Florida Football: 2013 Recruiting Targets Still Available

As recruiting has shown over and over, nothing is certain until a coach is holding a signed national letter of intent. The thing that gets lost when covering recruiting is that we are trying to get into the minds of 17- and 18-year-old kids who are as uncertain as where to go as we are about where they are going. 

With coaching contracts creating multimillionaires all over the nation, an emphasis on winning and winning now has been set. The first step in winning comes with recruiting. With the pressure of winning at an all-time high, recruiting has become a year-long endeavor. As soon as, if not sooner, Will Muschamp announced the 2012 recruiting class, he and his coaching staff had already turned their attention to the 2013 class. 

The Gators will look to fill another top five recruiting class in 2013 and already have 10 players who have pledged their verbal commitment. Those verbal commitments are non-binding and those players could change their mind 50 times between now and National Signing Day. While the drama of recruiting can get to us at times (re: Stefon Diggs' prolonged announcement) the drama of recruiting and the potential greatness is what keeps us coming back. 

Here is a list of the 10 players who have already verbally committed to Florida and a list of more prospects Florida will hope to land come February. 

Verbally Committed

3-star Rodney Adams: WR 6'1'' 166 lbs 

3-star Caleb Brantley: DT 6'3'' 310 lbs

3-star James Hearns: ILB 6'3'' 235 lbs

NR Adam Lane: RB 5'9'' 205 lbs

NR Dillon Lawson: OLB 6'2'' 218 lbs

NR Daniel McMillian: DE 6'3'' 220 lbs

3-star Keanu Neal: S 6'0'' 204 lbs

3-star Quinton Powell: OLB 6'2'' 220 lbs

4-star Kelvin Taylor: RB 5'10'' 205 lbs

4-star Nick Washington: S 5'11'' 170 lbs

All of the recruiting rankings come from Scout.com and are subject to change all the way up to National Signing Day. 

Ahmad Fulwood

4-star Ahmad Fulwood: WR 6'4'' 197 lbs

The Gators were thin at receiver going into this season and were only able to add to pass catchers in the 2012 class. Expect Will Muschamp and Brent Pease to put a full-court press on several receivers and hope to bring a couple of them onto campus with this recruiting class. 

Fulwood is one of the top receivers in the state of Florida, and the Gators will do everything in their power to sign him. 

Kendall Fuller

5-star Kendall Fuller: DB 6'0'' 185 lbs

If the uniform looks familiar, it is because Fuller attends Our Lady of Good Counsel in Olney, Maryland and was a teammate to Stefon Diggs. 

Fuller is rated as the top defensive back prospect in the country, and the Gators have already extended him a scholarship offer. 

Vernon Hargreaves III

5-star Vernon Hargreaves III: DB 5'10'' 177 lbs

All 10 of the current commitments Florida has received are from in-state prospects. Will Muschamp knows the importance of being able to recruit the talent-rich state his school is located in.

Along with Texas and California, Florida produces arguable the most and best college athletes in the country, and to be able to have those kids playing in your back yard is priceless. Muschamp will try to keep the best in-state recruits in the state of Florida and wearing orange and blue. 

Hargreaves is the top-rated in state defensive back, and the Gators will need to add several defensive backs in this class as the unit could see an early departure after next season. 

Joey Bosa

5-star Joey Bosa: DE 6'4'' 255 lbs

St. Thomas Aquinas has been a pipeline to the University of Florida as of late. The Raiders have sent Marcus Gilbert (now with the Pittsburgh Steelers), Major Wright (now with the Chicago Bears), Cody Riggs, Marcus Roberson and 2012 commit Bryan Cox Jr. 

Joey Bosa is the second-rated defensive end prospect in the country and could follow in is former teammates' footsteps by becoming a Gator. 

Greg Bryant

4-star Greg Bryant: RB 5'11'' 200 lbs

The Gators are so thin at running back that they have moved former safety Chris Johnson and former tight end/ wide receiver Omarius Hines to tailback for the spring. Matt Jones will arrive in the summer and help some of those depth problems, but this is Mike Gillislee's last season at Florida and the Gators will be in the same spot next season. 

It is not inconceivable that the Gators will sign three running backs to this class. They already have two commitments in Adam Lane and legacy Kelvin Taylor. 

Bryant is a big bruising tailback that would fit right into the downhill running game that the Gators hope to establish this season. 

Conclusion

This is just a short list of five players the Gators hope to get a signature from come National Signing Day. As I said in the first slide, we are extremely early on in the recruiting process and absolutely everything is subject to change. 

Leave me a comment and tell me which recruit you would like to see the Gators sign in the 2013 recruiting class.