Gators flip Canes four-star RB Brandon Powell

By Adam Silverstein
January 10, 2014

The Florida Gators on Friday filled the hole created in their 2014 recruiting class by the decommitment of four-star running back Dalvin Cook (Miami, FL) by flipping their second prospect in as many days , four-star RB Brandon Powell (Deerfield Beach, FL).

A Miami Hurricanes commitment, Powell initially hoped to enroll early at UM. According to The Gainesville Sun‘s Zach Abolverdi, who first reported the flip, things changed Wednesday when Florida, Powell’s dream school which had not previously offered a scholarship, gave him an opportunity to join the program.

Powell (5-foot-9, 167 pounds) was originally committed to Tennessee but changed his mind and joined Miami’s class on Aug. 3, 2013. Ranked No. 189 overall by Rivals.com, he is considered the seventh-best all-purpose back prospect in the country.

The Gators are also planning to try and gain a pledge from four-star RB Jeff Jones (Minneapolis, MN), who is currently committed to Minnesota. Florida offered Jones (6-foot, 198 pounds), the 92nd-ranked player in the nation, late in the process but has already scheduled an official visit with the prospect for Jan. 24.

Thursday morning, UF gained a commitment from five-star cornerback Jalen Tabor (Washington, D.C.), who immediately became the Gators’ highest-rated player at No. 24 overall. He hopes to enroll in classes next week.

Florida now has 21 total commitments this recruiting cycle including 12 ranked four stars or higher and 12 from within its home state.

13 Comments

  1. Swampy says:

    Very explosive dude. Good get after losing an explosive player like Cook. Go gators!

  2. SWFL Joe says:

    Reminds me of Chris Rainey. Has a good first step and I like how he’s looking to cut up field even on the runs to the outside. Not blazing speed but enough to get into the secondary quickly. Our move to a more spread type offense will fit him very well. Welcome aboard.

  3. Matt says:

    Does this have any affect on us landing Isaiah McKenzie? He and Jones are the two backs I prefer in this class.

  4. 305gator says:

    Good get, and we are not done yet. The demise of Gator football and the supposed shortcomings of our coaches have been greatly exaggerated. We will be back on top sooner rather than later.
    Don’t you agree gatorboi?????????????
    Go Gators!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • gatorboi352 says:

      Glad I’m your personal celebrity on here now.

      I’m sure Muschamp really had a lot to do with this guy’s decision considering he grew up a die hard Gator and this was his dream team. Reports are that Muschamp and Co. didn’t even go after him until Cook flipped.

      Oh, and what’s this I read right here in this article?

      “things changed Wednesday when Florida, Powell’s dream school which had not previously offered a scholarship, gave him an opportunity to join the program.”

  5. Gatoralum88 says:

    Great highlight reel! I agree, Rainey is an accurate comparison. He seems to have good instincts and quickness. If he has a similar career (minus all the off-field issues Rainey had) I’ll be happy. Go Gators!

    • Matt says:

      Demps was a word class athlete and in some instances Rainey was faster. Powell doesn’t seem to be on that level. However, he could end up being more productive in his time at Florida

  6. Joe says:

    Adam, will he be enrolling early at Florida?

  7. Ken (CA) says:

    Great highlights, but another small back. Wont be able to run consistently without lots of injuries like demps/rainey. Good think we have Taylor to do the heavy lifting. Sounds like he will be more like the jet sweep type guy, not between the tackles.

    • gatorboi352 says:

      KEep in mind Ken that Florida is (supposedly) switching to the spread next year. This guy’s size won’t keep him off the field.

  8. aziatic41 says:

    I like this pick-up. He’s an explosive offensive playmaker. Something we desperately need!

  9. Aligator says:

    Why do we keep recruiting these small running backs? Why, they can not run in the SEC!!

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