Assessing the Gators '12 Class- Part Two

Mark McLeod, ESPN Radio

For years, there has been talk of a big back playing for the University of Florida. Will this be the recruiting class where the Gators add that coveted big back. In recent years that answer has been, No. That all changed yesterday when Seffner Armwood's Matt Jones strolled to the table wearing a University of Florida snuggie as a robe.

In Part One I discussed head coach Will Muschamp's delight in singing a class that should go a long way toward helping establish the line of scrimmage for the Gators. Let's talk about the other positives from National Signing Day.

Running Back- Florida would have liked to have had two running backs in this class, but got one they have wanted for a long time. It seems like we’re always talking about the big back at the University of Florida. Well, Seffner Armwood senior Matt Jones (6’2, 213) fits the role. The Gators already have Winter Haven junior Adam Lane (5’8, 200) committed for 2013. They’ll take another one in the 2013 class too.

Jones has played in one of the nation’s premier high school programs and faced the best of the best. I’ve seen him play a number of times and while he isn’t flashy, he’s just dependable and gets the job done.

“Toughness,” Muschamp said when asked what he likes about Matt Jones. ”Toughness. At the end of the day, it's toughness. He runs behind his pads and he's one of those guys in the fourth quarter you get tired of tackling. That's what we need. We need more of those guys who are able to run up in there when it's 4th and one and know that you're going to move the pile by turning around and handing it to somebody. That's something that I didn't always feel as comfortable with this year.”

Wide Receiver- It wasn’t a banner day for the Gators receiving corps on National Signing Day. However, Diggs is still very much in play and Florida needs him. He has been on the phone gathering asking about the coaching staff and gathering as much information as possible, before he makes his decision on the 10^th. It’s not good that he will visit Maryland this weekend. There is only one reason to fear the Terps and that is because they are the home state team.

The loss of Nelson Agholor was no real surprise, but definitely hurt. Those were the two (plus Letroy Pittman) that they realistically had a chance to sign and hoped to sign. Florida went with Tallahassee Lincoln wide receiver Raphael Andrades, who wasn’t as high on their board. With the issues at wide receiver, Andrades will have an opportunity to impress. I’ve seen him play and he can play. The fact that Arkansas’ Bobby Petrino offered him is a good sign. Furthermore, Andrades really wanted to play for the Gators. Pittman was the only other wide receiver in the class and Muschamp stated that he could move to defensive back if the staff felt it was best. Based on the numbers, I really don’t see Pittman doing that this season. The only way is if Pittman gets some reps in the spring and shines. The Gators might be able to use tight end Kent Taylor at wide receiver in some situations. He can get downfield and would be a nightmare to cover in situations.

“We had him in camp,” Muschamp said of Andrades. “We've recruited we're him all along and a guy that we liked.  He did a great job in camp.  He's a guy that had a bunch of offers.  We had been recruiting him all along.  That's why you have a deep board; when you get in a situation you want to go in and take a guy, you take the guy, and we're really excited.”

“Well, Latroy wants to be a Gator, so that's what it tells you, number one,” Muschamp said. “But a really good athlete and a guy that can possibly help us on either side of the ball.  Was an outstanding safety at North Marion and also a playmaker at the wide receiver position, so he's a guy that we're really kind of still determining where he'll start.”

Quarterback- The Gators definitely needed a quarterback in this class. We’ll have to keep an eye on Jeff Driskel, who was an outstanding high school baseball player and is expected to join the Gators baseball team in 2013. It appeared that it might just be one a couple of players given preferred walk-on status. Skyler Mornhigweg is a coach’s son (Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhigweg) who understands the game. His style of play is a good fit for what Florida wants to do offensively.

“We had recruited a quarterback through the year, and when he had committed to another school, we had made the decision we were going to recruit another quarterback at the end of November,” Muschamp said. “And of course Charlie (Weis) left for Kansas the 1st of December.”

“I do think that position is different than every other position as far as identifying the critical factors, number one, but having a good feel for that quarterback coach, coordinator position, to have kind of a guy that he wanted to recruit,” He said “And so when we tired ‑‑ I held off on all of that.  Obviously evaluated the tape and got everything ready, and the moment we hired Brent, he and I sat down and talked about what we needed to do at that position, and pinpointed Skylar from the beginning.”

Tight Ends- When you don’t have a group of playmakers at wide receiver, a terrific tight end can really help make those guys better. Florida added a pair of All-Americans in Archbishop Wood (Pa.) Colin Thompson (6’4, 252) and Land O’Lakes Kent Taylor (6’5, 225), who should thrive in this system for years. The Gators already have a pair of athletic players in junior Jordan Reed and sophomore A.C. Leonard. This is the most talented group of tight ends top to bottom that I’ve ever seen at Florida.  If Reed has a solid year, he would probably forego his senior year for the NFL.

“I think from the standpoint of when we recruit, it's a philosophy of offense, defense and special teams of who we are, it's not a person,” Muschamp said when asked about the duo. “So I think they understood that.  But I think they complement each other very well.”

“Colin is 6'5", 265‑pound guy that can stretch the field,” He said. “He can do a lot of things for you at the point of attack. Kent Taylor's a guy that can stretch the field, match‑up issue, is a guy that can really go and get the football. Outstanding athlete, outstanding baseball player.  So both guys are guys we're really excited about.”

Kicker- Caleb Sturgis will be a senior next season and the Gators needed to bring in a big, consistent leg for the future. They signed All-American Austin Hardin out of Atlanta, who is a terrific kicker. All seven of his missed field goals this season were beyond 50 yards. He connected on a 59-yard field goal to win a game.

Mark McLeod is the host of “The Mark McLeod Show” and covers Gators football, recruiting, and baseball for ESPN Radio (Gainesville/Ocala). Mark is a member of the Football Writers Association of America. You can follow him on Twitter at @McLeodLive. E-mail Mark at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it