
Good news for Gators: Led by 4-star QB Matt Corral, elite recruiting class should stay intact and strong
By Corey Long
Published:
Former Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley always said that what needs to be eventually should be done immediately.
Current Florida AD Scott Stricklin clearly listened to those words and took them to heart when parted ways with Jim McElwain after a strange week ended with a 42-7 blowout loss to Georgia.
McElwain left behind some question marks, but he was also putting together another top 10 recruiting class, one with a quarterback prospect, Matt Corral, whom the Gators’ fan base has been very excited about. Corral, a high 4-star prospect, from Long Beach (Calif.) Poly is a player fans hope can come in and at least push the level of competition at the quarterback position.
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Overall based on the 247Sports.com composite rankings, the Florida class is ranked No. 7 in the country and No. 2 in the conference behind Georgia. That number is certainly expected to change as Alabama, ranked No. 16, turns up its recruitment. But whomever becomes Gators head coach will inherit a likely top 10 class.
And there’s more good news because according to 247Sports.com recruiting guru Josh Newberg, the Gators’ recruiting class should remain fairly intact even with a coaching change.
Newberg says that Corral is by far the most important player in the class. “(The Gators] haven’t had a quarterback in seven years,” he said. He added that the depth of offensive talent in the class is one that any incoming head coach will want to keep.
“Florida has an excellent class centered around Corral – he’s locked in, he’s not going anywhere,” Newberg said. “The Gators also have a few explosive offensive weapons to go along with Corral in 4-star wide receivers Jacob Copeland and JaMarr Chase and 4-star running back Dameon Pierce.”
Newberg, however, goes further to say that most of the highly-touted offensive weapons in the class are likely to stay solid in their commitment.
“I think for the most part the class is going to stick together,” Newberg said. “Most have already come out and reaffirmed their commitments. Florida will make a hire shortly after the season ends and add the final pieces to a class that’s already ranked No. 7 in the country.”
One of the big, understated moves Stricklin made when he fired McElwain was naming defensive coordinator Randy Shannon the program’s interim head coach. Shannon, former head coach at Miami, is a veteran of the recruiting game and will continue to conduct business as normal on that side of things.
Shannon is likely to remain on the Florida staff as a defensive coordinator or a linebackers coach/assistant head coach regardless of who the new hire is. He’s a trustworthy staff member and highly-regarded in the football offices. Running backs coach JaJuan Seider is also highly regarded as a coach and recruiting. Both men have helped Florida increase its profile with recruits in south Florida, especially Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Newberg says retaining both men should be a priority for the next head coach.
“Obviously it all depends on who they hire because a new head coach should have final say on (his staff),” Newberg said. “But ideally it would help in recruiting to bridge the relationship from the former staff to the new one. Guys like Shannon and Seider would be an asset to any staff that is trying to build a roster.”
Once the hire is made and the staff changes, if any, are confirmed and solidified expect the Gators to sign 24-25 and get some late commitments after the season that could keep the class inside the top 10 or boost it to the top 5.
Among Florida’s late undecided targets are 4-star wide receiver Anthony Schwartz from Plantation, Fla. Schwartz is favoring Florida and Auburn over the pack.
Newberg said the Gators remain in very good standing with Schwartz and other top targets but added that the new head coach could expand their recruiting circle a little more and add additional top to the board.
“I think Florida will be fine, they already have 18 commits and will only have to fill six or seven remaing spots,” Newberg said. “They’re in a good spot for several guys including Schwartz and 4-star offensive linemen William Barnes and Andrew Chatfield.”
Corey Long is a freelance writer for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow Corey on Twitter @CoreyLong.