ESPN Recruiting Nation Football

Here are five storylines for the Miami NFTC.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- There were some big changes for Florida commits in the final edition of the ESPN 300. The Gators landed 15 players on the list, including 10 in the ESPN 150. With their success on the recruiting front, the Gators moved back into first place in the ESPN class rankings.

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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.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- During the last 10 years or so, the Florida Gators have consistently ranked among teams with the top recruiting classes in the country -- and won two national championships, two SEC championships and played for another SEC championship.

This begs the question: Is Florida's success in recruiting a product of on-the-field success?

In the last seven years, Florida's recruiting classes have finished No. 1, No. 2, 4, 5, 1, 12 and 4 in the ESPN team recruiting rankings. The 2011 class that finished as the No. 12-ranked class came after Florida went 8-5 on the field, but more importantly it was the year in which Urban Meyer resigned right after the season.

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The Florida high school football playoffs have officially started.

The five-week stretch of games has proven to be a great opportunity for some under-the-radar prospects to make a final push in their recruitment. The playoffs have also provided a platform for several known prospects to establish themselves as elite talents.

In this year’s ESPN 150, there are several players who have made their biggest impact during playoff time.

The nation’s top-rated running back, Kelvin Taylor (Belle Glade, Fla./Glades Day), has saved some of his best performances for the playoffs. He rushed for 213 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman in the Class 1B state championship game against South Daytona (Fla.) Warner Christian.

A year later, Taylor faced the same Warner Christian team and rushed for 248 yards and five touchdowns before being ejected for excessive celebration (he went to his knee after scoring his fourth and fifth touchdowns and was flagged for both).

Four-star running back Greg Bryant (Delray Beach, Fla./American Heritage), rated 27^th nationally, had his breakout performance in last year’s Class 3A state title game against Madison (Fla.) County, rushing 39 times for 243 yards (both career highs).

Wide receiver Jordan Cunningham (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./University School), ranked 51^st nationally, caught three touchdowns as a sophomore in the Class 2B state championship game against Ocala (Fla.) Trinity Catholic.

There’s a good chance Taylor, Bryant or Cunningham will return to the finals in 2012 (of course, Bryant and Cunningham could see each other in a week for the highly anticipated game between American Heritage and University School if their team’s advance), but there will be other class of 2012 prospects that could really see their stock rise with a strong playoff run.

BREAKOUT PLAYERS

Juwan Brown, QB, Largo (Fla.) -- The two-star prospect has been on a tear this season and is likely the Player of the Year for the Tampa Bay area. He’s accounted for nearly 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns and hasn’t thrown an interception all season. Brown’s biggest challenge could come in Week 1 when Largo hosts a talented but underachieving Seffner (Fla.) Armwood squad.

Alton Meeks, QB, Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips -- If Meeks, a soft Cincinnati commit, is fully recovered from a broken leg suffered in September, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior will be a difference-maker in the playoffs. He’s become a more accurate passer this season and provides a power-running element that Dr. Phillips hasn’t had.

Lorenzo Woodley, RB, Miami Christopher Columbus -- If Daryl Chestnut’s injury keeps him sidelined, the 5-11, 200-pound Woodley will be asked to carry a full load. On Thursday, he rushed for more than 100 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-9 victory over Miami Dr. Krop.

Shykeem Pitts, QB/ATH, Davenport (Fla.) Ridge Community -- Pitts is back at quarterback after flirting with other positions on the offense. In three weeks, Pitts led Ridge to from obscurity to a district championship. The speedy athlete is most dangerous with the ball in his hands and will take every snap for as long as Ridge is alive in the postseason.

Janarion Grant, ATH, Dade City (Fla.) Pasco -- Grant missed the first six games with a hand injury and scored five touchdowns in his return game. In the last two weeks, the 5-11, 185-pound senior has scored eight touchdowns four different ways (rushing, receiving, special teams, defensive). A strong playoff run could lift Grant to top-tier status in the state.

Antwan Lee, RB/DB, Cocoa (Fla.) -- Although most of the attention goes to ESPN 150 athlete Tarean Folston it’s been a shared backfield with the 5-8, 165-pound Lee, who has rushed for 1,035 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Lee also has two interceptions on defense.

Shaquille Johnson, TE, Lake City (Fla.) Columbia -- Columbia has been a popular pick to make it to the Class 6A finals. And if the Tigers can get to Orlando, it will give the 6-4, 225-pound Johnson several more opportunities to have that breakout game that observers have been waiting to see for the past two years.

PLAYOFF-OPENERS

Did you miss last night’s playoff games? Here’s a quick set of links for them:

• Sir Jackson scores on both sides of the ball as Gainesville (Fla.) Eastside shuts out Holiday (Fla.) Anclote.
• Woodley pushes Miami Christopher Columbus past Miami Dr. Krop in playoff opener.

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Back for another round of notes and going into detail this week on the spotlight area of the state: Palm Beach County and the surrounding Treasure Coast area.

Palm Beach/Treasure Coast prospects rated by ESPN Scouts: 21
Palm Beach/Treasure Coast players in ESPN 300: 6
Highest-rated Palm Beach/Treasure Coast prospect: RB Kelvin Taylor (Belle Glade, Fla./Glades Day)

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YULEE, Fla. -- After committing to the Alabama Crimson Tide earlier in the day, four-star running back Derrick Henry capped off his exciting day by helping his Yulee (Fla.) team defeat Kelvin Taylor and his Belle Glade (Fla.) Glades Day team 42-6 on Friday night. The 6-foot-3, 243-pound Henry rushed for 362 yards and six touchdowns on 35 carries.

Henry has amassed 864 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns over the last two weeks and now has 1,753 yards and 24 rushing touchdowns in only five games this season. He has totaled 9,617 rushing yards in his career and is on pace to break Ken Hall's (Sugarland, Texas) national career rushing record of 11,232 yards. If he continues his current pace, Henry will finish the regular season wih 3,506 rushing yards and 48 touchdowns.

In addition to the career rushing record, Henry has his sights set on yet another rushing record. Former NFL player Travis Henry (Frostproof, Fla./Frostproof) holds the single-season rushing record in Florida with 4,087 yards in 14 games. If Yulee (4-1) makes a playoff run, Derrick Henry has a good chance at breaking Travis Henry's record.

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ESPN 150 athlete Derrick Henry (Yulee, Fla./Yulee) set a Florida state single-game rushing record Friday when the 6-foot-3, 245-pound senior had 502 rushing yards. Yulee head coach Bobby Ramsay has seen Henry have big games before, but Friday's performance in a 45-28 victory over Jacksonville (Fla.) Andrew Jackson was one for the books.

"I was telling someone Saturday that there are a lot of variables that go into having that sort of a performance," Ramsay said. "For one thing the game has to be close enough for him to stay in. There have been situations where he could have probably run for 700 yards, but it wasn't worth the risk of injury.

"And we played a good team. They flipped the field on us several times and that forced us to have long drives and give him plenty of opportunities to gain yardage. We needed the offensive line to be at their best and those guys also gave a quality performance Friday night. They did an excellent job. All in all it was a special night and Derrick is a special player. I'm happy for him; I'm happy that we as a team and a program and a community could share in this moment."

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida running back commit Kelvin Taylor (Belle Glades, Fla./Glades Day) continues his assault on the rushing record books. Taylor surpassed NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith as the state's all-time leading rusher as a junior, and after a 218-yard and five-touchdown performance in a 49-34 victory over Clewiston (Fla.) Friday night, Taylor has his sights set on the national four-year record of 11,232 set by Ken Hall of Sugarland (Texas) from 1950-1953.

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound back, who has started on varsity since his eighth-grade year, has totaled an astounding 10,256 rushing yards and 161 touchdowns in his career. He has already totaled 726 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in only three games in his senior season.

The ESPN 150 athlete committed to the Gators on Feb. 18, and the Under Armour All-American continues to be the No. 1-ranked running back in the country.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- On a record-breaking night, ESPN 150 athlete Derrick Henry (Yulee, Fla./Yulee) has set his announcement date to choose between Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia.

In a 51-28 loss to Gainesville High School Thursday night, Henry rushed for 336 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries. Henry broke former Jacksonville (Fla.) University Christian star Willie McClendon's streak of 33 consecutive 100-yard rushing games from 1985-87. Henry has still never rushed for under the century mark in his high school career.

At 8,200 career rushing yards, Henry moves in to third place on the state of Florida's all-time career rushing list, trailing only Emmitt Smith and Florida running back commit Kelvin Taylor (Belle Glades, Fla./Glades Day).

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The 2011 season wasn't kind to Florida head coach Will Muschamp. The Gators were assigned arguably the hardest schedule in the SEC and by the middle of October they were mentally and physically beaten down.

Although the season was somewhat salvaged with a Gator Bowl victory over Ohio State, a 7-6 record doesn't go over well in Gainesville and in order to improve that record it was clear that Florida needed better players.

Although Florida landed a top-five recruiting class and made major upgrades on the offensive line, defensive line and secondary, fans were only interested in the prospects that didn't come through. Tracy Howard, Nelson Agholor, Avery Young, Leonard Williams, Josh Harvey-Clemons and Stefon Diggs were all late misses and all seemed to have Florida out front at one point during their recruitment.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Five-star 2013 running back prospect Kelvin Taylor (Belle Glade, Fla./Glades Day) appears to be closing in on a college decision.

Taylor announced on Twitter that he would be making a decision next weekend.

Taylor, whose Twitter handle is @ImKelvinTaylor, tweeted, "I will tell the world next weekend where I will be taken my talents Too #Staytuned."

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Brown happy with Illinois
Immediately after Ron Zook was fired by Illinois there were questions about the commitment of Norland (Miami, Fla.) four-star linebacker Keith Brown. The 6-1, 235-pounder talked after Norland’s victory over Glades Central on Friday and said he’s happy where he is.

“I’m still absolutely committed to Illinois,” Brown said. “I was upset to hear what happened to Coach Zook but I have no plans to change my commitment right now.”

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