By Bob Redman
Two to three years from now we could probably look back at the 17 days from June 21, 2022, to July 8, and be able to talk about how important of a haul Billy Napier reeled in for his 2023 recruiting class in those two and a half weeks. Napier and his staff got seven commitments in that timeframe and all seven are blue chippers as listed by one recruiting service or another. The group serves as a huge foundation for the overall 2023 class as they continue to build on it.
The haul included six in-state prospects and one from Georgia. Northeast Florida was the most represented with two from the Tampa area also committed to the Gators in the 17-day span. The seven prospects represented different positions including skill players on offense, the defensive line, and secondary.
Things got started with a major prospect from the Tampa area. Four-star edge rusher Isaiah Nixon, 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds from St. Petersburg Lakewood HS, was committed to UCF for a while. When his recruitment really started to take off, Nixon started looking around. On June 18, he stepped away from his commitment to the Knights and three days later on June 21, he committed to Florida. He’s long and lean and should play outside linebacker for the Gators and be able to really get after the quarterback.
Just four days later another player that will put his hand in the dirt and rush the passer decided to make public what many assumed would eventually happen. Gainesville Buchholz four-star defensive end Gavin Hill made his decision public on June 25. The 6-foot-3 255 pound local product is part of a program that is starting to turnout a good bit of high profile prospects and current teammate, receiver Creed Whittemore, is also committed to Florida from the 2023 class. Whittemore’s brother Trent played at Buchholz and is already on the Gators roster. Hill will man the other side of the defensive line and play with his hand in the dirt most of the time. His stock rose in the offseason and is expected to have a big senior season for the Bobcats.
Just two days later and on June 27, Jacksonville Bartram Trail four-star cornerback Sharif Denson joined the Gator fold with his commitment. The 5-foot-11.5, 170 pounder has been a little overlooked in the state but he’s a great prospect at a very tough position to play. He’s got nice length for the position and terrific athletic ability. Denson fills a big need at corner.
A week later the Gators got a nice holiday pickup with the July 4, commitment of Thomaston (GA) Upson Lee four-star defensive end TJ Searcy. At the time, the 6-foot-5.5, 250 pound Peach State star was the highest rated prospect in the Florida class. Searcy is a prospect that could be a freak as a defensive end and has the frame to get even bigger with the likely ability to maintain his athleticism. He’s a big time player now but with even more upside.
Just three days after Searcy jumped on board, the Gators landed a couple of prospect commitments on July 7. The first was quarterback Marcus Stokes who 247Sports rates as a four-star prospect. The 6-foot-1.5, 190 pound signal caller grew up a Florida fan and is from Ponte Vedra, Nease HS, where Gator legend Tim Tebow went to high school. Like Denson, Stokes was a little overlooked but a quick look at his junior season highlights and the big plays just jump out. He can really run with the ball and has pretty good speed to break away for big plays. He also slings the ball well with very little wasted motion in his throws. The Gators were kind of late getting to Stokes as he was committed to Penn State when he actually flipped his commitment to Florida, but they may have found a really good one in the young man.
Speaking of former Gator Greats, running back Treyaun Webb is the nephew of Dee Webb who roamed the Florida secondary in the early 2000s. The four-star prospect measures in at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, and plays for Jacksonville’s Trinity Christian Academy. Webb highly considered Penn State and South Carolina down the stretch of his recruitment but committed to Florida less than an hour after Stokes did. He’s a prolific runner in the Jacksonville area and should only get better after spending most of his junior season running while recovering from injury and still putting up big numbers.
Florida’s last commitment in the 17-day period is currently the highest rated prospect in the class. Four-star receiver Eugene Wilson committed to Florida just one day after Stokes and Webb and on July 8, on a planned commitment date. At 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, the Tampa Gaither HS prospect provides excitement when he gets the ball in his hands. With a receiver room made up of mainly big bodies that can make plays on the ball, Wilson is a jitter bug that can turn the catch in the short field into an excitement filled bigger play.
The Gators currently sit 16th nationally in team composite recruiting rankings according to the On3 Sports network. With 12 commits, the Gators aren’t quite halfway done with the 2023 class. There will be several more players added and the expectation is for a handful of them to be rated higher than anyone in the current class. This 17-day period provided a huge spark to get the recruiting ball rolling.