Football Recruiting - Southeast Region: Florida Gators
OL/DL camp: ESPN 300 DE earns Tide offer 
June, 17, 2013
Jun 17
12:46
PM ET
By
Greg Ostendorf | ESPN.com
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- ESPN 300 defensive end Davon Godchaux (Plaquemine, La./Plaquemine) made a third trip to the University of Alabama over the weekend for the Crimson Tide’s OL/DL camp. It was his best trip yet.
The 6-foot-4, 271-pound Godchaux was one of the standouts at the one-day camp. Afterwards, UA head coach Nick Saban met with him in his office and offered a scholarship. Saban said he still wants to check on his grades, but based on what he had seen on film and at the camp, it was enough to warrant an offer.
The 6-foot-4, 271-pound Godchaux was one of the standouts at the one-day camp. Afterwards, UA head coach Nick Saban met with him in his office and offered a scholarship. Saban said he still wants to check on his grades, but based on what he had seen on film and at the camp, it was enough to warrant an offer.
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- It's good enough news for a school when a coveted recruit such as Raekwon McMillan (Hinesville, Ga./Liberty County) shows up on campus for a visit. But the Florida Gators got a double dose of good news from the nation's No. 1-ranked inside linebacker during his unofficial visit on Saturday.
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As he makes unofficial visits around the country, ESPN 150 defensive back Jamal Adams (Lewisville, Texas/Hebron) is all about one thing -- finding the right fit.
Ask Adams about Florida, and the “fit” gets high praise. In fact, the heavily recruited safety gave his visit to Gainesville, Fla., a strong 10.
Ask Adams about Florida, and the “fit” gets high praise. In fact, the heavily recruited safety gave his visit to Gainesville, Fla., a strong 10.
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In-state DT Thomas vies for Bama offer
June, 15, 2013
Jun 15
6:20
PM ET
By
Greg Ostendorf | ESPN.com
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama was one of the first schools to begin recruiting defensive tackle/end Cory Thomas (McCalla, Ala./McAdory). He lives just an hour up the road. However, the Crimson Tide had yet to offer the local prospect because the coaches hadn’t seen enough.
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In-state defensive end earns Florida offer
June, 14, 2013
Jun 14
2:14
PM ET
By
Jeff Barlis | ESPN.com
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- While bigger-name prospects come and go on unofficial visits to Florida's summer camp, 2014 defensive end Justus Reed (Clearwater, Fla./Central Catholic) stood out on Thursday by actually participating.
Reed showed up for the afternoon session, warmed up with a couple hundred other campers and did position drills under the watchful eyes of Florida head coach Will Muschamp and defensive line coach Brad Lawing.
Reed showed up for the afternoon session, warmed up with a couple hundred other campers and did position drills under the watchful eyes of Florida head coach Will Muschamp and defensive line coach Brad Lawing.
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Tight end DeAndre Goolsby (Derby, Kan./Derby) admits he's nowhere near ready to pick his college destination.
"I'm just kind of out there, looking," he says. "There's still a lot to see, so I'll wait that out."
With cautious curiosity, Goolsby visited Ohio State and Florida this week -- two big steps in his plan to narrow a sizable offer list to a handful of top teams before his senior season and make a decision by the end of the fall.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound tight end was in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday.
"I'm just kind of out there, looking," he says. "There's still a lot to see, so I'll wait that out."
With cautious curiosity, Goolsby visited Ohio State and Florida this week -- two big steps in his plan to narrow a sizable offer list to a handful of top teams before his senior season and make a decision by the end of the fall.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound tight end was in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday.
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Like many a northerner, Thomas Holley is soaking up some sun on a summer visit to the state of Florida.
But there aren't any beaches on Holley's itinerary. No, this is a fact-finding mission for the ESPN 150 prospect from Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln.
Holley visited Florida State on Wednesday, Florida on Thursday and plans to be on Miami's campus on Friday.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive tackle, rated No. 8 in the nation at his position, found the first two stops to be a lot alike.
But there aren't any beaches on Holley's itinerary. No, this is a fact-finding mission for the ESPN 150 prospect from Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln.
Holley visited Florida State on Wednesday, Florida on Thursday and plans to be on Miami's campus on Friday.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive tackle, rated No. 8 in the nation at his position, found the first two stops to be a lot alike.
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- After landing a commitment from defensive end Taven Bryan (Casper, Wyo./Natrona) on Monday night, the second pledge during Florida's camp, the Tuesday camp sessions were relatively uneventful.
The group of attendees was headlined by 2015 quarterback prospect Tyler Queen (Kennessaw, Ga./North Cobb). The 6-foot-2, 237-pound signal-caller was hoping to earn an offer from the Gators with an impressive performance.
The group of attendees was headlined by 2015 quarterback prospect Tyler Queen (Kennessaw, Ga./North Cobb). The 6-foot-2, 237-pound signal-caller was hoping to earn an offer from the Gators with an impressive performance.
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Four schools are standing out to four-star defensive tackle Daniel Cage (Cincinnati/Winton Woods), and he hopes to visit all four this summer.
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SEC recruiting has home-field advantage
June, 11, 2013
Jun 11
9:29
AM ET
By
Craig Haubert | ESPN.com
Recruiting is the lifeblood of every program in the country, and every conference has its own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to landing top prospects. In the start of a weeklong series, we'll examine the BCS conferences plus Notre Dame to find each's strength, the biggest obstacle each faces and the overall view of the conference. The SEC is up today.
Biggest obstacle: When it comes to recruiting in the SEC, the biggest obstacle arguably comes from within. No conference recruits as consistently strong from top to bottom as the SEC and the margin for error is very small. From 2006 through 2013, the SEC has had no fewer than six programs finish within the top 25 of the class rankings in any given year, and the 2013 final class rankings saw all 14 teams finish in the top 40, including 10 in the top 25. A program could be having good success on the recruiting trail and still find itself in the middle or even the back of the pack. Mississippi State, for example, finished with the 25th-ranked class this past cycle only to finish 10th within its own conference.
Being able to recruit as a member of the SEC brings with it many benefits, but as a result of that there are no weak links among SEC teams on the recruiting trail. Alabama has posted back-to-back top-ranked classes and a group that includes programs such as Florida, Georgia and LSU are usually top 10-15 staples, if not top class contenders themselves year in and year out. Other programs within the SEC have shown the ability to have success and even make a big impact as well. Ole Miss this past cycle broke from the pack to land a top-five class that included the nation's top-ranked prospect (Robert Nkemdiche). Even Vanderbilt, long considered a back-of-the-pack staple, made a surge on the recruiting trail as well under the direction of James Franklin and finished with a top-25 class for 2013.
Competition on the recruiting trail is tough all over, but in the SEC it has proved to be extremely fierce and a class that would be great in any other conference simply might not be good enough as a member of this conference.
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- ESPN 150 athlete J.C. Jackson committed to Florida during a visit to the team's summer camp on Saturday, less than a week after decommitting from Florida State.
Jackson, who is ranked No. 48 overall in the nation, picked the Gators over offers from Clemson, Ohio State and Tennessee. His pledge caps what was an extended flirtation with UF, as Jackson made multiple visits to Gainesville while he was an FSU commit and wore Gator gear to the IMG Southeast Regional 7-on-7 Championships in April.
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Derek Tyson/ESPN.comFlorida sees J.C. Jackson as a cornerback. The No. 48 player in the ESPN 150, Jackson is also the No. 4-rated athlete in the Class of 2014.
"It was my best option, so I just went ahead and committed," Jackson said. "They were telling me the same things they have told me but I just felt it was time to do it. They sent a defensive back to the league, Matt Elam, and they have a lot of defensive backs in the leage that came from Florida."
The former FSU commit said Florida fans can rest easy -- he claims his pledge to Florida is rock solid.
"It is very solid commit," Jackson said. "I'm going to stick with the Gators. I was committed to Florida State for a while and I thought I was going to go there, too. But with Florida, I'm going to stick with Florida. I'm not going nowhere else. It's the SEC, the best. I have a chance to probably start if I come here and work."
Jackson, said Florida coaches Will Muschamp, D.J. Durkin and Travaris Robinson were ecstatic to learn of his commitment.
"They started yelling and got happy," he said. "Muschamp, T-Rob, Durkin ... they were all happy."
In the 6-foot, 185-pound Jackson, the Gators will get a standout athlete they see as a cornerback at the next level.
"I'm going to come here and work," he said, "and try to win a national championship."
Jackson is commit No. 9 in Florida's Class of 2014, joining RB Dalvin Cook, QB Will Grier and DT Anthony Moten as ESPN 150 pledges.
What a difference a year has made for Bryce Dixon (Ventura, Calif./St. Bonaventure). As a sophomore, Dixon was doing his best to make an impact as a 6-foot-2, 216-pound receiver, but he lacked some of the dynamic ability of California's terrific athletes at the position and had yet to break onto the recruiting scene. After bulking up and gaining some positional flexibility, the 6-4, 260-pound Dixon is now one of the nation's top tight ends and holds offers from a number of the country's top programs.
While a sprained ankle sideline him for several games and hampered him through others, Dixon didn't need much time to showcase his increased talent during his junior season. In a televised game, Dixon caught seven passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-35 win against state power Corona (Calif.) Centennial. That game almost immediately produced his first offer, as the Miami Hurricanes came in the following Monday.
While a sprained ankle sideline him for several games and hampered him through others, Dixon didn't need much time to showcase his increased talent during his junior season. In a televised game, Dixon caught seven passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-35 win against state power Corona (Calif.) Centennial. That game almost immediately produced his first offer, as the Miami Hurricanes came in the following Monday.
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ATHENS, Ga. -- While dozens of prospects were showing off their skills on Georgia's practice fields over the last two days at the Bulldogs' seven-on-seven camp, another potential member of their 2014 signing class was getting a closer look at the program.
Georgia Military College defensive lineman Davonte Lambert took an unofficial visit to UGA, where his cousin Cornelius Washington recently completed his college career.
Georgia Military College defensive lineman Davonte Lambert took an unofficial visit to UGA, where his cousin Cornelius Washington recently completed his college career.
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Almost two years stand between George Brown Jr. (Cincinnati/Winton Woods) and a national letter of intent, so his visit to the Southeast this month was not about naming favorites or eliminating schools.
It did help the 6-foot-6, 255-pound athlete figure out where he wants to play at the next level, though. Brown, a 2015 prospect, is being recruited as a tight end, offensive lineman and defensive lineman. After camping at Clemson and Miami (Fla.), he is going to concentrate solely on defensive end.
It did help the 6-foot-6, 255-pound athlete figure out where he wants to play at the next level, though. Brown, a 2015 prospect, is being recruited as a tight end, offensive lineman and defensive lineman. After camping at Clemson and Miami (Fla.), he is going to concentrate solely on defensive end.
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Each week, Tales From The Road will provide news and updates about where Florida's coaches are recruiting and which prospects are making headlines.
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RECRUITING NATION SOUTHEAST COVERAGE
The Southeast Region consists of the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee and is home to some of the nation's most talented football recruits each recruiting cycle.More RecruitingNation blogs
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SOUTHEAST RECRUITING CONTRIBUTORS
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