Commits from Florida tackle questions facing future teams
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins hosted the annual South Florida High School Media Day on Saturday, with 110 of the high schools from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties turning out to meet with the media and discuss their upcoming seasons. As part of the event, Rivals.com asked a number of committed prospects to weigh in on some of the most pressing questions facing their future teams. Below are their responses to team-specific questions.
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CLEMSON
The question: Why does Clemson seem to get an elite Florida wide receiver every year?
The answer: “I think we all just know the reputation. Clemson is Receiver U and has been for a few years. The numbers show it. And they always have a real elite quarterback, like Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence. Then, with Jeff Scott being there, he’s a great recruiter. He recruits your entire family, not just you.” – Rivals100 Clemson wide receiver commit Frank Ladson
KENTUCKY
The question: What do you think Kentucky needs to do to get over the hump and compete for the SEC East title?
The answer: “I think that they’re going to be there this year. The players they have have really stepped up and they’ve gotten rid of the bad energy-type players. I think they’re going to come together well as a team. I think Terry Wilson is going to step in at quarterback and I feel like he’s an all-around threat at quarterback.” – Three-star Kentucky tight end commit Nikolas Ognenovic
The answer: “I think they’re starting to do it now. They’ve recruited a lot of kids from Florida, and when you recruit Florida, you usually win. That’s a big part of it, because we have the best athletes in the whole nation down here.” – Three-star Kentucky quarterback commit Nik Scalzo
MIAMI
The question: Who do you think will get the bulk of the carries as Miami’s running back?
The answer: "I think Lorenzo Lingard for sure. I think he’s going to come in there and play right away. He’s that kind of guy.” – 2020 four-star Miami athlete commit Henry Gray
OKLAHOMA
The question: Were you surprised Kyler Murray returned to the football team after getting drafted by the Oakland Athletics? Do you think he will be the starter?
The answer: “Yeah, I was surprised. But I heard that he has special rules that apply to him because he signed with the baseball team, so that’s going to be interesting to see how it works out. I’m glad that we still got him, though. I think he’s going to be the starter. I don’t think he would have come back to play otherwise.” – 2020 four-star running back commit Jaylan Knighton
OREGON
The question: Why do you think Oregon is having so much success in recruiting In Mario Cristobal’s first year?
The answer: “He brings that South Florida sauce to everything he does. He’s from down this way and he knows what he’s doing. He’s a cool person, and he’s bringing all the South Florida dogs all the way to Eugene. I’ve been talking to other guys from down here, like Braylan Ingraham, and I’m trying to get him out there with me.” – Four-star Oregon linebacker commit Gemon Eaford
PENN STATE
The question: What’s the key to Penn State’s recent high-level recruiting?
The answer: “Just because it’s different. When I first thought about Penn State, I said ‘Penn State? I’m not going there.’ When I got up there, that changed. When you see it, you see that it’s actually different. All these other schools all kind of run together, but Penn State is actually unique.” – Rivals100 Penn State wide receiver commit John Dunmore
PITT
The question: Why do you think Pitt is having so much success recruiting Florida?
The answer: “Because they don’t fill our heads with lies. They told us all this stuff and when we got there we saw that it was all true. It’s that and the atmosphere up there. I think that’s why.” – Three-star Pittsburgh defensive tackle commit Calijah Kancey
The answer: “When you go to the campus, you just fall in love. It’s like more than just football. It’s always something for you to do besides football, and going to class because it’s in a big city. There are a bunch of us going up there together and it’s going to be a Florida takeover.” – Three-star Pittsburgh running back commit Vincent Davis
SOUTH CAROLINA
The question: After not finding much success at Florida, why do you think Will Muschamp has been more successful at South Carolina?
The answer: I feel like it’s a different set of players. I feel like it’s about the players’ attitudes and mindsets. At Florida, he didn’t have the kind of players he has now, from a mindset standpoint.” – Four-star South Carolina offensive line commit Mark Fox
The answer: “I didn’t even know he was the coach at Florida, to tell you the truth. I think he’s doing a good job at South Carolina, though. The way they are coaching and recruiting and everything about them has the players wanting to be great and work hard.” – 2020 four-star South Carolina commit Issiah Walker
USF
The question: Who do you think USF’s breakout star will be this year?
The answer: For USF? I think it’s going to be the receiver, No. 3, (Darnell) Salomon. He can take you deep or route you up. He can do it all.” – Three-star USF linebacker commit Darius Williams
VIRGINIA
The question: What do you think Bronco Mendenhall has done to improve the program quickly?
The answer: “I think Coach Mendenhall is not only building great football players, but he’s really building great leaders. That helps. They are doing it the right way. He wants to win and he’s going to win by building leaders.” - Three-star Virginia defensive end commit D'Sean Perry
VIRGINIA TECH
The question: What does Virginia Tech need to do to break through and get over the 10-win plateau under Justin Fuente?
The answer: “They just have to work on being consistent. The staff is still pretty new and they are still bringing in their players. They have to keep building the talent and they will keep winning. Coming down here and recruiting players from Florida will help, because the Florida boys are different from the Virginia boys.” – Three-star Virginia Tech defensive line commit Brandon Dorlus
