Gators Hosting Big Time Recruits This Weekend

Florida head coach Jim McElwain and his staff have been hitting the road all week, meeting with current UF commits and targets with National Signing Day just around the corner.

The Gators currently have 26 commitments in the 2016 cycle, including 12 early enrollees already on campus. But the Gators are looking to add a few more playmakers on both sides of the ball.

Rivals recruiting analyst Blake Alderman says Florida will host a group of kids this upcoming weekend including a pair of American Heritage (Plantation) teammates: four-star defensive end Brian Burns and four-star tight end Nick Eubanks.

Burns (6-foot-5, 217 pounds) also has scheduled official visits with Florida State and Georgia. Eubanks (6-foot-6, 208 pounds) has also visited Alabama.

Florida will also host some Gator commits this weekend: five-star pass rusher Antonneous Clayton (Dooly County, Georgia), four-star defensive tackle Shavar Manuel (IMG Academy) , and three-star linebacker Vosean Joseph (Miami Norland).

Offensively, the current class is headlined by junior college transfers Mark Thompson (top-rated JUCO running back in the country) and wide receiver Dre Massey. Other top commitments include four star quarterback and former LSU commit Feleipe Franks (Wakulla), four star wide receivers Freddie Swain (North Marion), Josh Hammond (Hallandale), and Rick Wells (Jacksonville Raines).

Derek Tyson of ESPN Recruiting told Steve Russell on SportScene earlier this week that the Gators really emphasized getting better offensively in this class.

With only two weekends left until National Signing Day, many UF commits and targets are taking official visits to other programs. For example, UF defensive back commits Antonio Nelson (Carver, Alabama) and CJ McWilliams (Southwest) are expected to visit Maryland and North Carolina respectively (per Alderman).

While official visits are a good indicator of the schools players are targeting, Tyson says having the final visit for a player doesn’t always mean you’ll get the recruit.

National Signing Day is Wednesday, February 3rd.