Here are some of my thoughts from seeing a few UF targets/commits in action this past weekend. Anyone else I did not address feel free to ask.
Orlando Stop
Florida commit DaQuon Green took a lot of reps and battled on Saturday. He isn’t extremely fast but he has great routes, solid hands, and enough size to make physical plays on the ball when it’s in air. He was an impressive skill player when on the field Saturday, who took a ton of reps. Green is a guy that will compete to the fullest, despite his rankings and accolades he already has to his name.
Three-star tight end Tre McKitty showed up looking like he’s gained some muscle over the last month. From a physical standpoint McKitty looked like a million bucks. However when running in one-on-ones against the defender McKitty struggled to catch the ball. In the past some schools were looking at McKitty on the defensive side of the ball, which is where I think he is better suited.
Five-star wide receiver James Robinson is long and uses his catch radius to his advantage. He is smooth in his routes and a lot quicker than one would think. The comparison to Sammy Watkins is a good one for Robinson as that is the player that comes to mind when watching him on the field. Clemson has been the longtime team to beat here, but Florida is gaining some ground. The addition of Lakeland native Torrian Gray has paid great divdends for the Gators here. Robinson will be in Gainesville this coming Saturday.
Another Lakeland standout that was impressive on Saturday was Anthony “A.J.” Davis. Running back really isnt a position that sticks out in these kind of camp settings with it mostly being a “throwing atmosphere”, but Davis showed soft hands and the ability to catch the ball. On the tape you can see Davis make plays with his legs, but I was also impressed with his catching ability as well. It’s always a nice commodity to have someone in the backfield that can catch the ball too if needed. He may tag along with Robinson on the 5th of March for his visit to UF.
Rivals250 running back Adarius Lemons also showed the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield as well on Saturday. On the field he is a physical runner and has a long torso that looks like it can add some weight to it. Lemons may be the best back in the state for 2017 from what I saw at the Orlando camp.
Wide receiver Matt Landers was tall but a little on the skinny side. He has nice speed but was inconsistent catching the ball on Saturday. He visited Florida at the end of January and said he really likes the Gators. He was at Admiral Farragut previously but is transferring back to Lakewood.
IMG Academy brought a contingent of players with them on Saturday. Along the line center Caesar Ruiz and Robert Hainsey looked the part and punched their ticket to the Rivals Five-star challenge this summer. Ruiz was consistent during the day and could play either guard or center. Hainsey was really good before suffering a groin injury but that was after he won multiple one-on-ones. Florida has offered both, but have work to do if they hope to add either. The lineman I was most impressed with from IMG was 2018 tackle Curtis Dunlap. When you look at him, it’s hard to believe he isnt going into his senior year. He moves well for his size, and has a gigantic lower body and an upper body that can add some muscle to it. He is from Jacksonville originally so Florida is in great shape early on.
A few other underclassmen that impressed me were 2018 corner Christian Tutt, running back Lorenzo Lingard, wide receiver Jermaine Eskridge, and wide receiver Amari Burney.
Miami Stop
Florida quarterback commit Jake Allen looked like he is finally starting to overcome his lower back injury that hindered him starting around the end of last season up until the last couple weeks. Allen started out a little shaky, but after settling down he started to complete pass after pass. On the field Allen showed accuracy in his passes hitting receivers in stride also. In between drills Allen was vocal to his receivers and could be heard coaching up guys. This is where I feel Allen is at his best, when he is being a leader. In his recovery time Allen has also gained some weight as well, hitting just under 200 pounds on Sunday.
Two wide receivers that Florida has offered stole the show on Sunday with five-star Trevon Grimes and Rivals100 wide receiver Jerry Jeudy making catch after catch. The Gators are sitting in second place for Grimes, behind Ohio State who has been the long time leader. Jeudy hasn’t named any formal leaders at this time but schools like Alabama and Miami seem to stick out the most. FSU is also somewhat in the mix for Jeudy as well. Jeduy’s father was in the stands wearing Alabama gear.
I was extremely impressed with wide receiver Rodney Scott. He measured in at 6-foot-2, 185-pounds, but doesn’t look like he’s that heavy when looking at him on the field. He is very quick and runs routes better than a lot of guys in his class. His route running may be his biggest gift. On one route against a defender he made a move that made the defender trip over his own feet, where Scott was able to make the catch. Miami leads for him at this time but UF is in second. Tennessee also is in play.
Offensive tackle Kai-Leon Herbert left the Miami Rivals camp with the offensive line MVP award. He had a solid day winning a ton of reps and using his size to his advantage. Florida leads here early on but other SEC schools like LSU, Ole Miss, and Tennessee as well as ACC schools like Miami and Louisville are also in the mix still.
Rivals250 linebacker De’Andre Wilder had a decent day on the field but also had some hic ups as well. This type of setting isnt his forte though, he is a guy that shows out more in a live game. Miami seems to be in a good spot for him early on but Florida, FSU, and Alabama are also in play. His head coach is former UF assistant/player Aubrey Hill.
Orlando Stop
Florida commit DaQuon Green took a lot of reps and battled on Saturday. He isn’t extremely fast but he has great routes, solid hands, and enough size to make physical plays on the ball when it’s in air. He was an impressive skill player when on the field Saturday, who took a ton of reps. Green is a guy that will compete to the fullest, despite his rankings and accolades he already has to his name.
Three-star tight end Tre McKitty showed up looking like he’s gained some muscle over the last month. From a physical standpoint McKitty looked like a million bucks. However when running in one-on-ones against the defender McKitty struggled to catch the ball. In the past some schools were looking at McKitty on the defensive side of the ball, which is where I think he is better suited.
Five-star wide receiver James Robinson is long and uses his catch radius to his advantage. He is smooth in his routes and a lot quicker than one would think. The comparison to Sammy Watkins is a good one for Robinson as that is the player that comes to mind when watching him on the field. Clemson has been the longtime team to beat here, but Florida is gaining some ground. The addition of Lakeland native Torrian Gray has paid great divdends for the Gators here. Robinson will be in Gainesville this coming Saturday.
Another Lakeland standout that was impressive on Saturday was Anthony “A.J.” Davis. Running back really isnt a position that sticks out in these kind of camp settings with it mostly being a “throwing atmosphere”, but Davis showed soft hands and the ability to catch the ball. On the tape you can see Davis make plays with his legs, but I was also impressed with his catching ability as well. It’s always a nice commodity to have someone in the backfield that can catch the ball too if needed. He may tag along with Robinson on the 5th of March for his visit to UF.
Rivals250 running back Adarius Lemons also showed the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield as well on Saturday. On the field he is a physical runner and has a long torso that looks like it can add some weight to it. Lemons may be the best back in the state for 2017 from what I saw at the Orlando camp.
Wide receiver Matt Landers was tall but a little on the skinny side. He has nice speed but was inconsistent catching the ball on Saturday. He visited Florida at the end of January and said he really likes the Gators. He was at Admiral Farragut previously but is transferring back to Lakewood.
IMG Academy brought a contingent of players with them on Saturday. Along the line center Caesar Ruiz and Robert Hainsey looked the part and punched their ticket to the Rivals Five-star challenge this summer. Ruiz was consistent during the day and could play either guard or center. Hainsey was really good before suffering a groin injury but that was after he won multiple one-on-ones. Florida has offered both, but have work to do if they hope to add either. The lineman I was most impressed with from IMG was 2018 tackle Curtis Dunlap. When you look at him, it’s hard to believe he isnt going into his senior year. He moves well for his size, and has a gigantic lower body and an upper body that can add some muscle to it. He is from Jacksonville originally so Florida is in great shape early on.
A few other underclassmen that impressed me were 2018 corner Christian Tutt, running back Lorenzo Lingard, wide receiver Jermaine Eskridge, and wide receiver Amari Burney.
Miami Stop
Florida quarterback commit Jake Allen looked like he is finally starting to overcome his lower back injury that hindered him starting around the end of last season up until the last couple weeks. Allen started out a little shaky, but after settling down he started to complete pass after pass. On the field Allen showed accuracy in his passes hitting receivers in stride also. In between drills Allen was vocal to his receivers and could be heard coaching up guys. This is where I feel Allen is at his best, when he is being a leader. In his recovery time Allen has also gained some weight as well, hitting just under 200 pounds on Sunday.
Two wide receivers that Florida has offered stole the show on Sunday with five-star Trevon Grimes and Rivals100 wide receiver Jerry Jeudy making catch after catch. The Gators are sitting in second place for Grimes, behind Ohio State who has been the long time leader. Jeudy hasn’t named any formal leaders at this time but schools like Alabama and Miami seem to stick out the most. FSU is also somewhat in the mix for Jeudy as well. Jeduy’s father was in the stands wearing Alabama gear.
I was extremely impressed with wide receiver Rodney Scott. He measured in at 6-foot-2, 185-pounds, but doesn’t look like he’s that heavy when looking at him on the field. He is very quick and runs routes better than a lot of guys in his class. His route running may be his biggest gift. On one route against a defender he made a move that made the defender trip over his own feet, where Scott was able to make the catch. Miami leads for him at this time but UF is in second. Tennessee also is in play.
Offensive tackle Kai-Leon Herbert left the Miami Rivals camp with the offensive line MVP award. He had a solid day winning a ton of reps and using his size to his advantage. Florida leads here early on but other SEC schools like LSU, Ole Miss, and Tennessee as well as ACC schools like Miami and Louisville are also in the mix still.
Rivals250 linebacker De’Andre Wilder had a decent day on the field but also had some hic ups as well. This type of setting isnt his forte though, he is a guy that shows out more in a live game. Miami seems to be in a good spot for him early on but Florida, FSU, and Alabama are also in play. His head coach is former UF assistant/player Aubrey Hill.
