The Dan Mullen era at the University of Florida is off to a big start as the Gators finished 9-3 on the season. The Gators are on their way to their first New Year’s Six Bowl since the Will Muschamp era. They will take on a familiar foe as they will play the Michigan Wolverines. Until bowl practices start, the Florida coaching staff is on the road recruiting their own commits and top targets. On 247 Sports, the Florida Gators currently have the 19th ranked recruiting class in the country. Florida only has 18 commits and should finish with about 25 commits in their class. Here is the Florida Gators 2019 mock recruiting class.
Quarterback: Jalon Jones
Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators got their quarterback commit last summer in four-star quarterback Jalon Jones. The former Mississippi State commit de-committed from the Bulldogs once Mullen was hired at Florida and committed to the Gators last summer. Jones is very solid to the Florida Gators and hasn’t shown interest in any other schools. Jones is the sixth ranked dual-threat quarterback in the country. The Virginia native was Florida’s top QB target in the 2019 recruiting cycle. Jones will sign in December and enroll early with the Florida Gators. He will also take an official visit this weekend with most of Florida’s commits and top targets. Jones is a 6’4” 215 pound quarterback with solid arm strength and has been clocked running between a 4.4-4.5 40 yard dash.
Running Back: Nay’Quan Wright and Trey Sanders
The Florida Gators running back room is loaded with very talented upperclassmen and underclassmen. Florida is expected to lose at least one running back after the season and will need to add another top back. Four-star running back Nay’Quan Wright would be the man for the Florida Gators. The Carol City running back had a great senior season and committed to the Gators after the Florida State win. Wright would probably be a top 100 recruit if he didn’t missed his junior season with an injury. He took an official visit to Florida versus Charleston Southern and then to an unofficial visit for the LSU game. Florida is also in on the nation’s top running back Trey Sanders. The five-star running back has family ties to Florida as his brother is on the team and ends up at Florida with Mike Locksley heading to Maryland.
Wide Receiver: Dionte Marks and Ja’markis Weston
The Gators have had some nice production from their wide receivers like Van Jefferson and Freddie Swain. They are also expected to add a few more receivers for next season. Ja’markis Weston has been committed to the Gators since McElwain was at Florida. Dionte Marks has been one of Florida’s most solid commits and will likely sign with the Gators in December. Marks has had a terrific senior season and is considered by many as the most underrated recruit in Florida’s class. Another wide receiver target to look out for is Arjei Henderson. He recently de-committed from Oklahoma and is favoring Florida and LSU. Henderson will need to get his grades if the Gators can have a realistic shot at signing him in February.
Tight End: Keon Zipperer
The Florida Gators added some talented tight ends in the 2018 recruiting class and are after one of the top tight ends in the country. Under Amour All-American tight end Keon Zipperer has been a major target for the Gators and would be a big get for the Gators. The Florida Gators are battling with the Miami, Alabama and LSU for the Lakeland tight end. Zipperer has taken a few unofficial visits to Florida and will take an official visit to Florida this weekend. Zipperer is expected to sign on December 19th. Florida’s tight end coach Larry Scott is the primary recruiter for the four-star tight end
Offensive Line: Wardrick Wilson, Ethan White, Riley Simonds, William Harrod, Kingsley Eguakun and Michael Tarquin
Florida’s offensive line has been a pleasant surprise for the Gators but they will lose three to four of their starters. Wardrick Wilson is a four-star offensive lineman that has been committed to the Gators for over a year and will take an official visit this weekend with his mother, who still lives in the Bahamas. Ethan White is a huge offensive lineman that will also be in Gainesville for an official visit this weekend. Riley Simonds was a nice get for the Florida Gators and has stayed solid to the Gators.
William Harrod has already taken an official visit to Florida and is expected to sign with them on December 19th. Florida had also flipped two Miami offensive lineman commits in Kingsley Eguakun and Michael Tarquin. One offensive lineman to watch for is Under Armour All-American Deyavie Hammond. If Hammond wants in, Florida might have to push out one of their commits.
Defensive Tackle: Jaelin Humphries and Derick Hunter
One of the top commits for the Florida Gators is Jaelin Humphries. The four-star defensive tackle committed to the Gators last summer. Humphries picked the Florida Gators over the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Humphries has said that he’s solid to Florida and will sign with them during the early signing period. Another in-state recruit on flip watch is four-star defensive lineman Derick Hunter. Florida has been recruiting Hunter for a long time. Hunter is currently committed to Florida State but his commitment seems to be shaky. The Florida coaching staff is also recruiting Mississippi State commit Nathan Pickering very hard but it will be hard to pull him from the Bulldogs.
Defensive Ends: Lloyd Summerall and Brandon Dorlus
Another Lakeland recruit that the Florida Gators are very high on is Lloyd Summerall. The four-star defensive end is one of Florida’s top recruits on the board. The in-state defensive end has been high on Mullen’s board since arriving at Florida. Summerall will take an official visit to Florida this weekend with his Lakeland teammate, Keon Zipperer. Deerfield Beach defensive end and Virginia Tech commit Brandon Dorlus is another recruit that might be on flip watch. Dorlus is high on Florida and took an official visit to Florida last weekend.
Linebackers: Diwun Black, Tyron Hooper, Jesiah Pierre and Mohamoud Diabate
First year linebacker coach Christian Robinson deserves a raise as the Gators might have the best linebacker class in the country. Diwun Black is one of the top commits in Florida’s class and will take an unofficial visit to Florida this weekend. Tyron Hopper is an Army All-American and will be on campus this weekend for an official visit. Another linebacker that will be on campus for an official visit is Jesiah Pierre. He was a former Miami commit before flipping to Florida last summer. Mohamoud Diabate was a huge get for the Gators and an Army All-American. Diabate will be signing early and also be an early enrollee.
Cornerbacks: Jaydon Hill, Chester Kimbrough, Chris Steele and Kaiir Elam
Jaydon Hill is a four-star cornerback that is very solid to his commitment to Florida and will enroll early. He tore his ACL early his senior year but will still be a big part of the Florida Gators 2019 recruiting class. Chester Kimbrough is a Louisiana recruit that picked the Florida Gators over the LSU Tigers. Kimbrough committed to the Gators in August and will sign in February. Former USC commit Chris Steele is expected to make his final decision at the Army All-American Game and Florida might be the favorite as of now. Under Armour All-American Kaiir Elam is the top defensive back on Florida’s board. He has family ties to the Florida Gators as his uncle, Matt Elam, played for the Gators. The Georgia Bulldogs are a threat to the Gators but with Mel Tucker leaving to Colorado, it might help Florida seal the deal.
Safety: Trent Whittemore
Another Florida commit that has been committed since the Jim McElwain era is Trent Whittemore. The Gainesville native has been committed to Florida for over about a year and a half and doesn’t seem like he’s going anywhere. Whittemore has great size for a safety with a lot of room to grow. The three-star safety might be the only safety in the class the Gators. If Florida adds another safety to the class, they would target Ohio State commit Jordan Battle. With Urban Meyer retiring, the Gators might have a shot at Battle before he signs in December.
