Florida had roughly 25 prospects at the event who are either very or somewhat interested in the Gators, so I was spread pretty thin trying to get them all. However, I did talk to a good 20 of them as well as listen in on quite a few interviews with other sites on the network, interviews with network analysts and solicited feedback from others at the event.
With that being said, here are some thoughts from Day I.
* Defensive lineman Dennis Briggs is visiting Florida State and Miami for camp sessions next week. He plans on visiting Florida at some point over the summer, but isn't sure when.
When asked which coaches he has the best relationship with he named Miami's Craig Kuligowski, Florida State's Rick Trickett and Brad Lawing and NC State's Kevin Patrick.
The Gators entered the spring trailing FSU and Miami, and though they have made up some ground, that is probably still the case.
* Early on, Florida was standing alone atop the so called 'leaderboard' for four-star wide out Trey Knox.It appears at least Ohio State and maybe even in-state Tennessee have pulled slightly ahead of the Gators. One thing that will be a big factor here - and there's still plenty of time – will be Florida being able to get him back on campus.
* Offensive lineman John Campbell is still sticking by his top 10 list that he released via Twitter last month. He however admitted that not every team on that list is still recruiting him hard. You really get the feeling that despite his offer list, he might not be a top tier priority for any of the teams he currently likes - Florida and Miami included. I thought, after Florida visited him the first day they were out on the road over the spring, that he was a high priority. Listening to him today, I'm not convinced that is the case.
* Speaking of offensive lineman - with Christian Armstrong - it might be another case of where the Gators like him, but have a couple of other players they like more. After visiting Florida about two months ago, he said that though he liked the Gators, they weren't in his top four. Then, he came back a few weeks ago and said that UF was moving up. Talking to him today though and he said that Florida isn't contacting him as much as some of the other schools he likes and doesn't feel like they are recruiting him hard right now.
* Safety Jamien Sherwood was one of three prospects in attendance decked out in Gator gear. When asked if anything should be read into that, he said he just liked the look of the jacket.
In the segment where prospects predict where fellow campers will sign, John Campbell predicted Sherwood would end up with the Gators. Florida is in good shape here, but he isn't close to bringing this to an end. One thing to watch out for is if Randy Russell decides to pull the trigger for Florida over the summer. If that happens, where does Sherwood stand?
He and linebacker David Reese hung out together and he said the two talk recruiting, with Florida being the big instate school they both have in common the most, with Miami slightly behind the Gators. According to Sherwood, they talk about attending the same school, but it isn't anywhere near a package deal.
* Speaking of Reese, back right before the start of spring it looked like Florida was trailing in-state programs Florida State and Miami. It is safe to say that is no longer the case. If the Gators aren't the outright leader (he wouldn't play ball by naming favorites), they sure are close.
* It is pretty telling where Florida's wide receiver board is when a player as talented as Dominick Watt really isn't getting much of a sniff from Florida at this point. He will be one to watch out for tomorrow to see if he can back up his ball room talk with results. He certainly looks the part. You get the feeling that if things fall off with others, Watt is someone the Gators can come back in on later down the road and still be a major player for him if need be.
* What is always interesting is to see who hangs around with who during these events. One of the most beneficial things a program can do is to have several 'out going' kids either committed to them or leaning to them putting in work on social media, and at these big events.
Among the quarterbacks, though he is two classes behind the 2018 quarterbacks, Harrison Bailey was by far the most outgoing as far as interacting with other prospects. That is a big draw going forward if a team can lock him down.
On the other hand, the No. 1 prospect in the nation, quarterback Trevor Lawrence pretty much stayed to himself, on his phone most of the afternoon. His draw will be players wanting to play with a top quarterback, not him actually doing any recruiting on his own.
Probably the most outgoing guy overall was defensive back Al Blades. Not so much as in recruiting others, but in mingling and cutting up.
* Speaking of prospects recruiting prospects, Florida's lone commit at the event, 2019 wide out John Dunmore not only wore Gators gear to the Media Day, he said he plans on spending his weekend working on five-star quarterback Justin Fields.
I asked him if the Florida staff gave him a list of players to work on, and he replied no (that is when he told me that he was working on Fields on his own). That is interesting because the last two Florida staffs would basically instruct their commits to work on those targets that they covet who aren't committed.
This is a new direction by the current staff.
* 2019 center Clay Webb was offered by Florida last weekend and he says he is open, but you have to not like, but love Alabama's chances here. He talked them up the most in a couple of other interviews. Also, he basically spent the afternoon attached at the hip of fellow 2019 Alabama offensive lineman Pierce Quick, who is committed to the Tide.
* Rivals250 wide out Ja'Marr Chase was dressed in Gators gear, but named a top three (LSU, TCU & Tennessee) that didn't include Florida. Actually, a couple of the prospects he was hanging out with said watch out for UF. He said he hasn't been in as much contact with the Gators, which may just be a situation where the staff feels strongly about their chances of landing those who they have at the top of their board (Anthony Schwartz, Jacob Copeland and Warren Thompson). Chase did say that while he is pretty set on those three, if any team were to be able to break into it, it would be Florida.
* On one hand Florida isn't making a play for the likes of Chase, but they are still trying to get back in it with four-star wide out Kevin Austin. He said that despite the fact that he has publicly narrowed his list to a final four, Florida is still trying to push their way back into the picture with him. He said Gators wide out coach Kerry Dixon is still recruiting him. He also said it probably won't do any good – that he is solid with his final four.
* Speaking of south Florida wide outs, Florida was named as part of the current top five of four-star Elijah Moore, but it sounded a lot like other programs are recruiting him harder than the Gators at this time. Again, it may be the same situation as with Chase above, Florida simply has guys they like more and that they feel good about for now. Also, what really stood out, the other Florida wide out targets in attendance all have pretty good size. Moore was the exception to that rule. He is a good couple of inches shorter than the other Florida wide out targets who are here at the Challenge.
* Heading into the event it was thought that Notre Dame was the leader for four-star tight end George Takacs. After speaking with him today, that still seems to be the case with Florida in second, or perhaps even third behind Georgia. During the photo shoot, each prospect can pick the hats he wants to wear while being photographed. I don't know if it is a sign of where he stands or just me reading too much into it, but he passed over every other hat (including Florida and Georgia who were at the front of the box), to dig for the Notre Dame hat to put it out in front of his final four (which also included Wisconsin). He did say that LSU is trying to get in the picture for him as well.
With that being said, here are some thoughts from Day I.
* Defensive lineman Dennis Briggs is visiting Florida State and Miami for camp sessions next week. He plans on visiting Florida at some point over the summer, but isn't sure when.
When asked which coaches he has the best relationship with he named Miami's Craig Kuligowski, Florida State's Rick Trickett and Brad Lawing and NC State's Kevin Patrick.
The Gators entered the spring trailing FSU and Miami, and though they have made up some ground, that is probably still the case.
* Early on, Florida was standing alone atop the so called 'leaderboard' for four-star wide out Trey Knox.It appears at least Ohio State and maybe even in-state Tennessee have pulled slightly ahead of the Gators. One thing that will be a big factor here - and there's still plenty of time – will be Florida being able to get him back on campus.
* Offensive lineman John Campbell is still sticking by his top 10 list that he released via Twitter last month. He however admitted that not every team on that list is still recruiting him hard. You really get the feeling that despite his offer list, he might not be a top tier priority for any of the teams he currently likes - Florida and Miami included. I thought, after Florida visited him the first day they were out on the road over the spring, that he was a high priority. Listening to him today, I'm not convinced that is the case.
* Speaking of offensive lineman - with Christian Armstrong - it might be another case of where the Gators like him, but have a couple of other players they like more. After visiting Florida about two months ago, he said that though he liked the Gators, they weren't in his top four. Then, he came back a few weeks ago and said that UF was moving up. Talking to him today though and he said that Florida isn't contacting him as much as some of the other schools he likes and doesn't feel like they are recruiting him hard right now.
* Safety Jamien Sherwood was one of three prospects in attendance decked out in Gator gear. When asked if anything should be read into that, he said he just liked the look of the jacket.
In the segment where prospects predict where fellow campers will sign, John Campbell predicted Sherwood would end up with the Gators. Florida is in good shape here, but he isn't close to bringing this to an end. One thing to watch out for is if Randy Russell decides to pull the trigger for Florida over the summer. If that happens, where does Sherwood stand?
He and linebacker David Reese hung out together and he said the two talk recruiting, with Florida being the big instate school they both have in common the most, with Miami slightly behind the Gators. According to Sherwood, they talk about attending the same school, but it isn't anywhere near a package deal.
* Speaking of Reese, back right before the start of spring it looked like Florida was trailing in-state programs Florida State and Miami. It is safe to say that is no longer the case. If the Gators aren't the outright leader (he wouldn't play ball by naming favorites), they sure are close.
* It is pretty telling where Florida's wide receiver board is when a player as talented as Dominick Watt really isn't getting much of a sniff from Florida at this point. He will be one to watch out for tomorrow to see if he can back up his ball room talk with results. He certainly looks the part. You get the feeling that if things fall off with others, Watt is someone the Gators can come back in on later down the road and still be a major player for him if need be.
* What is always interesting is to see who hangs around with who during these events. One of the most beneficial things a program can do is to have several 'out going' kids either committed to them or leaning to them putting in work on social media, and at these big events.
Among the quarterbacks, though he is two classes behind the 2018 quarterbacks, Harrison Bailey was by far the most outgoing as far as interacting with other prospects. That is a big draw going forward if a team can lock him down.
On the other hand, the No. 1 prospect in the nation, quarterback Trevor Lawrence pretty much stayed to himself, on his phone most of the afternoon. His draw will be players wanting to play with a top quarterback, not him actually doing any recruiting on his own.
Probably the most outgoing guy overall was defensive back Al Blades. Not so much as in recruiting others, but in mingling and cutting up.
* Speaking of prospects recruiting prospects, Florida's lone commit at the event, 2019 wide out John Dunmore not only wore Gators gear to the Media Day, he said he plans on spending his weekend working on five-star quarterback Justin Fields.
I asked him if the Florida staff gave him a list of players to work on, and he replied no (that is when he told me that he was working on Fields on his own). That is interesting because the last two Florida staffs would basically instruct their commits to work on those targets that they covet who aren't committed.
This is a new direction by the current staff.
* 2019 center Clay Webb was offered by Florida last weekend and he says he is open, but you have to not like, but love Alabama's chances here. He talked them up the most in a couple of other interviews. Also, he basically spent the afternoon attached at the hip of fellow 2019 Alabama offensive lineman Pierce Quick, who is committed to the Tide.
* Rivals250 wide out Ja'Marr Chase was dressed in Gators gear, but named a top three (LSU, TCU & Tennessee) that didn't include Florida. Actually, a couple of the prospects he was hanging out with said watch out for UF. He said he hasn't been in as much contact with the Gators, which may just be a situation where the staff feels strongly about their chances of landing those who they have at the top of their board (Anthony Schwartz, Jacob Copeland and Warren Thompson). Chase did say that while he is pretty set on those three, if any team were to be able to break into it, it would be Florida.
* On one hand Florida isn't making a play for the likes of Chase, but they are still trying to get back in it with four-star wide out Kevin Austin. He said that despite the fact that he has publicly narrowed his list to a final four, Florida is still trying to push their way back into the picture with him. He said Gators wide out coach Kerry Dixon is still recruiting him. He also said it probably won't do any good – that he is solid with his final four.
* Speaking of south Florida wide outs, Florida was named as part of the current top five of four-star Elijah Moore, but it sounded a lot like other programs are recruiting him harder than the Gators at this time. Again, it may be the same situation as with Chase above, Florida simply has guys they like more and that they feel good about for now. Also, what really stood out, the other Florida wide out targets in attendance all have pretty good size. Moore was the exception to that rule. He is a good couple of inches shorter than the other Florida wide out targets who are here at the Challenge.
* Heading into the event it was thought that Notre Dame was the leader for four-star tight end George Takacs. After speaking with him today, that still seems to be the case with Florida in second, or perhaps even third behind Georgia. During the photo shoot, each prospect can pick the hats he wants to wear while being photographed. I don't know if it is a sign of where he stands or just me reading too much into it, but he passed over every other hat (including Florida and Georgia who were at the front of the box), to dig for the Notre Dame hat to put it out in front of his final four (which also included Wisconsin). He did say that LSU is trying to get in the picture for him as well.
