Updated: Feb. 1 at 9:45 p.m.

Sixteen members strong, the Florida Gators 2011 recruiting class could look totally different – or exactly the same – at the end of the week. With the vast majority of uncommitted high school football players announcing their decisions on National Signing Day this Wednesday, a handful of others may wait a few days to make their intentions known. Below OGGOA breaks down who Florida is still waiting to hear from, when they might learn of their decision and some of the latest insights on each player.

Linebacker Curtis Grant (Richmond, VA)
Accolades: No. 2 player in the country (No. 1 linebacker) according to Rivals; No. 46 player in the country (No. 3 linebacker) according to ESPNU
Leaders: Florida, Ohio State
Contenders: Virginia, North Carolina
Skinny: Though his hometown school and a regional choice are both in the picture, it is believed by most that this is a two-horse race between UF and OSU. The Gators have sent head coach Will Muschamp (two weeks ago) as well as defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, linebackers coach D.J. Durkin and tight ends coach Brian White (last week) in-home to see him. With Florida’s staff only coming together recently, Grant may feel more comfortable elsewhere. Then again, the press put on by UF may have impressed him and he would likely have the opportunity to play relatively early.
Announcement: NSD at 1:50 p.m.

Linebacker Stephone Anthony (Wadesboro, NC)
Accolades: No. 1 linebacker (No. 32 player in the country) according to ESPNU; No. 3 linebacker (No. 24 palyer in the country) according to Rivals
Leader: Clemson
Contenders: Florida, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, North Carolina State
Skinny: It appears that Anthony is favoring Clemson and Virginia Tech with the Tigers edging. In fact, almost every recruiting analyst predicting where Anthony will eventually declare tabs Clemson.
Update: Anthony eliminated UF on Monday.
Announcement: NSD at 11:30 a.m.

Defensive tackle Tim Jernigan (Lake City, FL)
Accolades: Consensus No. 2 defensive tackle in the country, listed at No. 17 on the ESPNU 150 and No. 29 on the Rivals 100
Leaders: Florida State, LSU
Contenders: Florida, Tennessee
Skinny: As OGGOA has previously reported, the Gators have put a full-court press on Jernigan. Assistant defensive line coach Bryant Young visited him in-home during his first day on the job, and he has also met personally with Muschamp and Quinn. Florida was thought to have a legitimate chance, but Rivals affiliate VolQuest reported that Jernigan loved his visit to UT over the weekend and it may have supplanted UF in his top three. Always in the back of Jernigan’s mind, however, may be that he and his family have been long-time Gators fans and his home is just 45 miles from The Swamp.
Update: The Orlando Sentinel reports that Jernigan is no longer considering UF.
Announcement: NSD at 10 a.m. on ESPN

Learn about eight more 2011 recruits…after the break.
Continue Reading » Recruits to watch through National Signing Day

Tags: Brian White, Bryant Young, Charlie Weis, Curt Maggitt, Curtis Grant, D.J. Durkin, Dan Quinn, Elkino Watson, Gerald Christian, Jacob Fisher, Jacoby Brissett, Jermauria Rasco, Jonathan Jenkins, Junior Pomee, Lynden Trail, Matt Elam, National Signing Day, Quinton Dunbar, Robert Clark, Stephone Anthony, Tevin Westbrook, The Swamp, Tim Jernigan, Urban Meyer, Will Muschamp

Currently 15 members strong, the Florida Gators 2011 recruiting class is being looked down on because of the commitments that have been lost rather than lauded for those players new head coach Will Muschamp has retained.

While three four-star commitments have departed for what they believe are greener pastures since Muschamp jumped on board, the nation’s top quarterback and a number of other integral players remain dedicated to the Orange and Blue.

Muschamp hopes his group of committed prospects grows significantly in the coming weeks, and it appears he has honed in on four-star defensive tackle Tim Jernigan (Lake City, FL) as his prime target with National Signing Day approaching on Feb 2.

Assistant defensive line coach Bryant Young visited Jernigan in his home during his first day on the job last Friday, and the Gators are doing whatever they can to get him to take one of his final two official visits to Gainesville, FL.

Craig Howard, Jernigan’s head coach at Columbia High School, said Florida is one of three schools vying for the chance to host the player on a visit. Though he will not narrow down his options, reports have Jernigan considering those three schools along with LSU; UF is coming on strong and doing the best they can to get in his ear as of late.

“I would say that Florida is semi back in it,” Howard told ESPN’s Jamie Newberg on Monday. “Coach Muschamp and those guys have done a good job with him.”

The Gators will send Muschamp, Young and defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Dan Quinn to Lake City on Thursday to meet with Jernigan, who is set to announce his commitment live on ESPN at 10 a.m. on National Signing Day, according to Howard.

Jernigan, listed at No. 17 on the ESPNU 150 and No. 29 on the Rivals 100, is the No. 2 defensive tackle in the 2011 recruiting cycle according to both scouting services. He would be the only player at his position committed to Florida for 2011, though UF did sign prominent five-star DTs Sharrif Floyd and Dominique Easley in 2010.

Photo Credit: Unknown

Tags: Bryant Young, Dan Quinn, Dominique Easley, National Signing Day, Sharrif Floyd, Tim Jernigan, Will Muschamp

1 » Florida Gators four-star running back Mike Blakely (Bradenton, FL), an early enrollee already on campus at the University of Florida, is scheduled to have shoulder surgery this week that will keep him out of spring practice but hopefully allow him to be available in the summer. It is not known how Blakely injured his shoulder except that it occurred before he enrolled in January.

2 » Three-star offensive lineman commitment Chase Hounshell (Kirkland, OH), originally scheduled to join some of his future teammates as an early enrollee this month, instead decided to return to high school and take his time making his final decision. Hounshell announced Sunday that he received an in-home visit from Gators head coach Will Muschamp and offensive line coach/running game coordinator Frank Verducci, men he described as “first class” and “just great people.” He will be visiting Florida this upcoming weekend in what appears to be a reaffirmation trip.

3 » The Gators coaching staff, barring a packed suitcase and plane ticket to Gainesville, FL, is now complete. New defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, the defensive line coach of the Seattle Seahawks until they lost to the Chicago Bears in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs on Sunday, has now fulfilled his commitment to his team and should be ready to hit the ground running any day now. A Scout.com report from Friday noted that Quinn’s assistant DL coach at Florida, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Bryant Young, was already hard at work recruiting. He was in the home of five-star DT Tim Jernigan (Lake City, FL), convincing him to take a trip and give UF some serious consideration.

4 » Though former Gators safety Will Hill decided to leave school early and declare for the 2011 NFL Draft, his classmate and teammate in the secondary, junior cornerback Janoris Jenkins, chose to stick around for his senior season. Hill was shocked by this occurrence, especially considering Jenkins was expected to be a first-round selection, and told the Orlando Sentinel his thoughts on the subject. “He was talking about leaving,” Hill said. “I haven’t heard or spoke to him for two months. Last time I spoke to him, he said he was leaving. That he’s coming back is kind of a surprise.”

5 » After meeting with four-star quarterback recruit Jacoby Brissett (West Palm Beach, FL) at his high school on Friday, new Florida offensive coordinator and QB coach Charlie Weis invited him to take an unofficial visit to campus over the weekend. Brissett obliged, watched most of the game with Weis and met up with some of his former Dwyer High School teammates including freshman S Matt Elam. Brissett, also a high school basketball player who could be in a unique position to play both sports at UF, reportedly came away from the visit impressed though he still has plenty of thinking to do. Muschamp extended a scholarship offer to Brissett after Weis left on Friday, something he had not been given under former head coach Urban Meyer.

6 » The Gators’ two basketball programs have had a pretty rough go of it this week. In addition to the men falling 72-69 at home to South Carolina, the women lost a pair of gut-wrenching games on Thursday and Sunday. Routed 83-40 at home by the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers on Jan. 13, Florida blew a 16-point lead with 14:17 remaining in the game to fall 70-64 to the Georgia Bulldogs on the road in Athens, GA on Jan. 16. After getting out to a good start this season, the women have lost three of their last four games including a 73-56 throttling by Auburn on Jan. 6.

Tags: Bryant Young, Charlie Weis, Chase Hounshell, Chicago Bears, Dan Quinn, Draft, Dwyer, Frank Verducci, Georgia Bulldogs, Jacoby Brissett, Janoris Jenkins, Matt Elam, Mike Blakely, NFL, Playoffs, Pro Bowl, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Volunteers, Tim Jernigan, University of Florida, Urban Meyer, Will Hill, Will Muschamp, women's basketball

Over the last two weeks, plenty has been going on with the Florida Gators as far as recruiting for the 2011 season is concerned. Since June 10, the Gators have received in four commitments, including four-star wide receiver Javares McRoy (Lakeland, FL) [article], three-star fullback Hunter Joyer (Tampa, FL) [article], three-star offensive lineman Tommy Jordan (Ridgefield, CT) [article], four-star linebacker Ryan Shazier (Plantaiton, FL) [article].

Additionally, the team got a commitment without an official offer from three-star LB Rahim Cassell (Lakewood, CA) [article], and 2012 WR Latroy Pittman (Citra, FL) [article] is all but ready to pick Florida before his junior year of high school even begins.

However, the Gators still have plenty of work to do in order to enhance the current eight-person 2011 class, and the team made a lot of headway as recruits participated in football camps and took visits to the University of Florida in recent weeks.

Update yourself on some of the top 2011 recruits and targets…after the break!
Continue Reading » Going camping: Top recruits visit Florida in June

Tags: Aaron Lynch, Andre Debose, Chris Johnson, Friday Night Lights, Hunter Joyer, James Wilder, Javares McRoy, Jeff Driskel, Jerrard Randall, John Theus, Jordan Montgomery, Kelvin Benjamin, Kent Turene, Lamar Dawson, Latroy Pittman, Louchiez Purifoy, Mack Brown, Mike Blakely, Nathan Theus, Nick Waisome, Percy Harvin, Rahim Cassell, Ray Drew, Ryan Shazier, Tim Jernigan, Tommy Jordan, Tony Steward, Trip Thurman, Univeristy of Florida, Urban Meyer, Willie Snead, Zach Azzinari

With the Florida Gators’ first Junior Day of the 2011 session in the books and recruiting for the next term already underway, OGGOA recruiting contributor Zach Abolverdi takes a look at what will be the top five needs for the team next offseason.

Check out the Gators’ top five positions of need for 2011 after the jump!
Continue Reading » Florida football’s five positions of need for 2010

Tags: Angelo Mangiro, Brian Randolph, Chaz Green, Christian Lemay, Christian Westerman, Chuck Heater, Dan McCarney, Dee Finley, Edwin Herbert, Gary Brown, Ha’Sean Clinton-Dix, Ian Silberman, Jadeveon Clowney, James Vaughters, James Wilder, Jeff Driskel, Jonathan Dowling, Jordan Haden, Josh Evans, Matt Elam, Ronald Powell, Scot Loeffler, Steve Addazio, Teryl Austin, Tim Jernigan, Urban Meyer

Recruiting contributor Zach Abolverdi in his first submission to OGGOA…

Now that football recruiting for the 2010 term is in the books and Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer has assembled one of the best classes of all-time, OGGOA brings you a look ahead to the Gators’ (in our opinion) top 20 targets for 2011. These are prospects that the coaching staff has already targeted and is pursuing the hardest as of press time. Perhaps even more important, the 20 targets listed below have a mutually high level of interest in Florida. [Preliminary star ratings provided by Scout.com.]

1. DT Tim Jernigan (Lake City, FL) – 6’2” 275 lbs.
Nicknamed “Hercules” for his superior size and strength, Jernigan also runs a remarkable 4.6 in the forty yard dash. He received his very first scholarship offer from Florida as a ninth grader and has visited on several occasions including this past summer when he dominated at the Urban Meyer Football Camp. In an interview with The Gainesville Sun following National Signing Day, Jernigan revealed that if he had to sign his letter of intent now, the Gators would be the recipient of his highly sought after signature.

2. ATH James Wilder, Jr. (Tampa, FL) – 6’2” 223 lbs.
Rivals’ “Junior of the Year,” Wilder, Jr. is the 2011 version of Ronald Powell with the athletic ability to play running back, linebacker and defensive end at the next level. He favors the Miami Hurricanes at the moment because they are recruiting him at running back, the position his father played in the NFL and his position of choice. However, most recruiting analysts project Wilder as an outside linebacker, and Florida is his leader if he chooses to play on defense in college.

Check out 18 more 2011 recruits the Florida Gators are targeting after the jump!
Continue Reading » Twenty recruits the Gators are eyeing for 2011

Tags: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Bobby Hart, Brandon Fulse, Brian White, Charon Peake, Christian Lemay, Christian Westerman, Curt Maggitt, Dan McCarney, Friday Night Lights, Jack Nicklaus, James Vaughters, James Wilder, Jaylen Watkins, Jeff Driskel, Junior Day, Kelvin Benjamin, LaMichael Fanning, Lonnie Gosha, Mike Bellamy, Nick O'Leary, Nick Waisome, Sammy Watkins, Scot Loeffler, SEC, Stacey Lemay, Teddy Bridgewater, Tim Jernigan, Urban Meyer, Wayne Lyons, Zach Azzanni

1 » One of the biggest injury mysteries surrounding the Florida Gators last year was redshirt freshman cornerback Jeremy Brown, who was initially expeced to make a full recovery from a back injury two years ago. The Orlando Sentinel is now reporting that Brown has been cleared for full workouts and should be full-speed for spring practice.

2 » Though the Gators’ 2010 recruiting class is stellar from top-to-bottom, the most impressive area of the class is the incoming defensive line talent that head coach Urban Meyer was able to put together. Florida may have acquired three five-star and two four-star recruits on the defensive front, but local product and 2011 defensive line recruit Tim Jernigan (Lake City, FL) still holds the Gators as the early leader for his services. “When I first heard about all of those guys coming in, I was like, ‘Wow,” he told the Gainesville Sun. “But then I thought, ‘You can’t be selfish.’ It started hitting me that if I go there and you mix my name in there with Dominique [Easley], Sharrif [Floyd] and [Ronald] Powell … fireworks.”

Two more BITS on basketball’s rebounding and Steve Addazio…after the jump!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Brown, Jernigan, boards, Addazio

Tags: Gerry DiNardo, Indiana Hoosiers, Jeremy Brown, SEC, Steve Addazio, Tim Jernigan, Urban Meyer