National Signing Day 2011: Florida Gators Top 10 Commitments for 2011
As national signing day 2011 approaches, the Florida Gators are maintaining another strong recruiting class, albeit somewhat lighter than usual.
That is to be expected with the departure of former head coach Urban Meyer and the relationships he and his staff created that now are defunct.
The Florida Gators became notorious for cashing in on huge recruiting classes during the Urban Meyer era, and it remains to be seen if Will Muschamp, Florida's new head coach, can maintain the recruiting excellence that the Gators have become famous for.
Muschamp is known to be a relentless recruiter, so the passion and enthusiasm is definitely there.
What remains to be seen is if Muschamp has the skill to maintain Florida's recruiting dominance.
The 2011 class will be excused if it falls out of the top 10, but as of now ESPN has the Gators hanging tough at No. 4.
Let's take a look at the top 10 recruits that the Florida Gators have on the books to date.
10. Kyle Christy, Kicker
1 of 10Kyle Christy is a 4-star prospect out of Brownsburg High School in Brownsburg, Indiana.
After being pursued by the Iowa Hawkeyes, LSU Tigers, Northwestern Wildcats and Indiana Hoosiers, Christy chose the Florida sunshine and signed with the Gators this month.
Christy is both a kicker and punter, but is more exciting as a field-goal kicker. He has been known to hit 60 yard field goals. His punts can hit a five-second hang-time, and his kickoffs a 4.1 hang-time.
He is the heir apparent to the departing Chas Henry.
Grades
- ESPN: 79 (4 stars)
- Rivals: 5.5 (3 stars)
- Scout: No. 2 national ranking (3 stars)
9. Loucheiz Purifoy, Defensive Back/Athlete
2 of 10Loucheiz Purifoy (say that fast three times) hails from Pine Forest High School in Pensacola, Florida.
He is an exciting prospect that will most likely play on defense as a DB, but has the ability to play running back, too.
Purifoy gave his verbal to the Gators back in July 2010, and was pursued by the Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Southern Miss Golden Eagles, Troy Trojans and UAB Blazers.
Once a position is identified for Purifoy, it will take time for him to develop, but the upside is tremendous.
Grades
- ESPN: 79 (4 stars)
- Rivals: 5.8 (4 stars)
- Scout: No. 30 national ranking (3 stars)
8. Clay Burton, Defensive End
3 of 10
Clay Burton, the younger brother of Gator freshman phenom Trey Burton, signed this month with the Florida Gators and has enrolled in classes.
He hails from Venice, Fla., and is a promising defensive end with serious pass rushing ability.
Once committed to Notre Dame, he changed his mind in October 2010 and never looked back.
He was also pursued by FSU, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Tennessee.
It remains to be seen if Clay will make the same splash his freshman season as older brother Trey, but he has potential to become a productive starter on defense in two or three years.
Grades
- ESPN: 79 (4 stars)
- Rivals: 5.7 (3 stars)
- Scout: No. 57 national ranking (3 stars)
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Javares McRoy, Wide Receiver
4 of 10Lakeland High School's Javares McRoy is next on this list.
The 5'9" receiver brings elite speed and quickness, and because of his short stature, he may find himself in the secondary before it's all said and done.
Obviously, McRoy's height is of concern, and he would have been a great slot receiver or scatback in a spread offense. But now that Muschamp is installing a pro-style offense, McRoy's options may be limited.
Grades
- ESPN: 80 (4 stars)
- Rivals: 5.8 (4 stars)
- Scout: No. 31 national ranking (4 stars)
6. Jabari Gorman, Safety
5 of 10Jabari Gorman comes to the Gators from Monsignor Edward Pace High School in Miami, Fla.
After competing with the Hurricanes and Buckeyes for his services, Gorman selected the Florida Gators on national television.
Gorman is already built to play free safety, but if his body continues to fill out he could move to strong safety. Playing corner is not out of the question due to his ball-hawking ability and coverage skills.
Gorman should be quite successful playing for Muschamp and could end up in the NFL someday.
Grades
- ESPN: 81 (4 stars)
- Rivals: 5.8 (4 stars)
- Scout: No. 25 national rank (4 stars)
5. De'Ante Saunders, Defensive Back/Athlete
6 of 10De'Ante "Pop" Saunders is an exciting prospect out of Deland High School in Deland, Fla.
Talk about an elusive athlete—Saunders consistently makes the first guy miss when the ball is in his hands.
He is also well built for his age and size, so as a defender he is not only fast but can lay the lumber, too.
His best asset may be his ability to switch direction before someone blinks an eye. Yes, he is that quick.
Saunders signed with the Gators this month, and was also recruited by FSU, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and Texas Tech. He is also an excellent basketball recruit.
Grades
- ESPN: 81 (4 stars)
- Rivals: 5.7 (3 stars)
- Scout: No. 37 national rank (3 stars)
4. Mike Blakely, Running Back
7 of 10One of the more exciting signings of the 2011 class for Florida is Mike Blakely, a running back out of Manatee High School in Bradenton, Fla.
Blakely signed with Florida this month, but, sadly, needed shoulder surgery that will take him out of spring practice.
He is expected back when the 2011 season starts.
Blakely is quicker than fast, but can stop and cut on a dime and will make defenders miss often.
His balance, body control, and vision will make Blakely an upper-tier running back sooner rather than later.
Grades
- ESPN: 81 (4 stars)
- Rivals: 6.0 (4 stars)
- Scout: No. 10 national ranking (4 stars)
3. A.C. Leonard, Tight End/Athlete
8 of 10A.C. Leonard is a tight end out of Jacksonville, Fla., and is so good he is also listed as an "athlete."
How many tight ends earn the coveted "athlete" tag these days?
Leonard, out of University Christian High School, has played defensive end, linebacker and running back in high school.
Yes, he is that good.
If he remains a tight end at the next level, he will need to work on his blocking ability.
It will be interesting to see what offensive coordinator Charlie Weis does with Leonard's extraordinary talent. He may become a hybrid H-back before it's all said and done.
Grades
- ESPN: 81 (4 stars)
- Rivals: 5.9 (4 stars)
- Scout: No. 6 national ranking (4 stars)
2. Ja'Juan Story, Wide Receiver
9 of 10The Florida Gators have found themselves a great prospect at wide receiver, Ja'Juan Story out of Nature Coast Technical High School in Brooksville, Fla.
The 6'3" Story was also recruited by FSU, Miami (Fla.), LSU, Ohio State and Tennessee.
Story runs well, has a wide wingspan, and gets into routes quickly. His most impressive skill is his ability to make adjustments to jump and poorly thrown balls.
Simply said—Story will go up and get it.
Don't be surprised if Story finds time on the field his freshman season.
Grades
- ESPN: 81 (4 stars)
- Rivals: 5.8 (4 stars)
- Scout: No. 33 national rank (4 stars)
1. Jeff Driskel, Quarterback
10 of 10By far the prize of the Gator's 2011 recruiting class is Jeff Driskel, a quarterback out of Oviedo, Fla.'s Paul J. Hagerty High School.
He was the prize of Urban Meyer's eyes, but he'll do just fine or even better under WIll Muschamp and Charlie Weis.
Arguably, under Weis, Jeff Driskel may have an even brighter future once his career at Florida ends.
Driskel has all the tangibles and intangibles one could expect from a high school player. He will seriously compete with John Brantley to start in 2011, but most likely will stand on the sideline unless Brantley cannot get over a bad 2010 season.
If there is an opportunity at this time for Driskel to improve, it would be his knack to lock on to a receiver a bit early and at times he takes unnecessary risks.
If that is all you can say about a high school player coming into a college program, you know this kid is good.
Grades
- ESPN: 85 (5 stars)
- Rivals: 6.0 (4 stars)
- Scout: No. 1 national ranking (5 stars)
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
