Florida Gators 2012 National Signing Day bios

By Adam Silverstein
February 1, 2012

Courtesy of the University of Florida‘s University Athletic Association:

EARLY ENROLLEES

Willie Bailey • Safety
6-1 • 167
Hallandale, FL • Hallandale H.S.

Enrolled at UF in January of 2012… PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Three-star recruit…Attended Hallandale High School…Rated the No. 24 cornerback in the country by ESPN…Selected as the No. 77 high school player in the state of Florida by Rivals.com…Selected to the AP Class 5A All-State Second Team as a defensive back…Talented defensive back with good size…Led Hallandale to a 6-4 record as a senior…Chose Florida over Miami, North Carolina and USF…Coached by Dameon Jones.

Jessamen Dunker • Offensive Line
6-4 • 320
Boynton Beach, FL • Boynton Beach Community H.S.

Enrolled at UF in January 2012… PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Consensus four-star recruit…Selected as the No. 46 recruit in the ESPN 150…Ranked the No. 4 offensive guard in the country by ESPN…Listed as the No. 20 recruit in the state of Florida by Rivals.com…Named a PARADE High School All-American and 2011 Under Armour All-American…Named to the Press-Register’s 120 List…Selected to play in the 2011 FACA All-State Game…Selected to the AP Class 5A All-State First Team…Transferred to Boynton Beach High School as a junior after moving to Florida from Georgia…Did not play football until his junior year of high school…Began playing football as a high school junior…Chose Florida over Auburn, LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, South Carolina, Baylor, Florida State and Notre Dame…Coached by Rick Swain.

D.J. Humphries • Offensive Line
6-6 • 271
Charlotte, NC • Mallard Creek H.S.

Enrolled at UF in January 2012… PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A consensus five-star and top-20 recruit…Rated as the No. 2 prospect by Rivals.com, the No. 7 prospect by ESPN and the No. 11 prospect by Scout.com…The No. 1 recruit out of the state of North Carolina according to Rivals.com…Named a first-team high school All-American by USA Today, ESPN, Rivals.com, MaxPreps and Sports Illustrated…Has started since his freshman season and hasn’t allowed a sack since his freshman season…Led Mallard Creek to a 13-1 record and berth in the NCHSAA Class 4AA State Semifinals…Mallard Creek finished No. 47 in the nation in the final POWERADE FAB 50 rankings…An AP All-State first team selection…Selected to participate in the 2012 U.S. Army All-America Bowl…Coached by Michael Palmieri…Father, D.J., played football at Presbyterian College and in the Arena Football League.


Damien Jacobs • Defensive Tackle
6-3 • 310
Scooba, MS • East Mississippi CC
Enrolled at UF in January 2012… PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Rated a four-star JUCO prospect by Rivals.com and Scout.com…Rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com coming out of HS in 2009…Originally committed to Florida State… Spent the 2010 and 2011 playing at East Mississippi Community College, where the Lions won the 2011 NJCAA Football National Championship…In 2011, Jacobs recorded 47 total tackles, eight TFLs, two sacks, four quarterback hurries and two fumble recoveries for the undefeated EMCC Lions…Coached by Buddy Stephens at EMCC.

Antonio Morrison • Linebacker
6-1 • 209
Bolingbrook, IL • Bolingbrook H.S.

Enrolled at UF in January 2012… PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Rated a four-star prospect, the No. 5 recruit in Illinois and the No. 10 inside linebacker nationally by Rivals.com…Ranked the top linebacker prospect in the Midwest by Tom Lemming and No. 204 player overall in the nation by Rivals.com…Named a high school All-American by USA Today (2nd Team LB), ESPN (3rd Team LB) and Sports Illustrated (Honorable Mention LB)…Selected to the ESPN HS Illinois All-State team…Led Bolingbrook to a 13-1 record and IHSA Class 8A State Championship as a senior, the school’s first-ever state title…Had to miss the title game due to injury…Bolingbrook finished No. 36 in the nation in the final POWERADE FAB 50 rankings…Had 101 tackles, seven sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception as a junior at Bolingbrook…Selected to the 2011 Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl…Chose Florida over Alabama, Tennessee, Arizona and Purdue, among others…Coached by John Ivlow.

Latroy Pittman • Wide Receiver
6-0 • 195
Citra, FL • North Marion H.S.

Enrolled at UF in January 2012… PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Rated a four-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals.com…Listed as the 24th-ranked WR in the nation by ESPN…Participated in the 2012 Under Armour All-American Game…Caught 25 passes for 481 yards (19.24 average) with eight touchdowns as a senior…Also recorded 38 tackles and five interceptions on defense…Helped North Marion to the 5A Regional Semifinals and a 9-3 record during his senior season…Selected to the AP Class 5A All-State Third Team as a defensive back…Will be the first member of his family to attend college…Chose Florida over Notre Dame, Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, South Florida and Auburn…Coached by Craig Damon.

SIGNED NATIONAL LETTERS OF INTENT

Raphael Andrades • Wide Receiver
6-0 • 190
Tallahassee, FL • Lincoln H.S.

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Three-star recruit…Rated the No. 99 wide receiver in the country by Rivals.com…Receiver with good size and athleticism and has speed and leaping ability…Helped lead Lincoln to a 9-2 record as a senior…Selected to the AP Class 7A All State Second Team as a wide receiver…Totaled 37 catches for 750 yards (20.27 average) with 10 touchdowns as a senior…As a junior, helped the Lincoln Trojans win the FHSAA Class 4A State Championship…Chose Florida over Arkansas, Illinois, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt…Coached by Yusuf Shakir.

Jonathan Bullard • Defensive End
6-3 • 263
Shelby, NC • Crest Senior H.S.

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A five-star prospect according to Scout.com and Rivals.com…Rated the No. 6 overall prospect by Rivals.com and the No. 2 prospect in the state of North Carolina, behind fellow signee D.J. Humphries…Also ranked the No. 1 strongside defensive end recruit in the nation by Rivals.com and the No. 4 Defensive End overall by ESPN and Scout.com…Ranked No. 37 on the ESPN 150…Named an Honorable Mention All-American by Sports Illustrated…Participated in the prestigious U.S. Army All-American Bowl…Selected to the AP All-State First Team as a senior…Recorded 82 tackles and 16 sacks during his senior season…Helped lead Crest to a 12-4 record his senior season and finished as the NCHSAA Class 3AA Runner-Up…Chose Florida over Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, South Carolina and Nebraska…Coached by Mark Barnes.

Bryan Cox Jr. • Defensive End
6-3 • 247
Fort Lauderdale, FL • St. Thomas Aquinas H.S.

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A three-star prospect according to ESPN, Scout.com and Rivals.com…Rated the No. 66 player in the state of Florida and the No. 37 strongside defensive end in the country by Rivals.com…Suffered a wrist injury early in his senior season and missed significant time…St. Thomas finished with a 10-3 record in 2011…Son of former NFL linebacker Bryan Cox, who played 12 seasons with the Dolphins, Bears, Jets, Patriots and Saints…Chose Florida over Louisville, Miami (FL) and Michigan State…Coached by Rocco Casullo.

Dante Fowler, Jr. • Linebacker
6-3 • 261
St. Petersburg, FL • Lakewood Senior H.S.

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A five-star prospect ranked the No. 3 weakside defensive end and No. 28 recruit overall by Rivals.com…The No. 5 prospect in the state of Florida according to Rivals.com…Ranked in the Rivals100 (No. 28) national list as well as the ESPN 150 (No. 71) national list…Named an Honorable Mention All-American by Sports Illustrated…Competed in the 2012 Under Armour All-American Game…Helped Lakewood to a 7-4 record as a senior…Chose Florida over Florida State, Southern Cal, Auburn, Georgia, LSU and Ohio State among others…Coached by Cory Moore.

Austin Hardin • Kicker
5-10 • 204
Atlanta, GA • Marist School

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A three-star prospect according to ESPN and Scout.com…Rated the No. 1 kicking prospect in the nation by ESPN…Kicked at the Under Armour All-America game…Named to the Georgia Sportswriters Association Class 4A All-State Team…Went 13-of-20 on field goals, including a 59-yard game-winner, and converted all of his extra-point attempts…Helped Marist to a 9-3 record as a senior…All seven of his misses came from over 50 yards…Chose Florida over Auburn and Tennessee…Coached by Alan Chadwick.

Matt Jones, Running Back
6-2 • 213
Seffner, FL • Armwood H.S.

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Rated a four-star prospect by ESPN, Scout.com and Rivals.com…Rated the 11th-best running back prospect by ESPN…The No. 137 player overall according to Scout.com…Rated the No. 32 player in the state of Florida by Rivals.com…Earned Honorable Mention All-State honors as a senior despite missing four games with a knee injury…Helped lead Armwood to a 15-0 record and the FHSAA Class 6A Championship his senior year while rushing for 896 yards (6.49 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns despite missing four games…Also had nine catches for 197 yards and three touchdowns…Armwood finished No. 2 in the nation in the final POWERADE FAB 50 rankings and No. 3 in the nation in the final USA Today Super 25 rankings…Chose Florida over Alabama, Auburn and Clemson…Coached by Sean Callahan.

Rhaheim Ledbetter • Safety
5-11 • 195
Shelby, NC • Crest Senior H.S.

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A four-star prospect according to ESPN and Scout.com…Rated the No. 9 Safety in the nation by ESPN and the No. 12 player out of the state of North Carolina by Rivals.com…Ranked No. 150 overall nationally by Scout.com…Selected to the AP All-State First Team as a senior…Helped lead Crest to a 12-4 record his senior season and finished as the NCHSAA Class 3AA Runner-Up…Chose Florida over Auburn, Clemson and South Carolina…Cousin is former Gator and current New England Patriot linebacker Brandon Spikes…Coached by Mark Barnes.

JaFar Mann • Defensive Tackle
6-4 • 293
Stone Mountain, GA • Stephenson H.S.

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Rated a three-star prospect by ESPN, Scout.com and Rivals.com…The No. 30 Defensive Tackle in the nation according to ESPN…Ranked No. 54 out of the state of Georgia according to Scout.com…Helped lead Stephenson to a 9-2 record his senior season…Chose Florida over Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee…Coached by Ron Gartrell.

Marcus Maye • Safety
5-11 • 200
Melbourne, FL • Holy Trinity Episcopal School

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Rated a four-star prospect by ESPN, Scout.com and Rivals.com…The No. 5 Safety in the country and the No. 70 player overall by Rivals.com…Ranked the No. 13 player in the state of Florida by Rivals.com…Competed in the Under Armour All-America Game…Recorded four interceptions and 45 tackles during his senior season at Holy Trinity…Also played running back for the Tigers, rushing for 712 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior…Against Heritage, Maye went 3-for-3 passing for 63 yards and two touchdowns, his only passing attempts of the season…Chose Florida over Alabama, Auburn, Florida State and LSU…Coached by Mark Ainsley.

Alex McCalister • Defensive End
6-7 • 225
Clemmons, NC • West Forsyth H.S.

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A four-star prospect by ESPN.com…The No. 14 prospect in the state of North Carolina according to Rivals.com…Also rated the No. 26 Weakside Defensive End in the nation by Rivals.com…Selected to the AP All-State First Team as a senior…West Forsyth finished with a 4-6 record during his senior season…Chose Florida over Georgia Tech, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina among others…Coached by Adrian Snow.

Skyler Mornhinweg • Quarterback
6-3 • 190
Philadelphia, PA • Saint Joseph’s Prep

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Rated a four-star recruit, the No. 6 player in Pennsylvania and the No. 19 quarterback nationally by ESPN.com…Went 110-for-229 for 1,546 passing yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior…Finished his career as the all-time leading passer at Saint Joe’s Prep and is fifth all-time in Philadelphia city history…Totaled 4,912 passing yards, 1,243 rushing yards and 71 total touchdowns (52 passing, 17 rushing, 2 interception returns) in his high school career…Engineered six fourth-quarter comebacks playing for Saint Joe’s…Was a four-year starter at QB and three-year starter at defensive back for Saint Joseph’s…Named the MVP of the Catholic League and was three-time First Team All Catholic (QB and DB)…First team all league, all city and all region selection…Won the Leroy Kelly Award, given to Southeast Pennsylvania’s Player of the Year…Named to the 2012 Pennsylvania Big 33 team…Played in the 2012 U.S. Semper Fidelis All-American game…Chose Florida over Penn State, Stanford and Tennessee…Coached by Gabe Infante…Son of Marty Mornhinweg, the Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Coordinator and former Head Coach of the Detroit Lions…Also played baseball in high school.

Dante Phillips • Defensive Tackle
6-6 • 270
Venice, FL • Venice Senior H.S.

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A consensus four-star recruit…Rated the No. 9 defensive tackle in the nation and the No. 24 player in the state of Florida according to Rivals.com…Ranked No. 120 on the Rivals250 national list…Ranked No. 110 on the ESPN Top 150 national list…Participated in the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl…Helped Venice Senior to the regional semifinals and a 9-2 record as a senior…Chose Florida over Auburn, Miami, USF, Alabama and Florida State among others…Coached by John Peacock.

Brian Poole • Cornerback
5-10 • 202
Bradenton, FL • Southeast H.S.

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A five-star recruit by Scout.com who is also rated the No. 2 cornerback in the nation…Ranked as the No. 25 player in the country by Scout.com…Rated the No. 16 player in the state of Florida…Ranked No. 82 on ESPN’s Top 150 national list and ranked No. 80 on the Rivals100 national list…Participant in the 2012 Under Armour All-American Game…Selected to the AP Class 5A All-State First Team…Led Southeast to the regional finals and a 7-3 record as a senior…Chose Florida over Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Auburn and Miami among others…Coached by Paul Maechtle.

Jeremi Powell • Linebacker
6-1 • 193
Largo, FL • Pinellas Park H.S.

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A consensus four-star recruit…Ranked the No. 17 outside linebacker and the No. 35 player in the state of Florida by Rivals.com…Rated No. 220 on the Rivals250 national list…Also played running back and wide receiver in high school…Selected to the AP Class 7A All-State First Team…Recorded 15 sacks as a senior…Caught a game-winning touchdown pass with 21 seconds left in the game to beat St. Pete High School in 2011…Helped Pinellas Park to the regional quarterfinals and a 7-4 record as a senior…Will be the first member of his family to attend college…Chose Florida over Alabama, South Carolina, USF, Purdue and Iowa State…Coached by Ken Crawford.

Kent Taylor • Tight End
6-5 • 225
Land O’Lakes, FL • Land O’Lakes H.S.

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A consensus four-star recruit…Rated as the No. 1 tight end in the nation by Rivals.com and Scout.com…Ranked the No. 10 player in the state of Florida by Rivals.com…The No. 54 prospect on the Rivals100 national list as well as No. 73 overall in the nation by Scout.com…Named an Honorable Mention All-American by Sports Illustrated…Competed in the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Bowl…Selected to the AP Class 6A All-State Third Team…As a senior, helped Land O’ Lakes HS to a 7-3 record…Recorded 30 catches for 480 yards with five touchdowns in his senior season despite missing the first month of the season with a broken left hand…Named first-team all-conference his senior season…Chose Florida over many schools including Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame Ohio State and Oregon…Coached by Brian Wachtel.

Colin Thompson • Tight End
6-4 • 252
Warminster, PA • Archbishop Wood H.S.

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: A consensus four-star recruit…Rated as the No. 2 tight end in the nation by ESPN.com and Scout.com…Ranked No. 117 in the ESPN 150 and No. 106 overall by Scout.com…The No. 5 prospect out of the state of Pennsylvania according to Rivals.com…Named an Honorable Mention All-American by Sports Illustrated…Participant in the 2012 Under Armour All-American Game…Selected to the Pennsylvania Sportswriters Class AAA All-State Team…Helped Archbishop Wood to a 14-1 record in his senior season…High school finished No. 19 in the final POWERADE FAB 50 rankings and No. 21 in the final USA Today Super 25 rankings…Archbishop Wood won the school’s first-ever title, winning the PIAA Class 3A State Championship Game 52-0…Had 13 catches for 208 yards and four touchdowns as a senior…Chose Florida over many schools, including Alabama, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Stanford, Tennessee and Wisconsin…Coached by Steve Devlin.

Quinteze Williams • Defensive End
6-5 • 255
Tyrone, GA • Sandy Creek H.S.

PRIOR TO FLORIDA: Rated a four-star prospect by ESPN.com…Ranked the No. 37 recruit in Georgia by Rivals.com…The No. 22 Defensive Tackle in the nation according to ESPN…Selected to the Georgia Sportswriters Association’s Class 3A All-State First Team…Helped Sandy Creek win the GHSA 3A championship as a junior and led them to the quarterfinals as a senior with a 12-1 record…Chose Florida over Auburn, Florida State, Georgia and Tennessee among others…Coached by Chip Walker.

12 Comments

  1. jay d says:

    a little bummed about our signing day losses….only one new major pick-up today and we pretty much knew we were gunna get fowler….why are these florida kids wanting to go to california….what a joke

  2. g8ter27 says:

    Well as of 5 pm JHC has not siged his LOI with Georgia and his family wants him at UF…who kknows?

    • Alex says:

      That’s an ugly situation, though. He’d be so resentful that he was forced into going here that the outcome wouldn’t be good. Let the kid play where he wants. It’s Georgia, they’ll find a way to lose to us.

      • CeeThree says:

        agree.. we don’t want him if he’s forced to come here.. likely won’t work as hard, be a disruption, and eventual transfer..

        Dunker has only been playing football for 2 years? wow.

  3. Alex says:

    This is a great class on paper. Anyone who thinks otherwise has played a little too much Xbox NCAA football. The real test will be how the players pan out 3-4 years from now. We’re obviously looking to build around the defense. If some of these kids can contribute, we may be able to win a couple games next year. Especially since Chuck is off in America’s Breadbasket ruining someone else’s offense.

  4. Timmy T says:

    JAY D
    Leonard Williams grew up in Cali and has family there. Algohor is Nigerian and doesn’t consider himself a “Florida kid”. No need to be bummed. We pulled a consensus top 5 class on paper. Now its all about coaching em up.

  5. scooterp says:

    If you follow recruiting (outside of NSD), you would have seen this coming. The chatter accross twitter and other recruiting sources were never as optimistic about these guy’s as the people who cover this and are too close to the program, anyway. Howard was the only real surprise, IMO. Avery and Williams cooled on Florida a long time ago – I never really expected them to be apart of this class. All signs with Agholor were pointing to USC and the recent visit sealed it. JHC? The whole world said Georgia a week ago – why are so many surprised thats where he went? Miles had been leaning Kansas since the 20th. Diggs and Howard were the ones that were the strongest Gator leans in recent weeks. But with Howard, the recent visit to UM this past weekend and the declining health of his father influenced him to stay home……. I get the disappointment somewhat, but this was a top 5 class before today even started and Diggs is still ou there.

  6. Courtney says:

    Wow welcome to gator nation where top 5 classes are a dissapointment! I’m really excited about the depth of this class on the dl especially. Cheer up guys pease will work with the ath we have already on o. Besides I have a feeling we won’t be giving up to many points this year…….anybody agree. 2013 we will load up on offense, but defense wins championships.

  7. SC Gator says:

    Look, I’m sorry, how the HELL can you look at that haul and not be happy with it? Yes I wanted Agholor and yes I still want Diggs but their joining or not joining doesn’t alter the fact that this is a excellent class.

  8. Jesse says:

    My only disappointment is that we didn’t get more bodies. With this class at 23, we are no where close to the 85 we are allowed to have. I had hoped Muschamp would have had more guys on he sidelines like the WR from Tallahassee Lincoln waiting for some spots to open up. With eight earlies, we really needed to get 27-28 signees.

    • Alex says:

      There’s no reason to dump scholarships on guys that would never see the field. With a little bit of staff continuity going into next year, they’ve got the opportunity to sign a full class of quality, rather than reaching down to hit a number.

  9. B-RAD says:

    I agree 100% this is a great class and if we land diggs (witch 5 out of 6 rivals analyst pridict he will choose the Gators i hope they are right lol) then the class will be even better and with pease as the OC our offense will be back as soon as this upcoming season. we have the talent, we have the staff now lets go kick some butt!!!! GO GATORS!!!!!

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