UF scores big on signing day
Gibbons’ Bogle rejects Alabama as Gators attract local standouts.
Florida Gators coach Dan Mullen has to be happy with how his day went in South Florida.
The Gators snagged two of the top available prospects in the nation: Benjamin’s Kaiir Elam and Cardinal Gibbons’ Khris Bogle. To do so, they beat out Georgia for Elam and Alabama and Miami for Bogle.
“I just believe in Coach Mullen and what we have to get done at Florida now,” Bogle said. “When I went up there for my official visit, I enjoyed it. It was an unbelievable experience. And I just believe in him.”
The two Florida signees highlighted a busy National Signing Day across Broward and Palm Beach counties as three of the nation’s top unsigned players call South Florida home and several more players chose their future teams.
Bogle started the morning with a bang. The four-star defensive lineman had been committed to Alabama for a month, but Wednesday he pulled out a Chucky doll and grabbed the Gators hat, having been swayed by Mullen and pushed from Tuscaloosa by changes to Nick Saban’s staff. He didn’t make his final decision until the early morning hours on Wednesday.
“I prayed last night, I barely slept, I cried,” Bogle said. “I was up at 3 o’clock this morning just thinking about it. And God just said, ‘You’re going to Florida.’ ”
Elam, a four-star prospect and Sun Sentinel Palm Beach County Class 5A-1A defensive player of the year, provided the second piece of good news for Florida fans, announcing he would follow in the footsteps of his uncle, Matt Elam, and become a Gators defensive back.
“I had to sit down with my family and weigh the pros and cons,” Elam said. “I had to make a business decision. I felt [Florida] had a need for me and I felt it was home.
“I made the right decision. I am so blessed and thankful to everybody.”
The two local signees, plus two additional top-200 players, vaulted the Gators’ class to No. 9 in the nation, according to 247Sports. West Broward kicker Tyler Waxman will also join the Gators as a preferred walkon.
Elam, whose announcement was broadcast live on ESPN2, grabbed a Georgia hat first before donning a Florida hat and Gator chomping.
“It’s going to be a family of brothers for life,” Elam said. “It’s exciting and I expect big things.”
It wasn’t all good news for Florida, though. The third top-100 local prospect is Wellington’s Mark-Antony Richards, the Sun Sentinel’s Palm Beach County Class 8A-6A offensive player of the year, and he decided against Florida (as well as Georgia, Miami and Penn State) and chose Auburn instead.
“I always like to do my own thing, and I just felt Auburn was the best fit for me,” Richards said. “It seems perfect for me. I’m glad I made this decision.”
Richards, whom Mullen visited by helicopter Jan. 29, liked Florida but felt Auburn was a better fit for him.
“It was just a connection,” Richards said. “It felt like they had faith in me from the get-go.”
At U-School, defensive back Josh Sanguinetti signed with Indiana.
The former five-star prospect and top-20 player in the nation saw his recruitment trail off for various reasons, including a down senior season and miscommunication with one member of the Stanford coaching staff. Sanguinetti settled on the Hoosiers, picking them over Boston College and Mississippi State.
“It was long, fun and stressful,” he said. “It got stressful toward the end, but I believe in Indiana and I love it there. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
Sanguinetti joins Coconut Creek defensive back Tiawan Mullen in Indiana’s recruiting class.
“That’s my boy,” Sanguinetti said. “Teaming up with him is going to be really good. I’ve known him for a long time. … We’re trying to change the culture there.”
Piper’s Cecil Powell, a three-star prospect who recently decommitted from Baylor, decided to take his talents to the Atlantic Coast Conference, signing with N.C. State.
“Little stuff was going on with Baylor that I didn’t like and I felt N.C. State was the place for me, so I switched over,” Powell said.
The first-team all-county pick said he needed to hit the weight room and learn the Wolfpack’s defensive playbook to prepare for next season with the team.
“I got to focus on staying in the weight room, working on my craft daily, learning the plays from the school, so when I get there I’m ready to go,” said Powell. “When I go in, I’m going to have to give it my all and hopefully start at my position.”
St. Thomas Aquinas, a bastion of talent, had 24 football players sign either during the early signing period or on National Signing Day. Many of the top players signed early, but defensive lineman Jason Munoz provided an interesting case.
Munoz signed with the Miami Hurricanes during the early signing period when Mark Richt was still head coach. After Manny Diaz took over the program, Munoz was granted a release from his letter of intent and instead signed with Syracuse on Wednesday.
Elsewhere in South Florida, Dwyer’s Gio Richardson and Antavious Lane, both first-team all-county picks, signed with Chattanooga and Georgia State, respectively.
Palm Beach Central offensive lineman Renato Brown signed with Louisville.
Pahokee teammates Deante Nelson and Deshawn Richardson signed with Florida Atlantic, with the former flipping from Marshall. Dwyer running back James Meeks also signed with FAU, and Wellington wide receiver Dane Stratton committed to play for the Owls as a preferred walk-on.
Atlantic’s Kamareon Williams signed with Florida International, joining former teammates Cadarius Gaskin, Jason Mercier and Shawndarrius Phillips.
Sun Sentinel Palm Beach County Class 5A-1A offensive player of the year Davius Richard signed with N.C. Central, as did American Heritage’s Khiry Stubbs.