Can McElwain pull off some magic on Signing Day? He’ll need to
By Andrew Olson
Published:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – For the second time in his short tenure, Florida coach Jim McElwain desperately needs to close strong on National Signing Day to salvage his recruiting class. The Gators are low on commitments (17) and face a second consecutive recruiting class without a 5-star headliner. Fans are hoping for a signing day like 2015, when the Gators shot up the rankings thanks to commitments from 5-star prospects Martez Ivey and Cece Jefferson.
UF is down two coaches on the trail heading into Wednesday. Defensive coordinator Geoff Collins left to take the Temple head coaching job on Dec. 13, and surprisingly, all McElwain has done in response is promote Randy Shannon from co-coordinator to full-time defensive coordinator. The lack of a hire for Collins is likely due to the flexibility of the current staff, giving McElwain the option to hire on either side of the ball to fill Collins’ spot.
Roughly a month later, offensive line coach Mike Summers left for a co-offensive coordinator position at Louisville. In the absence of Collins and Summers, the Gators are using two off-field staffers as recruiters. Not having a replacement for Summers hired may have played a factor in 4-star OT Kai-Leon Herbert committing to Miami over UF, it was certainly something the Hurricanes coaches used against the Gators.
SEC class rank: No. 7
Overall class rank: No. 20
5-stars: 0
4-stars: 7
3-stars: 10
Did they own the state? In short, no. The Gators are shut out of Florida’s top 20 recruits, unless 4-star OG Tedarrell Slaton (No. 12 Florida prospect) chooses UF on National Signing Day. Jim McElwain and staff have one of the best backyard recruiting advantages in the country, but not much to show for it in blue-chip talent.
The top 10 within the state is dominated by Alabama, Florida State and Ohio State with three commits each (Michigan has the other).
There’s no sugarcoating it: McElwain and staff should not have this much trouble convincing Florida’s top recruits to attend the state’s most prominent public university and lone SEC school. Scrolling down the list of Sunshine State products, the first time the Gators logo comes up is at No. 23 (defensive end Zachary Carter out of Tampa).
Top player: Carter, a 4-star, is the highest-ranked Gators commit, with a score of 0.9382. Carter is rated the No. 3 strong-side defensive end of the class and measures 6-foot-4, 250 pounds with a 40 time of 4.9. He’s been a vocal recruiter on social media for Florida since committing on June 24, which makes him popular with Gators fans.
https://twitter.com/JosephHColley/status/824843590115348486
Still chasing: Five-star DE LaBryan Ray is giving the Gators his final visit before National Signing Day. On 247Sports, all 26 Crystal Ball predictions have the Madison, Ala., product picking the home-state Crimson Tide.
Slaton is a much more likely possibility, along with 4-star WR James Robinson from Lakeland, Fla., and 4-star DE Elijah Conliffe from Hampton, Va. Arguably UF’s most needed commitment at this point is 4-star Columbus (Miami) CB Christopher Henderson, the No. 24 player in Florida.
Best unit: Even though the loss of Herbert stings, Florida’s best unit right now is offensive line. The Gators are in a decent position with overall depth in the area, and could be more selective this recruiting class. Four-star linemen Kadeem Telfort and T.J. Moore are highlights of the pledge class.
Biggest area of need filled: After signing two quarterbacks last year, the position might not seem like an area of need, but 3-star pro-style QB Jake Allen is a very important signee. With Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask both having redshirted in 2016, it’s important to have another quarterback redshirting and learning the offense for further down the road. Signing a quarterback every year is a must due to injuries and transfers.
Also, keep an eye on Kadarius Toney. The 3-star athlete reportedly was recruited to play wide receiver, but with QB Luke Del Rio out for the spring due to shoulder surgery, the dual-threat quarterback will get some reps at his high school position. McElwain typically recruits pro-style prospects, and it will be interesting to see how he and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier handle a dual-threat quarterback.
Better or worse than last year? It would take some signing day surprises to match last year’s class. A year ago, McElwain signed 25 players, including nine 4-stars, for a class that ranked No. 12 nationally. This year, staying in the top 20 remains possible, with a top-15 ceiling likely.
It is true that the 2016 class was always intended to be a larger class than the 2017 class, although five early NFL entrants have certainly opened up some spots. McElwain must close strong to be able to project a positive narrative.
Right now, the fans see annual opponents Georgia (No. 3 class), Florida State (No. 5) and LSU (No. 6) cleaning up with top classes while the Gators struggle to close with coaches and recruits.
The outlook of Gator Nation is in the hands’ of high school seniors and the decisions they will make.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
