Florida Whispers: Commits looking
So far, 163 prospects in the 2011 class from the Sunshine State have committed to colleges around the nation. This weekend, a few of those commitments will be visiting schools other than where they pledged. That marks a trend likely to continue between now and National Signing Day.
Advertisement
Miami is in a battle to retain a trio of commitments - quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, offensive lineman Marcus Jackson and defensive end Anthony Chickillo. This weekend, two of those prospects - Bridgewater and Jackson - are visiting elsewhere.
Bridgewater is expected to visit Florida this weekend on an unofficial visit. The Gators are recruiting the talented Miami (Fla.) Northwestern product as an athlete. The Gators are not the only school vying for his services, as LSU has been very active with him. It is well-documented that Miami has had major success in landing and retaining Northwestern products in recent years.
Jackson, an offensive lineman from Vero Beach (Fla.), is expected to take an official visit to Tennessee this weekend. He has previously taken an official to Michigan State and also plans to trip to Florida and Florida State, as well as Miami. Recently, Jackson voiced concerns over the mistakes and penalties that have plagued the Hurricanes this season.
The third commitment expected to take some trips is defensive end Anthony Chickillo, but out of the three he is the most likely to stay firm to Randy Shannon and company. This weekend he isn't expected to visit elsewhere, but he has talked about trips to Florida, USC, Tennessee, Florida State and others.
Jackson won't be the only Sunshine State prospect committed elsewhere yet visiting Tennessee this weekend. Coach Derek Dooley and company are expecting defensive end Giorgio Newberry from Fort Pierce (Fla.) Central, a Florida State commitment, and running back Mike Bellamy from Punta Gorda (Fla.) Charlotte, a Clemson commitment. Both are considered solid commitments at this time.
Another SEC program, Ole Miss, is in a fight to retain a pair of Sunshine State commitments in Miami (Fla.) Southridge defensive backs Gerrod Holliman and Andrew Johnson. The duo has previously taken an official visit to Louisville and this weekend they will head to West Virginia for an official. They are expected to utilize all five officials.
Florida is also having to tussle with another SEC program to retain one of its commitments, as Pensacola (Fla.) Pine Forest athlete Louchiez Purifoy is expected to take an official visit to Tuscaloosa in January to check out Alabama. Purifoy contends he remains solid to Urban Meyer and the Gators.
Michigan, which regularly dips into Florida for talent, is having to battle to retain a commitment from Orlando (Fla.) Lake Nona QB Kevin Sousa. Sousa, who committed to the Wolverines in late June, has taken an official visit to Middle Tennessee. This weekend he heads to Louisville and next weekend he will travel to Wake Forest.
Southern Cal linebacker commitment Kent Turene is expected to take a few visits, specifically to LSU, Georgia and Florida, but has yet to set those official visit dates. At one point, the Lauderdale Lakes (Fla.) Boyd Anderson prospect was expected to enroll early at USC but those plans have since changed.
Georgia commitment Nathan Theus, a long-snapper, is still locked up to Georgia as long as Mark Richt remains the coach in Athens. If a coaching change occurs, the Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles product would consider his options, which is why he has taken numerous visits to check out schools Florida State, South Carolina and others. Theus is the older brother of 2012 offensive tackle prospect John Theus.
Running back Kion Williams, who is committed to UCF, is planning to take an official visit to USF before he signs in February. Williams admits his commitment to the Knights is soft, but he would prefer to remain in-state for college.
Curious case of Timmy Jernigan
Throughout his recruitment, Lake City (Fla.) Columbia defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan had flirted with other schools but most prognosticators believed he would stay home and play at nearby Florida.
Recently though, some comments and actions by Jernigan, and the Gators, have made that seem like far less likely.
The 6-foot-2, 275-pound defensive tackle has taken official visits to LSU, Michigan and Southern Cal. He is expected to take an official to Alabama in January. Florida and Florida State are also in the picture. But according to the U.S. Army All-American, his top four consists of Alabama, Florida State, LSU and Michigan, in no order.
With regards to Florida, he said at his Army announcement ceremony that "no bad blood" existed with the Gators and that his commitment is a "business decision."
But he also mentioned that he remains in regular contact with Urban Meyer and that "anything can change" between now and February.
As for the Gators, they have recently shown interest in a few new defensive tackle targets including Miami (Fla.) Booker T. Washington defensive tackle Elkino Watson, McKeesport (Pa.) defensive tackle Delvon Simmons and Garden City (Kan.) Community College defensive tackle Maurice Couch.
Jernigan will be one to closely follow between now and Signing Day, when he is likely to make his decision.
It is rare that a prospect emerges late, but one who is likely to become a popular target over the next three months is Miami (Fla.) Coral Park wide receiver Juwan CaesarClick While Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) University School defensive tackle Patrick WilliamsClick Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic offensive lineman James ElliottClick The Wolverines are also in the running for Crawford's teammate, four-star wide receiver Sammy WatkinsClick South Fort Myers (Fla.) three-star cornerback Dallas CrawfordClick Quick hitsHere to view this Link. is expected to announce Friday, his 18th birthday. The top schools include Michigan, Miami, West Virginia and Tennessee. He is expected to opt for Michigan, where he unofficially visited on Oct. 16.Here to view this Link.. Michigan is in a battle with Clemson and Miami for his services, but a team trying to make a late move is Florida. Watkins is expected in Gainesville on Saturday for an unofficial visit.Here to view this Link. has had the Wolverines near the top of his list and a recent visit in October simply helped pad their lead. One issue that the 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman does have is concerns over the recent NCAA ruling involving the Wolverines. He is seeking a clear understanding of what it means over the next three years for Michigan. If provided the right answers, Michigan likely has nothing to worry about with Elliott. Here to view this Link. backed off his commitment to Buffalo in the last month, at this point it is still very likely that he ends up committing back to the Bulls. He intends to take a few visits before making a decision, but remains high on coach Jeff QuinnClick Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic offensive lineman James ElliottClick The Wolverines are also in the running for Crawford's teammate, four-star wide receiver Sammy WatkinsClick South Fort Myers (Fla.) three-star cornerback Dallas CrawfordClick Quick hitsHere to view this Link. is expected to announce Friday, his 18th birthday. The top schools include Michigan, Miami, West Virginia and Tennessee. He is expected to opt for Michigan, where he unofficially visited on Oct. 16.Here to view this Link.. Michigan is in a battle with Clemson and Miami for his services, but a team trying to make a late move is Florida. Watkins is expected in Gainesville on Saturday for an unofficial visit.Here to view this Link. has had the Wolverines near the top of his list and a recent visit in October simply helped pad their lead. One issue that the 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman does have is concerns over the recent NCAA ruling involving the Wolverines. He is seeking a clear understanding of what it means over the next three years for Michigan. If provided the right answers, Michigan likely has nothing to worry about with Elliott. Here to view this Link.'s program.Here to view this Link.. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound wide receiver has his academics in order and his senior video just went out in the past couple weeks, with Florida International and Central Florida already extending offers. Boston CollegeClick While Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) University School defensive tackle Patrick WilliamsClick Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic offensive lineman James ElliottClick The Wolverines are also in the running for Crawford's teammate, four-star wide receiver Sammy WatkinsClick South Fort Myers (Fla.) three-star cornerback Dallas CrawfordClick Quick hitsHere to view this Link. is expected to announce Friday, his 18th birthday. The top schools include Michigan, Miami, West Virginia and Tennessee. He is expected to opt for Michigan, where he unofficially visited on Oct. 16.Here to view this Link.. Michigan is in a battle with Clemson and Miami for his services, but a team trying to make a late move is Florida. Watkins is expected in Gainesville on Saturday for an unofficial visit.Here to view this Link. has had the Wolverines near the top of his list and a recent visit in October simply helped pad their lead. One issue that the 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman does have is concerns over the recent NCAA ruling involving the Wolverines. He is seeking a clear understanding of what it means over the next three years for Michigan. If provided the right answers, Michigan likely has nothing to worry about with Elliott. Here to view this Link. backed off his commitment to Buffalo in the last month, at this point it is still very likely that he ends up committing back to the Bulls. He intends to take a few visits before making a decision, but remains high on coach Jeff QuinnClick Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic offensive lineman James ElliottClick The Wolverines are also in the running for Crawford's teammate, four-star wide receiver Sammy WatkinsClick South Fort Myers (Fla.) three-star cornerback Dallas CrawfordClick Quick hitsHere to view this Link. is expected to announce Friday, his 18th birthday. The top schools include Michigan, Miami, West Virginia and Tennessee. He is expected to opt for Michigan, where he unofficially visited on Oct. 16.Here to view this Link.. Michigan is in a battle with Clemson and Miami for his services, but a team trying to make a late move is Florida. Watkins is expected in Gainesville on Saturday for an unofficial visit.Here to view this Link. has had the Wolverines near the top of his list and a recent visit in October simply helped pad their lead. One issue that the 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman does have is concerns over the recent NCAA ruling involving the Wolverines. He is seeking a clear understanding of what it means over the next three years for Michigan. If provided the right answers, Michigan likely has nothing to worry about with Elliott. Here to view this Link.'s program.Here to view this Link., RutgersClick While Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) University School defensive tackle Patrick WilliamsClick Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic offensive lineman James ElliottClick The Wolverines are also in the running for Crawford's teammate, four-star wide receiver Sammy WatkinsClick South Fort Myers (Fla.) three-star cornerback Dallas CrawfordClick Quick hitsHere to view this Link. is expected to announce Friday, his 18th birthday. The top schools include Michigan, Miami, West Virginia and Tennessee. He is expected to opt for Michigan, where he unofficially visited on Oct. 16.Here to view this Link.. Michigan is in a battle with Clemson and Miami for his services, but a team trying to make a late move is Florida. Watkins is expected in Gainesville on Saturday for an unofficial visit.Here to view this Link. has had the Wolverines near the top of his list and a recent visit in October simply helped pad their lead. One issue that the 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman does have is concerns over the recent NCAA ruling involving the Wolverines. He is seeking a clear understanding of what it means over the next three years for Michigan. If provided the right answers, Michigan likely has nothing to worry about with Elliott. Here to view this Link. backed off his commitment to Buffalo in the last month, at this point it is still very likely that he ends up committing back to the Bulls. He intends to take a few visits before making a decision, but remains high on coach Jeff QuinnClick Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic offensive lineman James ElliottClick The Wolverines are also in the running for Crawford's teammate, four-star wide receiver Sammy WatkinsClick South Fort Myers (Fla.) three-star cornerback Dallas CrawfordClick Quick hitsHere to view this Link. is expected to announce Friday, his 18th birthday. The top schools include Michigan, Miami, West Virginia and Tennessee. He is expected to opt for Michigan, where he unofficially visited on Oct. 16.Here to view this Link.. Michigan is in a battle with Clemson and Miami for his services, but a team trying to make a late move is Florida. Watkins is expected in Gainesville on Saturday for an unofficial visit.Here to view this Link. has had the Wolverines near the top of his list and a recent visit in October simply helped pad their lead. One issue that the 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman does have is concerns over the recent NCAA ruling involving the Wolverines. He is seeking a clear understanding of what it means over the next three years for Michigan. If provided the right answers, Michigan likely has nothing to worry about with Elliott. Here to view this Link.'s program.Here to view this Link. and others are interested. As his video circulates, his name will likely become a popular one.
[rl]