Football Recruiting - Southeast Region: Florida recruiting

Junior offensive tackle David Sharpe has not been thinking about football lately. Leading up to Thursday night’s Florida Class AAA basketball championship between his Providence High School Stallions and the Coral Springs Christian Crusaders, the talented two-sport athlete has let his coach field all of his football recruiting calls. And there have been a lot of them.


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Defensive tackle Jay-nard Bostwick (Port Saint Lucie, Fla./Centennial) joined Florida's No. 1-ranked recruiting class on Wednesday morning, making the announcement in a ceremony at his high school. Bostwick picked the Gators over Alabama and Miami.

He is the 27th-ranked player nationally at his position and 286th in the ESPN 300.

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Nick Washington TweetChat 

February, 5, 2013
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida defensive back commitment Nick Washington took some time this weekend to respond to questions from Florida fans that were submitted on Twitter using the #AskNW hashtag. Nick's answer's were not altered in anyway. If you have more questions for Nick, feel free to send him a message on Twitter: @NickWashingtonn.


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Despite being one of the top programs in the nation, LSU still has some work to do to land one of the top junior prospects in the south.

Coaches from LSU visited Todd Kelly Jr. this week. However, the Watch List prospect from Knoxville (Tenn.) Webb said he's primarily focusing on his top ten finalists.


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2014 RB Palmer aims to turn heads 

January, 11, 2013
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ATLANTA -- Some of the players in the new ESPN 150, such as No. 2 Carl Lawson (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton), did not have any offers before they were invited to play in the 2011 Georgia Junior Bowl. Some had only one offer, like running back Alvin Kamara (Norcross, Ga./Norcross), who is now the No. 32 player in the 150 and is set to choose between Alabama and Georgia.

This year, tailback Sedrick Palmer (McDonough, Ga./Henry County) hopes to be the breakout player whose performance in the Junior Bowl has heads turning.


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'14 DB Dawson commits to Gators

January, 8, 2013
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CROSS CITY, Fla. -- ESPN Watch List defensive back Duke Dawson (Cross City, Fla./Dixie County) has verbally committed to Florida. The 5-foot-11, 188-pound junior chose the Gators over in-state rival Florida State.

[+] EnlargeDuke Dawson
Derek Tyson/ESPNWatch List DB Duke Dawson committed to UF's 2014 class, citing a great relationship with coaches.
Dawson announced his decision at a ceremony held at his high school Tuesday afternoon.

The talented 2014 safety said his relationship with the Florida program is what ultimately persuaded him to choose the Gators.

"For one, I have felt the love there since day one and things haven't changed since," Dawson said. "I love talking to Coach T-Rob (Travaris Robinson), Coach [Will] Muschamp, Coach [Bryant] Young, Coach [Jeff] Dillman and the rest of them."

Dawson's comfort level with Florida started after receiving his first official scholarship offer at Florida's camp during the summer.

(Read full post)

The commitment of Demarcus Robinson (Fort Valley, Ga./Peach County) on Monday is huge for the Gators. At 6-foot-2, 200-pounds, Robinson has the size and athleticism that will allow him to compete for playing time early.

Robinson is the only one of Florida's five WR commits slated to enroll early. If he follows through with his plan, the U.S. Army All-American has a chance to earn a starting spot early in his career.

Quinton Dunbar led all Florida receivers with just 306 receiving yards. After Dunbar, Andre Debose stands second among returning receivers with two receptions for 11 yards. Florida needs production from its wideouts and needs it now.

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ATLANTA -- Two of the Peach State’s top outside linebackers recently met in the backfield of the Rising Seniors Bowl game and threw down the West team’s quarterback, Brooks Barden (Cartersville, Ga./Cartersville). Bryson Allen-Williams (Ellenwood, Ga./Cedar Grove) came of the right end and Dante Sawyer (Flowery Branch, Ga./North Gwinnett) crashed the left side and both caught Barden before he could slip away. While it was clear Barden never had a chance, credit for the sack was a highly-contested debate.

“Oh, that was my sack.” Allen-Williams said. “Look, Dante and I had a little bet going on to see who would get the most sacks, so we ended up tying on them. So you know [when] there are two good ends on this field, you’re bound to have a good pass rush every now and then.”

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LB Trey Johnson chooses Ohio State

January, 4, 2013
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- For months, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer and his staff have made the No. 2 inside linebacker prospect in the country a recruiting priority.

Their patience paid off tonight when Trey Johnson (Lawrenceville, Ga./Central Gwinnett) committed to Ohio State during the Under Armour All-America Game, live on ESPN.

Johnson chose Ohio State over Florida and Tennessee.

A longtime Auburn Tigers commitment, Johnson happened to be returning from his official visit to Ohio State on Nov. 25 when Auburn fired coach Gene Chizik. That time on the Columbus, Ohio, campus helped the No. 2 inside linebacker get a better feel for the Buckeyes.

“When I took a visit up there it was different,” said Johnson, a starter in the UA Game. “I kind of like the feel up there, the depth chart. And there are many factors that make it a good fit there.”

The addition of Johnson gives Ohio State 20 commitments, nine of those being members of the ESPN 150, and boosts what is already the No. 4 recruiting class in the ESPN rankings.

Johnson, who made 140 tackles, three sacks, and one interception as a senior, is the first linebacker commitment for the Buckeyes in the 2013 class. They are still working to add linebacker and ESPN 150 prospect Mike Mitchell (Plano, Texas/Prestonwood Christian Academy), and are in the mix for another standout in the Peach State, Under Armour All-American safety Vonn Bell (Rossville, Ga./Ridgeland).

DE Ogundeko commits to Clemson

January, 4, 2013
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- ESPN 150 defensive lineman Ebenezer Ogundeko (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) has verbally committed to Clemson. The 6-foot-3, 229-pound end prospect announced his decision during the second quarter of tonight's Under Armour All-America Game.

Ogundeko chose Clemson over Syracuse, Florida and Notre Dame.

With the addition of Ogundeko, the Tigers now have 16 verbal commitments, including four who are ESPN 150 prospects. Ogundeko will join Dane Rogers (Shelby, N.C./Crest), Clemson's other defensive end commitment. Clemson’s recruiting class is ranked No. 14 in the country.

As a senior, Ogundeko totaled an impressive 74 tackles including 17 sacks. He is the nation’s No. 10 defensive end.

Ogundeko also held offers from Alabama, Arizona State and Ole Miss.

2014 DE Brown taking it slow 

January, 4, 2013
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- 2014 defensive end Keyon Brown (Wauchula, Fla./Hardee) had a blistering pace to his process going when four offers flew in from Louisiana-Lafayette, Miami, Pittsburgh and UCF.

Things now have been a little more manageable. Brown says he's still talking to teams the same, but it is at a slower rate.

"Right now, I am not really decided or anything like that," he said. "I probably won't decide until next year where I am going. The recruiting process started off crazy. It has kind of slowed down, it is steady, but it isn't as crazy as it was."

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. –- On Day 3 of practice for the Under Armour All-America Game at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports, No. 1 prospect Robert Nkemdiche (Loganville, Ga./Grayson) finally confirmed what has been speculated around the recruiting world for months.

“It would be hard to see myself not going to Ole Miss because it is a family thing,” Nkemdiche said. “My whole family wants me to go there. They are on the rise and doing a lot of good things.

"Ole Miss is the team to beat, but LSU is still in the mix, too."

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Four-star defensive tackle Caleb Brantley (Crescent City, Fla./Crescent City) decommitted from Florida after the Under Armour All-America Game practice on Wednesday. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound athlete announced his decision via Twitter and later confirmed with ESPN.com.

Brantley, who had been committed to Florida since Jan. 28, declined to comment on his change of heart other than that he was opening things back up and was planning to take his official visits.

Brantley said he was unsure of which schools he intends to visit.

The Gators have 24 verbal commitments in the nation's top-ranked recruiting class, but only one defensive tackle among them: junior college transfer Darious Cummings.

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4-star DE Daniel visiting Florida 

December, 30, 2012
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- ESPN 150 defensive end Elijah Daniel (Avon, Ind./Avon) recently visited Ole Miss. The 6-foot-3, 249-pound athlete said he was impressed with the Rebels had to offer.

"It was probably the best visit I've ever taken during the recruiting process," Daniel said.

Daniel, who has also taken official visits to Marshall and Mississippi State, will officially visit Florida on Jan. 11. The four-star end said he is just looking to interact with the Florida coaches on his visit.

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Hargreaves ready to get reacquainted 

December, 30, 2012
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- With a strong performance at the Under Armour All-America Game this week, five-star defensive back Vernon Hargreaves III (Tampa, Fla./Wharton) would have an opportunity to earn the top overall ranking in the ESPN 150.

However the nation’s top-rated cornerback says he won’t play for rankings, even the one held by Robert Nkemdiche (Loganville, Ga./Grayson).

“No I’m not really into the rankings and you know that,” Hargreaves said. “I only found out I moved up off of Twitter when someone told me. I just want to enjoy the great competition.”

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