Huge weekend at Florida

By foxsports
Published

It's a big Saturday in Gainesville, Fla. as Florida hosts LSU in an important SEC football game. Both teams need the win badly.

It's also very important for recruiting, especially for the Gators, who want to perform well in front of their fans as well as all the prospects in attendance.

Right now it looks as if they will have several official visitors. That list includes offensive tackle Martez Ivey (Apopka, Fla.), linebacker Te'von Coney (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), and wide receiver K.J. Hill (North Little Rock, Ark.). Florida is in a god fight with Auburn for five-star Ivey, the state's recruit. Meanwhile, Will Muschampand his staff are trying to turn Hill away from the hometown Hogs. Then you have the Gators in a huge recruiting battle with Notre Dame over Coney.

Also making official visits are two committed players in wide receiver Derrick Dillon(Franklinton, La./Pine) and linebacker Jerome Baker (Cleveland, Ohio/Benedictine). Despite their pledges to Florida, the Gators still have to work them hard and hang on, especially with Baker. Some feel he could end up staying home and attending Ohio State.

While these official visits are critical so too are the unofficial visitors that plan on being at this game. Here, there could be 50 plus key prospects visiting the Swamp in this class as well as the Classes of 2016 and 2017. Playing well and making a big impression is huge because you want these recruits coming back again.

Headlining this list are a pair of five-star defensive ends in CeCe Jefferson (Glen St. Mary, Fla./Baker County) and Byron Cowart (Seffner, Fla./Armwood). It is believed that Florida is the team to beat for both of these guys but other teams will make things difficult. Case in point is Ole Miss and Jefferson. He was blown away by his trip to Oxford last weekend when the Rebels took down Alabama.

Florida hopes to make good, lasting impressions with players like running backs Jacques Patrick (Orlando Timber Creek) and Bryce Love (Wake Forest, N.C.), wide receivers Ryan Davis (St. Petersburg, Fla./Lakewood), Javarius Davis (JacksonvilleEd White) and Antonio Calloway (Miami Booker T. Washington), offensive linemenJalen Merrick (New Smyrna Beach, Fla.), defensive tackle Ken Norton (Jacksonville Trinity Christian), linebackers Jeff Holland (Jacksonville Trinity Christian), (Derrick Graham (Wachula, Fla./Hardee), and Roquan Smith (Montezuma, Ga./Macon County) and a handful of defensive backs.

In addition, there will be top flight underclassmen there like running back Tony Jones (Bradenton, Fla./IMG Academy), wide receiver T.J. Chase (Bradenton, Fla./IMG Academy), tight end Jacob Mathis (Tampa Berkeley Prep), defensive endJordan Woods (Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic), linebacker Shaq Quarterman (Orange Park, Fla./Oak Leaf), and defensive back Craig Watts (St. Petersburg, Fla./Gibbs).

Other key [unofficial] visitors include a handful of players committed elsewhere like running backs Ray Ray McCloud (Clemson), Johnny Frazier (Florida State), and T.J. Simmons (UCLA), offensive tackles Abdul Bello (FSU), Mirko Jurkovic (Nebraska),William Sweet (North Carolina) and Tyree St. Louis (Miami) and possibly Van Jefferson (Georgia). If it's one thing about Florida under Muschamp recruiting is always volatile, meaning these flips kids as well as lose kids. This recruiting season has already been topsy-turvy for this program.

Florida needs this win, especially when it comes to recruiting, as there will be a lot of eyeballs there at Florida Field. The Gators need to put on a show against one of their biggest rivals in LSU.

For more recruiting news and notes click here or go to Scout.