Zach’s Mail Stack 1/18

By
Gatorsports
-
50
244

I have to hand it to Will Muschamp and his staff.

I did not think they could get Thomas Holley away from the Northeast, even with Larry Johnson leaving Penn State. But for the second time this year, Muschamp landed an out-of-state defensive lineman and proved me wrong.

And it was because of the relationship he built with Holley, which dating back to last year has been a common theme with the recruits he flips.

Last week I said Florida would have a surprise commitment, and Holley certainly fits the bill. But I expect Muschamp to pull off a least one more flip between now and signing day.

Should we expect any commitments from official visitors this weekend? — Antonio, Seth

Of the nine official visitors in town, there are three who could possibly pop. Would they be allowed to is the question.

It seems like Florida is now the favorite for athlete Deiondre Porter, who just decommitted from USF. But can UF take him right now with only a few spots left and bigger priorities still on the board? Porter isn’t even being recruited for a specific position. He could very well end up a Gator, but it probably won’t be this weekend.

Offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste and Missouri defensive end commit Rocel McWilliams are the other two on commitment watch. As in-state prospects who don’t have many offers, they may jump at the chance to join Florida’s class. However, the coaches will likely wait on their top targets at those positions before they give Cajuste and McWilliams the green light.

Any more potential flips? — Tyler, Guru, Hunter, Johnoy

A handful of recruits committed elsewhere remain on Florida’s board, and given the way things have been going lately, there’s definitely potential for the Gators to continue the trend.

Their best chances are with FSU quarterback Treon Harris, Minnesota running back commit Jeff Jones, FSU receiver commit C.J. Worton and McWilliams. I don’t anticipate Florida getting one of these prospects in particular, but I could see it happening with any of them. I’m sure there’s also someone else on Muschamp’s radar that I’m not aware of.

Which receivers ultimately end up in our class out of Isaiah McKenzie, Garrett Johnson, Charles Nelson, Myles Autry and C.J. Worton? — C-Slim, GaGators02, Phil

First of all, I think the Gators beat out Arizona State and Oregon for junior college wideout Eric Lauderdale, who plans to make his decision in late January.

Then they need to get a slot receiver, which is what all the other targets are except Worton.

Johnson has yet to be offered, and Florida stopped recruiting Nelson. Autry is very interested in UF, but it looks like the coaches have their sets sights on McKenzie. If they miss on him, that’s when you’ll see the heat turned up on Autry or Johnson.

I’m told Johnson, currently a Kentucky commit, will flip to Florida on the spot if offered.

As for Worton, he’s a plus-one guy the Gators would love to have if they can nab him from Florida State.

DE Lorenzo Carter, ATH Adoree’ Jackson and OL Damian Prince — Vinny, Johnoy, Phil, Tamayo

What I wrote about yesterday and in the previous Mail Stack is really all there is to say about these three at this time.

Right now I feel Carter goes to Georgia, Prince picks Florida and Jackson chooses between UF and USC.

Do you see any other spots opening up? We might need a couple more to fill everyone on our board. — jlallgier, Johnoy

As I mentioned last week, offensive lineman Dontae Angus hasn’t spoken to Florida since Tim Davis was fired and is likely heading to prep school. There are also reports that offensive lineman Travaris Dorsey may not qualify. For what it’s worth, he told me his grades are fine.

For months I’ve thought it was a foregone conclusion that J.C. Jackson would not stick with UF. But after speaking with his uncle, who is basically running the show with his recruitment, I’m not sure what to think. In my opinion, it’s going to come down to whether or not he officially visits FSU.

Florida currently has 25 scholarships available for 2014, and 19-21 of those are taken depending on the status of Angus, Dorsey and Jackson.

At 20 without Angus, I see UF finishing with two more receivers (one being Lauderdale), two more offensive lineman (one being Prince) and an athlete. It will be two athletes if the Gators lose J.C. Jackson and can in turn get both Adoree’ Jackson and Deiondre Porter.

If they land a second quarterback or another defensive end that can’t be turned away, they’ll just have to oversign and figure out the numbers later.

Could we get updated percent chances on targets signing with the Gators? — T.J.

For those asking, I’ll be ready to put out a mock class next week after I hear how things went with the visitors this weekend.

QB Treon Harris — 35%
RB Tony James — 10%
RB Jeff Jones — 30%
RB Derrell Scott — 40%
WR Myles Autry — 45%
WR Garrett Johnson — 99% (if UF offers)
WR Eric Lauderdale — 75%
WR Isaiah McKenzie  — 50%
WR C.J. Worton — 35%
OL Yodny Cajuste — 50%
OL Derrick Kelly — 5%
OL Andrew Mike — 65%
OL Damian Prince — 70%
DE Lorenzo Carter — 40%
DE Davon Godchaux — 30%
DE Rocel McWilliams — 45%
ATH Adoree’ Jackson — 55%
ATH Deiondre Porter — 50%

That’s all for this week! Be sure to leave your questions for the next mailbag in the comment section below.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

50 COMMENTS

  2. 70 percent on prince seems low- seems like he is a lock. all this recruiting is great but there is only one issue that matters-jeff driskels development. unless there is significant improvement then the losses will pile up and muschamp will be gone. brantley and driskel have been two huge recrutimg busts that in themselves may be causing much of muschamp’s issues not getting the w’s. Whether Roper can be more effective with Driskel than Pease was is definitely unknown

  3. I don’t think Driskel will be the quarterback if Roper stays true to his philosophy. I think he said the number one thing he looks for is accuracy. I don’t think coaching can make a guy accurate. Either you are or you aren’t, and Driskel has never been. It’s time to quit hoping for something that never was or ever will be and put riskel where he belongs, on the bench. It will be interesting to see how Brissett does at N.C. State this year. One thing he showed that Driskel never has is poise. Driskel always plays scared when someone touches him, Brissett seemed to remain calm in the face of adversity while Driskel loses his mind.

  4. Driskel’s comp percentage was 63.7% in 2012 and nearly 69% in 2013. 2013 of course cut short by the injury, and you’d expect a higher % for that period given the cupcakes UF played in the first two games. Chris Leak’s best year was 63.6%. The real issue is the OL. Jeff was sacked 36 times in 2012 and knocked down God knows how much. In 2006, when Leak hit his career high % rate, he was sacked 23 times. (He fumbled on eight of those, but that’s easy to forget/forgive given the ultimate outcome of that year.) I’d love to see what Jeff could do with some good protection. Here’s hoping the new OL coach really can coach them up, and here’s hoping that Driskel makes us all proud. Go Gators!

  5. Snowprint, you got up at 5:00a.m. to post that ignorance? You sir, are an idiot. There is no sense in explaining to you how foolish you sound as your mind is already made up in your subjective little bubble. Go pull for the Wolfpack because you are obviously Brissett butthurt.

  6. What about jamil kamara? He is the most college ready WR i have seen looking at film. He is physical, fast, runs great routes, and his hands are exceptional. I could care less about those other WRs we are targeting. Dream scenario for me is for us to flip Kamara, and land Prince and Adoree. JC and Lorenzo are added bonuses. Is Kamara off radar?

  8. Ed, that still doesn’t explain why Driskel is inaccurate, he doesn’t throw the ball well. Coaching isn’t going to change that. I would rather have Duke’s quarterback, he’s better than Driskel by a mile.

  10. Driskel is never comfortable in pocket and gets rattled- whether that will get better who knows. Brissett clearly looked better but that isnt saying much and not sure how good he will be either.grier or Treon harris could be future just not sure if muschamp will be around long enough to coach them

  11. Snowprint, Tebow wasn’t at terribly accurate passer either, but he was effective because the run threat kept defenses honest. Our porous offensive line has allowed teams to get pressure with just their D line thereby letting their linebackers drop into coverage. There wasn’t much time for Driskel to throw and the only places to put the ball were tiny windows that closed quickly. Hopefully under Roper the threat of the run will freeze the linebackers for a moment and allow some receivers to get open for easy catches just like what Tebow used to do.

  12. snowprint – Why do you continue to post on this site. It’s obvious that you are a troll. No one can be that ignorant or stupid. Driskel has had a very respectable completion rate and all of the NFL analyst say that Driskel can make all the throws, that make a QB NFL material. Driskel’s problem has been coaching. He hasn’t been developed mentally. As for Brissett – he had a chance to show that he was better than Jeff and failed miserably. In fact, he had an entire game, while Jeff was injured, against a “cupcake” team and played poorly. I’m glad we have Jeff and if Roper can get his thinking process where it needs to be, he will be one of the best QB’s in the country. Going to more of a spread offense will allow Jeff to use more of his physical skills, as well. If we can come up with a solid OL, we will be very good, on offense.

  13. It’s almost amusing how many posting here hang their hopes on high school QBs uncoached, untested at a collegiate level. Jeff’s challenges haven’t included accuracy. Instead they’ve been poor line play, lack of play-making athletes at WR and tight end, play-calling and his own decision-making under pressure. We were misled by Pease’s one year as Boise’s OC/QB coach. His stints in same capacity with Kentucky and Baylor yielded similar results we saw with UF and our QB.

  14. For you fans that think Driskel is accurate, I suggest you view the Miami game. If he had been accurate, Patton would have walked in with a touchdown. Later on he missed a wide open Dunbar in the end zone. Look at the Louisville game. You are either blind or ignorant, Driskel can’t throw the ball.

  15. Contrasting Pease with Kurt Roper, Roper’s got a decade of demonstrated results in play-calling, QB development. Eli Manning is his most decorated apprentice but the guys at Duke were development projects. I’ve lived in North Carolina 17 years, have watched all three programs and ECU. Excitement over Brissett at NC State is two-fold: because their other QBs on campus were very subpar and because he had been at UF. Wolfpackers see Jacoby as the remedy to their misery, the way some here perceive Grier, Treon Harris. I’ll take Roper with Driskel.

  18. First of all I’ve read all the comments to this point, since we have a bunch of Sunday Morning Coaches I think I will chime in on this conversation. Will Muschamp is a great coach, he is not going anywhere anytime soon, he has cleaned house, The offense will be better, because of a better scheme, will be more exciting to watch and Jeff will have a good year maybe 7 or 8 wins, go to the outback bowl, then just wait Will Grier, will bring us back to the title game in 2016…just get ready it will take a couple of years but it’s coming!!!

  20. Hey Post-great take on our good trolling friend, snowprint. I was thinking the exact same thing!! WHY did that idiot get up@ 5am to post that crap! Classic!!! I still think UF gets LoCarter. His family loves the staff. GO GATORS!!

  21. Snowprint, the only issue with Brissett is that he took a year and a day to wind up to throw the ball (worse than Tebow), and he was big and slow. Slow feet and a slow arm action are a bad combination. I’m curious to see how he does at NC State also. Could be that both the slow feet and arm were indecision and inexperience…my guess however is that if he was better than Driskel, they would have cared more if he left. They had no bench at QB, and sure didn’t seem to mind he was leaving. Anyway, I care more about the kids that are on the team than those who have decided to leave the program. They aren’t Gators anymore and I wish them all the best of luck.

  22. I have a feeling we’ll have a couple of more transfers soon and that the numbers will work themselves out if we oversign, which probably won’t be by more than 3, max. I expect most likely to oversign by 1.

  25. If we have 5 spots left, I am hoping for Adoree, Prince, McKenzie, either Jones or Scott, and Carter. If we have 6 then Harris or Porter, Lauderdale or Kamara. It gets very interesting with new names popping up every few days. We will run out of room. Go Gators!!!!!!!

  27. What I wanna know is where in this article does it mention Driskel at all. The fact that people are so desperate to attack him on every article whether he’s mentioned or not is sad. That’s being a terrible fan. You don’t attack the players that are working their tails off and doing more for the university than you’ve ever thought of. I support and respect all these kids because they deserve it! Time for some of the posters (or posers) on here to grow up

  28. There is a difference in can make all the throws and does make all the throws. Three years in and JD still doesn’t. The reason some top flight offensive recruits wont come to UF is because of qb play. The top recruits this year played with and against last years top recruits. These kids know who can get it done and who cant. Ask yourself “can JD lead UF on a game winning drive in the forth quarter?” in two years we still don’t know the answer.

  29. Listen Team, I’m no Jeff Driskel fan nor am I convinced Coach Muschamp can get the job done. BUT I must agree with ARIZONA GATOR (something I seldom do), Drisel and Muschamp are what we have to work with and no amount of criticizing at this point is going to change either if their abilities. We have to hope that the new additions (players and especially coaches) to the teams is what makes the difference from a very POOR team to the respectable team we need to be next season. I for one am hoping that the new additions are the answers and we get back to respectability at least, then become the CHAMPIONSHIP team that we should be. GO GATORS!!!!

  30. Smwprint, at the risk of feeling the wrath of gator fans who label anyone who dare speak negatively of a team that lost games as gator haters, i agree with you. Despite having the tools, driskel just doesnt seem to have it at game speed. He simpky doesnt perform. We could have easily lost 6 games year before last. Whether or not his poor showing is due to poor qb coaching remains to be seen

  31. Thank you Creek! I also disagree with some things that happen and I to have my own opinions about different things. The difference is I know when is appropriate to voice those opinions and when it’s time to just support my team and hope for the best! And I never feel the need to attack the players that do more for the university and work harder for the university than any booster or fan does! If recruits saw the way a lot of fans treat Driskel or treated Leak, probably the most underrated gator of all time, we’ll it’d be a wonder why anyone would come. It’s shameful.
    And for the Driskel doubters I don’t know what games yall were watching but I’ve seen a very accurate QB with great running ability who just needs to be better developed in the mental side of the game. He has trouble reading defenses and therefore makes mad decisions. People love to ignore all the great plays he’s made and it’s shameful. In UT he showed as much poise as a QB can show when he turned around with 2 defenders right in his face and didn’t flinch at all just stood tall, took the hit, and delivered and absolute perfect pass to Jordan Reed in the corner of the end zone. @TAMU when the pocket was closing in he played it as perfectly as a QB can stepped up in the pocket and delivered a perfect deep ball to Hines which set up a score. @FSU Driskel rolls out of the pocket and caps off the drive by threading the needle perfectly in between 2 FSU defenders (not easy at all on the run) to Dunbar giving him the space to score. And that’s just a few of the plays right off the top of my head. People love to bring up the Miami game (and that seems to be all they can bring up like 1 total game is good evidence) but seem to forget half the game. They bring up the ints but seem to forget 1 was on the receiver not paying attention and another was a bad decision by driskel but one I could live with seeing as we needed a play and he was trying to deliver that. It was a bad decision and he needs to know not to force things but I can live with a gut making a mistake while trying to give his team that spark they need. Mistakes happen. Even to football players. They’re no more perfect than you or I. They also forget we had a lot more problems than just ints. As I recall a lot of other players couldn’t hold onto the ball. Yet I don’t see relentless attacks on Jones or Burton on here. Do you also forget he threw for 300 yards that game? Not exactly terrible. I’m not saying Driskel is there yet. Not saying Driskel for Heisman. But can we at least wait to see what Roper does with all the QBs before deciding who should and shouldn’t be starting? And can we please lay off relentlessly attacking players who do more for the university than you ever will?? Thank you and Go Gators!

  32. Well said creek. This is our team. Now is the time for support, but as gator fans, there is nothhng wrong with discussing our qbs faults, as long as we realize, as you said, he is our qb, for good or bad, and we are 100 percent behind ourteam. For good or bad. The problem we are having is this in-fighting and gator on gator squabbles. There are so many new variables being introducf next year it is impossible to have any idea how good or bad we will be next year. We will all have to wait and see and in the mean time keep things positive

  33. If Driskel bombs at Knoxville, will you people still be saying Driskel just needs coaching? I just want to know when everyone agrees that Driskel is better off at another position, maybe tight end since there is no one there now. Like Gabbart in Jacksonville, how long do we give this guy before figuring out that he can’t play quarterback? I say he should be benched immediately if he doesn’t play well in Knoxville. especially since UF owns the Vols.

  34. I say he should be benched as soon as a better QB comes along. That’s the best philosophy play the best players. So let’s just wait see what Roper does with all the QBs and play the best. Until then let’s atop bashing our own players when they weren’t even mentioned in the article and just get excited about this class. Because it’s a good one to be excited about!

  35. I totally agree with Zona and Creek. The new coaching hires give me a lot of hope for next season and the team definitely has the talent to get the job done. It will be very interesting to see how Driskel is after so much time off and a new mentor in Roper. He has all the tools and just needs some confidence and an o-line that is stable and works well together.

  36. Jeff needs refinement, something Coach Roper has a penchant for supplying his protégés. Better release, better defense recognition. Jeff is also a great athlete, has one of the best arms we’ve ever seen at UF, bleeds Orange and Blue. He absolutely took the helm of our team each of the last two summers. He’s on his third OC and position coach, was recruited to run Meyer’s spread option. Has been through two versions of pro power offense. Missed most of August practice recovering from appendectomy. And every other head coach in the SEC would love to have him with his talent and attitude. He’s never been mentioned in any way that has been embarrassing for him or UF, is polite and upbeat. Pull for his success.

  37. Zach,

    I haven’t heard anything new in several weeks in regards to the recruitment of Eric Lauderdale. What makes you confident that he will choose the Gators over Arizona State or Oregon? Also, after looking at tape he looks like a guy with size, speed, & athleticism. Do you feel that he is a guy that can step right in and be the playmaker at wide out that we have been missing over the past few years. Thanks.

  39. If we get Lauderdale or not (and I hope we do), I think the Haul from the last two years and the return of Debose and the Joker “coaching them up will be a VERY BRIGHT spot on this years team, again just my opinion. I believe with the current Coaching staff and the new philosophy and approach to the game, we will shock some people. I know that most of the great performances from “OUR TEAM” this year will come from the “HEART and ATTITUDE” of the players. We have some great athletes (physically), if they display the aggressiveness and determination to be great as VH3 did in his Freshman year, this could prove to be a very surprising and good team. The coaches will definetly have to instill attitude for a winner in this team. Don’t give me wrong, I’m not saying the “TEAM” gave up last year. But they looked as though they were defeated, That will change this year with the new start and emphasis on being tough and knowing you are playing FOR THE UF. GO GATORS!!!!

  41. Does anyone know much about this Yodny Cajuste guy from Miramar? It appears that he’s been completely off the radar until recently. The only recruting site that has him rated is 247 sports. I know he’s only been playing football for 1-2 years so that might be the reason why. He’s getting some interest from top schools. According to Gator Country Florida is his leader at this point.

  43. If we get Jackson and Sharpe, whomever the other recruits may be, they are icing on the cake. Carter and Lauderdale would be the cherries on top of an incredible class, especially considering last year and coaching changes. If there was an award for best job recruiting, it would go to muschamp and co.

  46. Zach,
    What are the odds that Deiondre Porter plays QB. If for some reason we have our #1 & #2 QB’s go down like they did this year it would be nice to have someone back there with some mobility. I would hate to get in another situation where we have to rely on Skyler Mornhinweg. Also, based on your predictions its looking like we will not land Treon Harris (QB).

  47. Hope Roper going after another QB doesn’t effect Grier negatively. Saw what a mess came after Charley Weiss came on board late and went after his QB. Grier, like Driskel was onboard for a long time before the late push by new OC’s to recruit another QB. I know that good players don’t fear competition, but it couldn’t possibly be a distraction to the guy who has already committed-long ago.
    Looks like we have another stellar group of football players coming to UF. Go Gators!

  48. Grier has gone on the record saying that it doesn’t bother him. He says he understands we had some transfers and the coaches just want more depth. He’s comfortable enough with his abilities to be willing to compete with anyone.

  50. i feel adoree jackson and damian prince are headed for gatornation..we have everything that jackson wants in track and uf is dbu..prince can come in and compete for a starting position..porter can really throw the ball and is a great fit with roper on board..we have a stable of running backs and some pretty good young receivers in fulwood,robinson,thompson,pittman,bailey. with the receivers we have coming in this yaer we should be fine.. jus focus on the oline and linebackers..hopefully we can avoid the injury bug and get back to the big stage..GO GATORS!!!!