Smith's Takeaways: Recruiting news, analysis from Florida
Over the last week, Rivals.com was able to see some of the best players in Florida and Georgia. In today’s takeaways from the road, national recruiting analyst Greg Smith breaks down the recruiting news and scouting notes from his stops in Florida. He will discuss the Georgia prospects he scouted on Saturday.
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RUMOR MILL: More chatter from a busy weekend of visits
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POWER FIVE COMMITS SHINING AT BOLLES PREP
The first stop that I made on the trip was to Bolles Prep in Jacksonville. The team was getting ready for a huge rivalry game the next day and everyone was pretty dialed in.
The team features a pair of Power Five commits on defense for the 2024 class. Linebacker Trent Carter is on his way to Louisville while defensive tackle Garrison Butler is going to Cincinnati.
Carter could end up being a steal for Jeff Brohm’s program and has good size and speed to be a productive college linebacker. Butler is not a huge defensive lineman but has quickness to shoot gaps.
This won’t be the last time Rivals is stopping through this school because the future is bright there.
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MORE ON BOLLES PREP STANDOUTS
Corbyn Fordham, Naeem Burroughs and Simeon Caldwell all attended Florida State’s win over Duke a couple weeks ago. Fordham is a Florida State legacy as his father played there before playing in the NFL. The rangy tight end looked great in practice and will be under consideration to be an early four-star soon.
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Burroughs has 16 offers to his name including Georgia, Florida and Michigan to name a few. His brother is currently at Wisconsin and the smooth wideout was in Madison to check out the matchup against Ohio State.
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Caldwell is another Bolles player that comes from good football genes. His dad, Mike Caldwell, is the current defensive coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Simeon has great size at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds. He could end up playing linebacker or safety in college because of his versatility. He has 11 offers including Florida State, Miami and Michigan.
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STARS SHINE BRIGHT AT MANDARIN
Rivals was also in the house at Sandalwood High School to see it take on Mandarin High in Jacksonville. Mandarin is loaded with talent and did not disappoint.
Mitchell, the Penn State commit, showed great ball skills as a cornerback. He picked off a pass in the game to help his team be back-to-back district champions. Mitchell has been keeping up with the Nittany Lions from afar and stays in constant contact with the staff.
“The first time I went up there for the White Out game, that just blew me away,” Mitchell said. "The atmosphere is just crazy at Penn State.”
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Plazz is an interesting offensive line recruit. He’s committed to Miami and we have him rated as a tackle but the word in the Sunshine State is that the Hurricanes see him as a potential swing piece that could play anywhere on the line. Mario Cristobal’s offensive line background helped seal the deal in this recruitment.
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Ffrench was one of the best players I saw on the entire trip. His frame (which has room to add weight) combined with his hands and athleticism make him an elite receiver prospect for the 2025 cycle. He’s committed to Alabama but took a recent visit to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are pushing hard and so is in-state Florida State.
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Stubbs was very active in the game against Sandalwood. He played on the second level of the defense a lot which is one of the questions about him long-term. Is he going to keep growing into a hybrid linebacker or stay at safety? His near 30 offers from around the country suggest he fits into many schemes and I agree after seeing him play live.
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Florida State got a steal in quarterback Tramell Jones. The 2025 four-star prospect is likely underrated where he sits currently. Jones is smooth in the pocket and didn’t get rattled easily while delivering accurate passes. He used his legs to set up the pass well instead of just taking off running, too. Mike Norvell should be very happy that Jones is on the way to Tallahassee.