Gators snag pledge from DE Luke Ancrum

By Adam Silverstein
February 1, 2015

Defensive end Luke Ancrum (Sebring, FL) is not a big name on the recruiting circuit, but the Florida Gators certainly see him as a potential program building block as the team accepted a verbal commitment from the prospect on Sunday.

Ancrum (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) is unrated on most recruiting services but considered a two-star player by Rivals. His coach at Sebring High School, Lavaar Scott, told the Orlando Sentinel’s Chris Hays that Ancrum is much better than his star rating indicates.

“A lot of coaches don’t find their way down here,” he said. “At Sebring, every now and then we will have a kid, but the coaches aren’t going to come in this far, so we’ll have kids get attention every year, but just not major, BCS attention.”

Ancrum received a scholarship offer from Florida defensive line coach Terrell Williams on Monday and officially visited the Gators on Sunday. Moments after telling one recruiting reporter that he would not make a decision until National Signing Day, Ancrum was on board with Florida head coach Jim McElwain confirming as much on Twitter.

He is listed as having offers from Pittsburgh and Wisconsin, though it is not known where he stood with those schools.

Scott told the Sentinel that Ancrum was focused on playing basketball until he realized “where his bread would be buttered” and immediately “hit the weight room hard.” He also noted that Ancrum is a good student with a 3.1 GPA and is only 17 years old.

Ancrum’s commitment was first reported by InsidetheGators.com‘s Blake Alderman.

Ancrum is Florida’s third commitment in the last two days and the Gators’ 13th overall pledge for the 2015 recruiting cycle. All but one of Florida’s 13 commitments are rated as three-star prospects or lower.

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* Dillon is expected to flip from UF to LSU.

9 Comments

  1. Gatoralum88 says:

    6’5, 240 & unrated by most? Who are these experts? Probably the same guys who consider Chris Walker a 5* prospect. They know nothing! I like this kid! Welcome to Gator nation young man. His tape looks good to me & even his ability as an OT looks pretty good although he’s way too undersized to play there. Besides, it looks like he prefers doing the hitting.

    Of course, while I like the fact they’re finally building numbers & someone is better than no one, we’ll know by noon on Wednesday just how good a closer Coach Mac is. Cowart will announce at 9, Holland at 10, & Ivey at 11 on ESPNU. Cece Jefferson will announce at 2. Hopefully, Mac’s midnight meeting with Cowart’s mom at Denny’s will pay off. If that kid gets onboard it could be a glorious day with the rest following. From what I’ve read, Ivey appears to be a solid UF lean. It’s just a shame the debacle of 2013 (when Muschump should have been fired) put so many recruits in “wait & see” mode forcing Mac to practically have to start from scratch upon arriving. Still, I can’t wait for “the Big Mac attack” to begin. Go Gators!

  2. kaput says:

    Nobody has seen the kid play, and yet some are “in love” with him already? Based on what?

    We know nothing.

  3. SW Fl Joe says:

    3* + great coaching >>> 5* + poor coaching.

  4. Gatorgrad79 says:

    Ill take three 3 star kids with a fire in their gut, a team first mentality, and a coachable attitude who want to play 4 years and graduate over one 5 star who is a prima dona for 2 years and then bolts for the bright lights. Time will tell…

  5. 305Gator says:

    I welcome this kid and all the others who want to play for UF. But you guys need to slow down, this kid looks like a project who needs a redshirt year and big time coaching to develop. I am confident the current staff can do that for him.

    • Michael Jones says:

      That’s okay. That’s the way it’s supposed to happen. There’s about 120-125 kids in any given program. You can only put 11 of them on the field at any given time.

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