Ask Aschoff 1/27

Well, folks, this is it. This is the last “Ask Aschoff” before National Signing Day and I’ve got a treat for you. Instead of the usual four or five questions, I’ve decided to extend the mailbag by two more questions, just to give you as much information as I can before a busy next Wednesday. The Gators have at least three spots left in the the 2010 class and those should be reserved for the best players they can possibly get.

With out further delay … on to the questions!

Is Ivan McCartney just not interested in Florida or are we not courting him? He seems like a perfect fit, and we could sure use one more WR in this class. That said, I’m overjoyed with the haul we have on the board already. Hopefully nobody bolts and the class on the board is the official class after Feb. 3.
— Travis Smith

McCartney would be a great asset to Florida’s offense. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound Miramar receiver has the height and tons of speed. The only problem? He might not have that much interest in Florida. I’m not sure if he ever really did have a great deal of interest in the Gators. Sure, he was on a campus a few times, and after the Florida State game he was gushing about the atmosphere and the coaching staff. But it just never seemed to me that he’d end up in Gainesville.

That was pretty much confirmed to me when a very reliable source told me earlier this week that he’d bet the farm on McCartney ending up at West Virginia. He said it’s coming down to WVU and Miami. I’ve heard about grades being an issue, but I can’t confirm that, so I won’t say that’s why he won’t stay in-state for college.

In the end, I don’t think it was so much the staff not courting him from the start, it was the staff knowing when it just couldn’t recruit a guy anymore than it already had. Trust me, if he really wanted to be a Gator, the staff wouldn’t slow down its recruitment.

Is Adrian Coxson out of the picture?? I heard that he favored UF, has that changed??
— TampaDave

With McCartney off the board, in my mind, Coxson seems like the next guy in the mix. I know, I’ve had this naive feeling about Delray Beach Atlantic receiver James Louis becoming a Gator, but as the days tick down, it seems more likely he’ll end up sticking with his Ohio State commitment. But Coxson is a guy who came on late in the recruiting process with the Gators. He was originally committed to Penn State but then decommitted. Florida then immediately became the favorite to land the Baltimore, Md. City College receiver, who would be that bigger receiver in the class at 6-2, 190 pounds. But he never pulled the trigger, and now Georgia and Notre Dame are in the mix. He’s visited Georgia and it looks like this one could come down to Signing Day.

I’m going to give Florida the advantage, if the staff really wants him. It looks like with their top receiver targets gone at this point, Coxson could be the guy to make up for those losses. It all depends on how much the staff really wants him.

What about Seantrel Henderson. Do we have I legit shot?
— robf

From the beginning, I honestly never thought Henderson would be in Florida’s class. When he told me over the summer that he hadn’t “spoken to anyone” from Florida, it just seemed like the staff knew from the start that he was a long shot. I was told earlier this week by another source that the general thought is that Florida’s staff started to back off Henderson “weeks ago” because the chances of getting him were so slim. He showed interest after finally getting on campus in December, and defensive end commit Ronald Powell reportedly worked him very hard at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio. But Urban Meyer’s health issues might have scared him. Those concerns might have pushed him away just enough to put Ohio State and USC at the top of his list.

This one was tough for Florida from the beginning, and I think the staff was smart enough to court him for as long as they could. There’s no point in investing everything in a prospect that a staff doesn’t have a great feeling about.

Hey Edward, what’s your gut feeling on Demar Dorsey and the Greens?
— Phil

Three days ago, I would have said that Chaz Green (Tampa Catholic) and Demar Dorsey (Lauderdale Lakes Boyd Anderson) would be in Florida’s class, while Christian Green (Tampa Catholic) would be headed to Florida State. Today, I’m going to go with Chaz ending up in this class as the final offensive lineman and Christian still heading to FSU.

I’ll start with the Greens.

Chaz was a Gator lean from the start, but after seeing what what Tennessee had to offer firsthand, he changed his allegiance. It didn’t hurt UT’s chances that his parents went there. But then everything changed when Lane Kiffin left for USC. Now, Florida is right back in the fold. Chaz is officially visiting USC this weekend and he’s already got a great relationship with Kiffin. This one is coming down to UF and USC, and I’m going to give the edge to the Gators come Signing Day.

Christian told me that Florida had pulled even after his official visit to Gainesville, but he changed that this week and has Florida out of his top two. It’s down to Georgia and FSU, and I’m going with FSU. Did I mention his brother just committed to Florida A&M?

Dorsey’s situation is a bit cloudy now. Even with his visit to FSU, I just had a feeling that he’d end up staying with the Gators. But then there was the rumor that he committed to the Seminoles over the weekend. He denied that, but he told Rivals.com that he’s still going to officially visit USC this weekend and has NOT scheduled an in-home visit with Florida’s coaches. He’s also “50/50” on his Florida commitment, so he’s basically not really all that committed. This weekend could determine what he does. What if he’s swayed by Kiffin in So. Cal? There are just too many things pointing away from Florida at this point. No scheduled in-home with everything that’s going on? Sounds like Florida might not be as interested in playing this game as Dorsey is. He’s a great talent who I now think will be playing college ball somewhere other than Gainesville.

I also haven’t heard anything about Jordan Hicks or Christian Jones in a long time. It wouldn’t hurt to add an elite LB to this already spectacular class. Any idea if either of them are currently leaning our way?
— Brett

Well, the problem is that Hicks has closed himself off from the media, but from everything I’ve been told, he honestly doesn’t know where he wants to go. He has no idea what he’s going to do as of now. There are rumors and blah, blah, blah about him being a secret, silent Gator commit. But I’m not buying it. In fact, I’m not buying him going to any school but Texas until I see differently on Signing Day. His relationship with Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp is just so strong. Now, I’m not saying Florida is out of it by any means. I think the Gators have a great shot of landing him, since it’s come this far. I’ve just always considered Texas the leader, and I still think they could have a tiny lead. But again, the closer this thing gets to Signing Day the better Florida looks.

Christian Jones is and interesting prospect as Signing Day approaches. He recently came to Florida and there are rumors that he might have made a second trip this past weekend. Now, it should be interesting to see what he does in the next week. He could travel out to USC for an official over the weekend and he could head to FSU in the next day to see the coaches there again. Or, he could visit FSU over the weekend. It’s a tricky deal, but if he doesn’t go to FSU in the next week, I like Florida’s chances. I’ve been told that FSU has the upper hand and will on Signing Day, but if he doesn’t make it to Tallahassee, then Florida really and truly made up a ton of ground this month.

Ed, what is the deal with this Tyler Murphy kid? A two-star QB prospect? The coaches must see something in this guy. I mean, we stole him from TEMPLE. What do the coaches love so much, and have you seen any tape or heard much new scouting about this guy?
— Brandon

Crazy to take him, right? After talking to him, he’s seems like a very humble kid. I expected him to be soooooo excited about getting a Florida offer, but he was calm and very chill about it all. I could tell he was very happy, but he was cool as could be. Now, about his skill. Yes, he’s not the best quarterback in country. He’s got a ways to go as a passer, but I think he knows that, and I think the staff knows that. But he was offered as a QUARTERBACK, so the staff must see something in him. I think he’ll stay at quarterback. He’s very, very athletic. He can tear up a backfield. Add an arm and some mechanical work from quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler, and this guy could be a menace under center. He’s going to have to come in and compete early because at this point, John Brantley is the only true quarterback on campus. Trey Burton should still be in high school, but he’ll be competing this spring, which is huge for him. And Jordan Reed has all but moved over to tight end. He could take snaps this spring, but I think Loeffler made it obvious in New Orleans that Reed will pay tight end.

If Murphy works on his footwork and balance in the pocket, he could be a real sleeper in this class.

What is the latest on Kadron Boone, is there a chance that he might switch to UF?
— Ken Frier

I picked this question because he’s a relatively local kid from Ocala Trinity Catholic. But I don’t see him in Florida’s class. That ship has sailed. He and Florida were very close over the summer, but things just never panned out. New Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville recently visited the Red Raiders commit. If he truly doesn’t think the offense will change all the much under Tuberville, I think he sticks with Tech. However, LSU is very much in the picture, and in my heart, I think he’ll jump at the chance to play in the SEC. He’s a very talented receiver and would be a great fit in LSU’s offense. He’d also get a chance to play in The Swamp twice in his career.