Florida Gators National Signing Day Guide

Published January 31, 2012 - 2:06pm

NEW: Discuss this topic in the Google+ community for SEC fans.

SEC Problems [Es-Ee-See Prob-luhms]
Noun
1.  When 6 national titles just aren’t enough
2.  Having a fit when your top-five recruiting class isn’t number one
3.  When a noon game doesn’t allow for ample tailgating

As you can see by our vocabulary lesson, there is not much to complain about these days in SEC country.  Not even in Gainesville, where the depression of a 7-6 season is fading into the excitement of National Signing Day.

Quick show of hands, who is calling in sick to work on Wednesday? Don’t worry, your boss can’t see you.

If you “happen” to be sitting at home on NSD then you’re probably a recruiting fanatic like me.  If so, then this guide probably isn’t for you.

This guide is for the rest of you Gators (Hi Mom! Yes, she follows recruiting) out there who can’t devote their entire February 1^st to following the college decisions of 18 year olds (yes, I know how ridiculous that sounds to some of you).

*Prospects listed in alphabetical order*

Nelson Agholor – 6’2” 180 lbs., WR, Berkeley Prep, Tampa, FL

The enigma that is Nelson Agholor.  Is it going to be Florida? How about USC? Or is this going to be one of those signing day moments that we talk about for years to come when he pulls out a Notre Dame hat and leaves the recruiting world scratching its head?

Doubtful, truthfully it comes down to Florida or USC and have you seen how much it costs to fly cross country these days?  My guess? Florida

Stefon Diggs – 6’0” 185 lbs., WR, Our Lady Of Good Counsel, Olney, Maryland

This guy had some Gator fans on the edge of their seats this past weekend as word was coming out that he thoroughly enjoyed his visit to Ohio State.  When was the last time you heard a recruit say he didn’t enjoy a visit to an Urban Meyer coached school?  The positive in all of this is that Diggs has said himself that he prefers a pro-style offense.

You can thank new offensive coordinator Brent Pease for this one.  My guess? Florida

(Note: Stefon Diggs will not be announcing his decision until February 10^th)

Dante Fowler Jr. – 6’3” 232 lbs., DE, Lakewood, St. Petersburg, Florida

I’m probably wasting your time mentioning FSU commit Fowler.  He probably wasted five of our coaches’ time hosting them for an in-home visit last week. But, and it’s a BIG but, when this picture started to circulate around the web, Florida fans became giddy with excitement that the long time Seminole would be making a switch to the Gators

It’s a long shot; unfortunately I think it’s too long of a shot, but crazier things have happened.  My guess? Florida State

Josh Harvey-Clemons – 6’5” 208 lbs., LB, Lowndes, Valdosta, Georgia

This is a big position of need for the Gators and you know that Muschamp would relish the opportunity to pull a prospect out of his state and away from his alma mater, Georgia.  Prospects from Valdosta have always confused me, for those who don’t know, Valdosta is basically North Florida with peaches, but for some reason Florida hasn’t been able to break the “Athens” mystique.  Oh by the way, it’s not just Georgia vying for his services, it’s FSU too.

This hurts either way, but I’ll pick the lesser of two evils. My guess? Georgia

Tracy Howard – 5’11” 175 lbs., CB, Miramar, Miramar, Florida

This kid is so 2012.  Tracy Howard and his family have been taking the twitter world by storm this recruiting season and they have been using it to their advantage, especially after this past weekend when they decided to withhold any information following his visit to Miami (how dare they!).  The State of Florida is going to be watching this one very closely as all three big schools are heavily involved.

The needle seems to be swinging towards Miami after the visit, but like Darius Hamilton, Florida has been involved for a while.  My Guess? Florida

Jake Meador – 6’7” 305 lbs., OT, Whiteland, Whiteland, Indiana

The one-time Ole Miss commit seemed almost destined to end up a Gator when he reopened his recruitment.  But as time has gone on it appears that two schools, Wisconsin and Missouri, have made the biggest push for Meador.  It’s going to be hard to pull him out of the Midwest, especially with Wisconsin hiring former Ole Miss coach Mike Markuson, Markuson was Meador’s recruiter at Ole Miss.

Would be a great addition to our line, unfortunately I don’t see it in the cards.  My Guess? Wisconsin

Schyler Miles – 6’2” 220 lbs., LB, Berkeley Prep, Tampa, Florida

Initially offered as a fullback, the Florida coaching staff recently informed Miles that he could be a linebacker if he so desired, and wouldn’t you know it he jumped at the opportunity.  Miles will be announcing for Florida, Kansas, or West Virginia Wednesday. One of the few prospects to stay home this past weekend, rumor has it that Miles informed his team of choice on Friday night where he would be attending.

I love in-state kids, especially at a position of need. Stay in sunshine kid! My Guess? Florida

Leonard Williams – 6’5” 254 lbs., DE, Mainland, Daytona Beach, Florida

For a very long time it was almost a guarantee that Williams would end up on the Plains at Auburn.  But following his trip to Gainesville last week and after cancelling his visit to Miami, the Daytona Beach native said himself that it is now a two-team race between Florida and USC.  This isn’t a huge position of need but it’s always great to stock pile talent on the defensive line, especially with an in-state kid.

This is a toss-up, but Florida got his last visit and they have been involved from the beginning. My Guess? Florida

Avery Young – 6’6” 273 lbs., OT, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

The Auburn theme continues here as Florida will be going up against the Tigers, as well as Georgia, for the Palm Beach Gardens prospect.  He recently visited Miami, but it is believed that they are not a significant player.  Young lives with his father in Palm Beach Gardens and typically in dealing with an in-state kid you throw out the distance card, but his mother lives within a stone’s throw of Auburn in Cuthbert, Georgia.  Unlike Valdosta, people in East Georgia don’t view leaving the state to play on the Plains as traitorous as going to Florida.

Mom wins.  My Guess? Auburn

For live NSD updates for the Florida Gators, check out DirectSnap