Florida Gators recruiting mailbag for November 26th

Florida Gators recruiting is doing well and this week’s recruiting mailbag had a lot of great questions about how prospects view the Florida Gators before their game against Florida State.

As you have noticed Gator Country and Andrew Spivey have mixed things up and we have taken our Florida Gators recruiting mailbag to podcast form, as well as continuing the written version of the mailbag.

Make sure to listen as Andrew answer’s everyone’s questions from this mailbag and don’t forget to get your questions in every week so he can answer your question next time on all things Florida Gators recruiting.

Here’s the written version of this week’s Florida Gators recruiting mailbag:

 

MrB-Gator: If we get Feleipe Franks then I assume we are done at quarter?

AS: If Franks commits to Florida then yes I think the Gators are done at the position. They will have Kyle Trask to add with Franks and call it a day.

 

Macbgator: Who is next in line at defensive tackle since Dexter Lawrence seems to going elsewhere??

AS: Florida will probably push hard for North Carolina State defensive tackle commit Ben Frazier again and they will continue to push hard for Shavar Manuel. I think the Gators can ultimately get both of these guys.

 

Gator_nica: There seems to be a lot of movement going on behind the scenes. Do you see a potential top 5 class on NSD?

AS: Yes, I think the Gators can get a top five class because of the big name guys still left on the board. Florida has a lot of top ranked prospects that are leaning toward them and that would push them up in the rankings.

 

Bherny22: With everything going on in Baton Rouge with Les Miles, is Kristan Fulton now a real possibility or will we stop recruiting him now that the Gators took Antonio Nelson’s commitment?

AS: Florida is still recruiting Kristan Fulton but it’s hard for me to believe he goes anywhere but LSU despite who the coach it. I think the Miles news may be enough to get Fulton to visit but we will see.

 

Gatordon: Have the offensive struggles the past few games hurt us at all on the recruiting front?
Will Felipe Franks be in this class now that he has decommitted from LSU?
Does the Grier appeal decision and Treon’s struggles help us in recruiting QB’s?
Do you expect any decommitments from the current verbals to be replaced by higher rated recruits?

AS: 1.) The prospects see what McElwain’s offense can do with a viable quarterback so I don’t think it’s hurting them that much. They were able to see Grier earlier in the year and that helped.

2.) I think Franks is definitely leaning towards Florida and I think the Gators are the team to beat.

3.) I think it helps Florida for sure but ultimately I think Florida was going to get a top quarterback no matter what.

4.) I think there will be several decommitments happen before national signing day and they will be replaced with higher ranked guys on the Florida Gators recruiting board.

 

Cdeal15: What is really going on for Mack Wilson? Is him not visiting gonna put us out of reach with the Bama game coming up?

AS: Wilson is playing basketball in Arkansas so he has a legit reason but Wilson talks to Florida daily and he also has several friends in his ear for the Gators. Florida and Alabama will continue to battle for his signature.

 

Juggernautz: What LSU recruits are we looking at that may decide to go elsewhere?

> Any new news on obtaining a kicker/punter in this class?

> Is our sub par offense a concern for potential offensive recruits?

AS: 1.) Jamal Pettigrew is the tight end committed to them that Florida is after but I don’t see him flipping. Also there is Fulton as we talked about above. Eric Monroe is a safety committed to them that has talked about visiting Florida but nothing has happened yet.

2.) I think you will find out where Eddy Pineiro stands this week when he decides if he will visit Florida or not. If he visits then the Gators have a chance if not then Florida moves on.

 

 

Db100123: 1. Why the importance of Felipe Franks who is a raw talent and long term project? Gators open 2016 with del rio, Treon, and Trisk with Grier coming into the fold midsession (4 qbs), and jake Allen added to the equation in 2017. Franks won’t play a snap before then anyways (if at all).
2. It appears the wide receiver board changes every day with prospects heating and cooling on the gators. What is our pecking order in terms of the staffs’ wants?
3. Are you concerned about our lack of big time talent at d back? Other than Chauncey I don’t see a recruit who can make an impact like Tabor, Wilson, or Hargreaves.
4. What is your take on our o line Recruiting? In light of our glaring o line issues, I feel we are missing big time on quality and quantity and are in a desperate situation where we take players for the sole purposes of depth who have no business competing in the SEC (see Andrew mike and harkless).
5. What are the staffs concerns about establishing depth at linebacker and how confident are they in their current situation with prospects/commits.
6. Can we get a kicker or what?! Juco?
7. Would the commitment of Franks affect Jake Allen?

AS: 1.) I think Florida needs to sign two this year in case someone transfers out. Franks has the tools and body to be good but just needs work so he’s a good take and someone that may turn into a good player.

2.) Florida is still recruiting Eli Stove, Nate Craig-Myers, Tre Nixon, Binjimen Victor and Tyrie Cleveland so those are the guys they’re after.

3.) I think they have several good prospects committed at defensive back. Garnder and Aaron Robinson are both very talented corners and so is Jayvaughn Myers. They have talent there.

4.) The talent is there on the team now but they need to develop some more and then Brett Heggie is a good center prospect. Stone Forsythe is a guy that should become a good player because of his size. Marcus Tatum is a top target and a lot of people are high on his upside.

5.) The staff is like any coaching staff in America they know what they need and they’re trying to get it. They have two good linebackers committed and they will get more.

7.) No I don’t think Franks will scare of Jake Allen at all.

 

Ufrulz2: Looking at the roster, even though there are a lot of bodies at OL, many of them are walk-ons or transfers (like Benalcazar and McCoy) who may not ever play meaningful snaps, plus a bunch of others who seem like they were reaches (Mike, Harkless). So, how many OL are we planning to take in this class? As of right now we only have 2 commits, would you agree we have to take a minimum of 3 (and preferably 4) offensive linemen in every recruiting class? Will Riles stay on defense and, if so, does that change the number of OL we take? Who are the big names left out there, and why aren’t we pushing harder for OL given how badly we’ve struggled there this year?

AS: Walk-ons are simply to add depth and everyone has them so this is not just a Florida thing. T.J. McCoy is a guy that North Carolina State loved and he’s a guy that can play at Florida. I think 4 offensive linemen are always needs in a class and I think that’s what happens this year.

 

Wilbur11: How many commitments do we get this weekend after the game? Which recruit is the next to pop for us?

AS: I think they get one but I don’t like to say a number because then you guys get upset if it doesn’t happen.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.

4 COMMENTS

  1. Try not to overstate UF’s challenges on offense. FSU has them too. Our defense should keep us around. This will come down to untimely turnovers and field position.

    I saw a team pull it back a little against FAU not trying to show too much before this showdown. This coaching staff can coach around our challenges and should have a gameplan to move the pocket and create some things down the field.

    Regardless of the outcome, lets all take a breath and enjoy the fact that this team is relevant again and sitting on 10 wins. which NONE of us predicted. Impressive. I am all in with this coaching staff. pains me to think what “could have been” these last few years with the SEC east being down in competing against the west, or lack thereof

    • Couldn’t agree more. Enjoy the moment! Not even most optomistic predictions had us winning more than 8-9 games! Be glad you are not a Cane! They aren’t even relevant in ACC