Ask Aschoff 8/20

It’s good to see that even with fall practice in full swing and the recruiting season calming down for a bit that my readers are still asking questions. Just goes to prove how important recruiting is to the fans. On to the questions!

With the sad news about Paul Wilson, does this affect how many receivers or players in general that we accept? Could this open it up so we accept a Lynden Trail and Quinton Dunbar package, or did we need some attrition to happen?
— flbball23

Coaches never want to see any of their players go down, and while this could open up Florida’s 2010 class a little bit, I’m sure Urban Meyer and his staff weren’t looking to get a couple of extra spots this way. Florida lost Wilson and Jim Barrie to career-ending injuries, and then offensive lineman Byran Jones decided to transfer. With roughly 25 spots open for this class before the losses, I think Florida could add at least one more spot to this class. Now, will 26 spots mean that a Trail-Dunbar package could happen? Yes, but it doesn’t mean that it will. Trail is definitely on Florida’s short list, but I’m not sure if Dunbar is at the moment. It will depend on how well he does during his senior year.

How can the Gators ignore the Jacksonville Ed White running back Casey Turner who is a 4.4 40 durable machine? He was Jax area Offensive player of the year as a junior. He’s a gamer with no outside issues and his school has produced many Gators.
— David Hodges

This was a year where Florida needed to get that elite running back. Meyer has been trying every year to get one of the top backs in the country, and every year he’s struck out. Now, he’s gotten a couple of guys who have been able to churn out yards in Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps, but getting one elite back was the goal. Now that Florida has Mack Brown, there’s no need to go after another running back. Turner has got some skill, but Florida’s coaches knew exactly who they wanted in this class. Brown was the top priority this year.

Howdy Ed, I haven’t heard much from or about Corey Lemonier lately. Early on, he seemed to be talking about the Gators quite a bit and looked like a lock to come to Gainesville. Was I wrong in my assumption, or is he just playing it close to his vest? Also, any new word on the Green boys, Christian and Chaz?
— Tim Tracy

Lemonier is one of the quietest guys when it comes to recruiting. I’ve talked to him a couple times and each time I feel like he’s saying the same thing. He just doesn’t seem to like the recruiting process, especially the media part. And who could blame him? I do know that Florida is still right up there for him. He’s arguably the best defensive end in the state of Florida and is also one of the top players regardless of position. The thing is that Florida is going after Ronald Powell like it went after Mack Brown. He’s the new priority, and while Lemonier is no slouch, Powell is a step ahead of him. Also, watch out for Miami. If Lemonier starts to talk more with Miami’s coaches, the Hurricanes could get back near the top like they were early on. There are also rumors that he has or will commit to Illinois. I’m not ready to go that far, but coach Ron Zook has been able to sway some talented Florida kids to head up to Champaign.

As for the Greens, nothing has really changed with high school and college practices getting underway. Chaz is probably more of a Gator lean than Christian, who is still strongly considering Georgia and Florida State. I could see both in Florida’s class, but as of now, Chaz is the safer bet.

Have there been any recent developments with Jeff Luc and Chris Dunkley? Both were tabbed as silent commits after FNL, do you see either committing publicly soon? Also, are the Gators still on top with Powell and Sharrif Floyd?
— gator4life94

I actually talked to someone about both of these guys the other day. Luc has been relatively quiet but has to get something going quickly because he’s looking to enroll early. I’ve said before that Luc and Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong have a very close bond and I think that’s what will put the Gators over the top. If he doesn’t make a decision before the season, he’ll have to commit before midseason.

Dunkley is playing the game like any kid should. He might have given a silent at Friday Night Lights, but that doesn’t matter to him right now. He’s having fun getting courted by many top schools out there. I’d say Florida is on top though. I talked to a couple of Gator commits this week who told me they’d be surprised if he didn’t end up in the class. But he wants to soak up as much recruiting as he can. Might as well. He’ll only do this once.

Floyd is an interesting prospect because you’d think that Penn State has him in the bag. That’s not the case, and he’s going to visit Florida this fall for a game. But the team I would watch out for is Rutgers. I know, I know. Rutgers? But they could be a major player for Floyd. He’s looking to get away from home and if he ends up at Rutgers, he won’t be too far away from Philly to still be comfortable. Florida does have a pretty good shot with him. It all changes after official visits.