Analyzing Florida's 2017 early enrollees on defense and how they fit
With Florida set to add six early enrollees to the mix from the 2017 recruiting class this spring semester, Inside the Gators now takes a closer look at the three on the defensive side of the ball and how they fit into Florida's plans next season.
------
* Early Entry Profile: Kyree Campbell
* Early Entry Profile: Shawn Davis
* Early Entry Profile: James Houston
* Evaluating Florida's 2017 early enrollees on offense and how they fit
* Recruit Reaction: Prospects talk Randy Shannon
* With Shannon now officially promoted, assistant coaches to keep an eye on
------
The rundown on Campbell: This was the biggest surprise addition to the 2017 class thus far. The Gators brought Campbell in for an official visit right before the start of the dead period, but kept it very quiet until the very second Campbell’s commitment to UF was tweeted by Jim McElwain. Campbell was a former recruit in the 2016 class, who signed with North Carolina out of high school, but had to go the prep school route. Campbell was a defensive end out of high school, and can still play the position if need be, but has continued to grow since landing at Prep school that has given him the ability to play at defensive tackle as well.
How Campbell fits into the equation at Florida: Well, the opportunity to play right away is certainly there for Campbell. After losing two in starters in Caleb Brantley to the draft and Joey Ivie to graduation, the Gators are quite thin at defensive tackle heading into the offseason.
Khairi Clark and Taven Bryan are Florida's top two returning tackles, but otherwise there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding the position. Will Jachai Polite add enough bulk during the offseason to make a full-time move from defensive end to tackle? Can Luke Ancrum turn into a solid contributor in his third year with the program after barely playing this past year? Will anybody else on the roster - Cece Jefferson, even offensive guard Antonio Riles - move back to defensive tackle to address the depth there?
Florida isn't done with recruiting defensive tackles this recruiting cycle, as it still remains in the hunt for Tedarrell Slaton and Tyrone Truesdell, among others. But with how the depth situation currently stands, Florida may need Campbell to see the field in 2017 - and having him in the mix during the spring certainly helps.
The rundown on Davis: This South Florida defender was a silent commitment to UF for quite some time before finally going public. Davis took many visits to Gainesville over the spring, summer, and fall, which gave the Gators the upper hand for his services. Though he is listed as a cornerback by Rivals.com, Davis played a lot of safety during his strong senior season. He will be coming in to play safety at Florida, but he says the staff also has mentioned some cornerback and nickelback.
How Davis fits into the equation at Florida: Florida's secondary in the spring and early on in fall training camp is going to be a constantly shifting puzzle. The Gators are going to have a myriad of versatile defensive backs in the mix in 2017 who can play at multiple positions.
If Davis sticks at safety, he'll likely compete with Jeawon Taylor and Quincy Lenton for backup reps, considering Marcell Harris and Nick Washington are essentially locks to start. At cornerback and nickelback, the situation is a little less clear. Versatile defensive backs Duke Dawson and Chauncey Gardner figure to play key roles as starters in the rotation, but the other options at cornerback - Joseph Putu, Chris Williamson, C.J. McWilliams and McArthur Burnett - are unproven. Corners Elijah Blades and Marco Wilson are currently committed, and the Gators aren't done adding DBs to the 2017 class. There's going to be plenty of competition this offseason at those spots.
Expect Florida's defensive backs to cross-train a whole bunch in the spring - and eventually, we'll get the best idea as to where Davis and some of the others fit. But right now, expect him to contribute at safety from the get-go. The opportunity to see the field immediately as a true freshman is there for a versatile, talented player like Davis.
The rundown on Houston: This three-star defender committed to the Gators during their annual Friday Night Lights camp after numerous visit to UF before that. The Gators need for linebacker was always a draw to Houston combined with his relationship with Randy Shannon. Houston tore his ACL right before the start of his senior season, and the Gators never lost interest despite that, and also have helped him during his recovery to the best of their abilities. Houston took an official visit to Wisconsin during the fall, and despite the push from the Badgers, he remained solid with his commitment to UF.
How Houston fits into the equation at Florida: Having a head start on learning the playbook will certainly benefit Houston during the offseason, but he is expected to be non-contact this spring. How he recovers - and performs during fall training camp possibly in full-contact work - will indicate whether he cracks the rotation as a freshman or takes the redshirting route.
Florida is considerably young at linebacker but sees the majority of its core comprised of players who stepped up this past season in the wake of injuries in David Reese, Kylan Johnson and Vosean Joseph. Jeremiah Moon, Rayshad Jackson and walk-on Cristian Garcia will also aim to earn reps, while the Gators are set to add 2017 three-star commit Ventrell Miller in the summer. Florida is currently in pursuit of four-star linebacker Levi Jones and three-star NC State commit Nicholas Smith.
ITG staff writers Blake Alderman and Landon Watnick contributed to this report.
------
Thank you for reading this Inside the Gators article. To discuss it, please visit the Alligator Alley Forum.