Orlando area recruits not jumping ship just yet after Mullen firing

Winter Park running back Terrance Gibbs, who is committed to the Florida Gators 2022 recruiting class, first learned about the firing of UF head coach Dan Mullen via social media Sunday afternoon.

“Yeah, that’s crazy,” said Gibbs, who is 6-foot, 190 pounds, told the Orlando Sentinel via phone shortly after the firing. “[But] it really means nothing. I still got to do what I got to do.”

Mullen was let go after Saturday’s 24-23 overtime loss at Missouri, dropping the Gators to 2-6 in the SEC.

The news will not change things for Gibbs. He still plans to sign with the Gators during the early signing period, which begins Dec. 15. The Gators may not have a new coach in place by then.

Gibbs said he’ll try to put a positive spin on the situation even though the entire coaching staff involved in recruiting him to Florida is likely out the door with Mullen. Gibbs’ main recruiter has been running backs coach Greg Knox, who is expected to lead the Gators into their regular-season finale with FSU on Saturday.

“They have to do what’s best for the program, so if that’s what they thought was best, I have to trust in the process,” said Gibbs, who missed most of his junior and senior seasons with a torn ACL (knee ligament).

He played sparingly in the final three games this year.

Gibbs is disappointed that Knox, the coach who recruited him, will not be there when he gets on campus.

“It’s going to be different, but you still got to kind of build different relationships,” said Gibbs, who committed to UF during the Friday Night Lights Camp in July. “I’d still love to have him there, but ...”

West Orange receiver Jayden Gibson, who committed to the Gators last month, could not be reached by phone by the Sentinel but he tweeted on Saturday that he has to look out for himself.

Gibson is the third-highest ranked player in the Gators 2022 recruiting class and the 6-foot-4, 190-pound passcatcher told the Sentinel two weeks ago that if Mullen and his staff were fired, he’d have to revisit his decision.

On Sunday morning, Gibson reached out to several fanbases via Twitter asking them to follow him, including Georgia, Auburn, Kentucky and Syracuse.

Former Orlando Bishop Moore standout wide receiver C.J. Smith, who also is one of the fastest sprinters on the state track-and-field circuit, appeared to already have his plans made.

The 6-3, 190-pound speedster posted to Twitter, however, Sunday afternoon via his @ chavonsmith1 account that his was opening back up his commitment, although not decommitting.

Smith wrote, “Due to the recent events I will be opening up my recruitment again. This is not me DECOMMITING but I want to ensure that my future home will allow me to do both track and football.”

Smith (6-3, 180) committed to the Gators this past summer. Injuries derailed his senior season, as they did for much of his Bishop Moore football career, as he played only two games before shutting things down.

Smith had surgery last month on an undisclosed injury, but it was thought to be exploratory to fix a previous surgery. Smith had already transferred to Mount Dora High at midseason so he could graduate early and enroll at UF in January.

Bishop Moore, a private school, has a curriculum that is not set up for early graduation.

Another Orlando area player committed to the Gators is 6-4, 295-pound defensive tackle Jamari Lyons of Viera. Reached by text Sunday afternoon, Lyons said he was at work and could not talk.

Junior receiver Darren “Goldie” Lawrence (6-2, 190), committed to UF’s 2023 recruiting class, said he’s still gathering his thoughts on what has transpired but did say he was disappointed.

“I really haven’t processed it yet,” Lawrence said. “I just don’t really know.”