ commitment to Georgia. Wiggins has taken several visits to other programs in the last month, with the latest being to Knoxville. He also has indicated that he and several other players intend to commit to the same school.
“I visited Tennessee because once my recruiting really picked up last spring they were my first SEC offer,” Wiggins said. “I had a lot of interest in them when coach Lance Thompson and coach Terry Joseph were there and they were a place I could have seen myself, and I thought about committing. But once they left they lost contact with me until Coach [Derrick] Ansley came in and came by during the spring.”
Flash forward five months, and recent events have fueled speculation regarding Wiggins’ commitment to Georgia. Wiggins has taken several visits to other programs in the last month, with the latest being to Knoxville. He also has indicated that he and several other players intend to commit to the same school.
“I visited Tennessee because once my recruiting really picked up last spring they were my first SEC offer,” Wiggins said. “I had a lot of interest in them when coach Lance Thompson and coach Terry Joseph were there and they were a place I could have seen myself, and I thought about committing. But once they left they lost contact with me until Coach [Derrick] Ansley came in and came by during the spring.”
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
ESPN 150 prospects Vernon Hargreaves III (Tampa, Fla./Wharton), Leon McQuay III (Seffner, Fla./Armwood) and Ryan Green (St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Pete Catholic) received invitations Sunday to participate in the Gridiron Kings.
The three prospects will play for Team Southeast and join fellow ESPN 150 prospects Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn), O.J. Howard (Prattville, Ala./Autauga Academy), Alvin Kamara (Norcross, Ga./Norcross) and Shaq Wiggins (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek).
Four-star prospects Will Likely (Belle Glade, Fla./Glades Central) and Sojourn Shelton (Plantation, Fla./Plantation) are also on the Southeast squad.
Gridiron Kings will take place at the Wide World of Sports complex at Disney World on July 27-30.
The three prospects will play for Team Southeast and join fellow ESPN 150 prospects Reuben Foster (Auburn, Ala./Auburn), O.J. Howard (Prattville, Ala./Autauga Academy), Alvin Kamara (Norcross, Ga./Norcross) and Shaq Wiggins (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek).
Four-star prospects Will Likely (Belle Glade, Fla./Glades Central) and Sojourn Shelton (Plantation, Fla./Plantation) are also on the Southeast squad.
Gridiron Kings will take place at the Wide World of Sports complex at Disney World on July 27-30.
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
ABOUT GATOR NATION
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.