Gators’ 2019 recruiting class keeps shrinking
GAINESVILLE — UF’s 2019 recruiting class suffered another loss when four-star wide receiver Arjei Henderson was ruled academically ineligible to join the Gators.
Henderson was released from his national letter of intent Friday, three days before classes start at UF. Coach Dan Mullen now is without up to six of the 25 members of the nation’s ninthrated recruiting class. The Gators’ latest class, set to enroll in 2020, now ranks No. 17.
Offensive tackle Wadrick Wil
son, a native of the Bahamas, continues to deal with a visa issue, but he remains eligible to enroll.
In addition to Henderson, cornerback Chris Steele, quarterback Jalon Jones, linebacker Diwun Black and offensive guard Deyavie Hammond are no longer on UF’s roster.
Steele transferred to USC after spending the spring semester at UF; Jones left school in the wake of accusations of sexual battery and landed at Jackson State; and Black and Hammond enrolled in junior college after failing to qualify academically.
The losses, along with the transfer of several players from the 2018 team, leave the Gators without depth and with just 75 scholarship players — 10 below the NCAA limit.
While it takes time to fully judge a recruiting class, first-year cornerbacks Kaiir Elam, Jaydon Hill and Chester Kimbrough have received high praise during preseason camp.
Redshirt sophomore cornerback Marco Wilson likes the physicality of Elam, the nation’s No. 48 overall recruit in 2019, and Hill, a four-star recruit from Alabama coming off an ACL tear.
“They like to get their hands on the receiver and they’re going to play the ball in the air,” said Wilson, who started as a freshman. “They’re pretty good.”
Fifth-year senior Van Jefferson, UF’s leading receiver in 2018, praised Kimbrough this week.
“He’s going to be really good,” Jefferson said.
Linebackers Tyron Hopper, Mohamoud Diabate and Khris Bogle, tight end Keon Zipperer, linebacker Jesiah Pierre and athlete Trent Whittemore are some other members of the 2019 class generating buzz during preseason camp.
Spurrier shares stories
Growing up in Big Ten country, Michigan native David Reese was not too familiar with the history of Florida football.
Earlier this week, the man responsible for a good bit of it gave the Gators senior linebacker an earful.
Steve Spurrier shared stories Wednesday with Reese and his teammates.
“He’s just talking about how they won the SEC like 1990 through like ’96, I want to say, or something like that,” Reese said Thursday. “But yeah, all the history and all the great teams that came before us. He had a lot of good stories to tell us, so it was fun.”
A Heisman Trophywinning quarterback in 1966 and national championship-winning coach in 1996, the 74-year-old Spurrier had plenty to talk about from his days at UF.
But the story that stuck most with Reese was Spurrier’s recollections from his days at Duke. Before coming back to his alma mater in 1990, Spurrier coached the Blue Devils to an 8-4 record and the 1989 ACC title.
The Head Ball Coach had fond memories of that season.
“Basically how their team didn’t have a lot of spirit then and Duke is a hard place to win, but that is the only job he had at the time,” Reese recalled. “Basically they got together and they had inspiration, had faith with him, and they ended beating Clemson, which was like 4-0 at the time, and they went ahead and won the ACC championship.
And that team hasn’t had an ACC championship since.
“That was quite impressive by him. I could see that what he’s trying to instill in Mullen or give Mullen little pieces, and I can see where Mullen is putting it into us. They’re two great coaches.”