Class of 2018 Great Eight

Inside the Gators polls such as the Hot 11 and Great Eight are usually reserved for ranking the performance of University of Florida football players or recruiting targets remaining on the board.

However, this time around we are using it to predict which of the incoming freshmen will be the biggest difference makers during their Gator career.

Trying to predict which high school signees will or won't be capable of making a major contribution on the next level can be a tricky situation.

It is a given that any prospect signed by a major power such as Florida has talent, but what they do with that talent is still an unknown.

Will they continue to develop or have they reached their ceiling? Will they stay injury free or be injury prone? Will they have off-the-field issues or be solid citizens?

All of that is is still an unknown. However, with that in mind, here are the Great Eight signees in the class of 2018 based on need, ranking, ability and future prospects.

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* 2017 Great Eight

* 2016 Great Eight

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The Process: After being all but ignored by the Big Three in-state for the first half of the process, the one time Ohio State commit went back on the market soon after receiving an offer from Florida. Then Miami and finally Florida State also jumped in the mix. In the end it came down to the Gators and Hurricanes with UF gaining his commitment on National Signing Day.

Constructive Criticism: Though he made some plays dropping back into coverage, 95% of his highlights come from him lined up as a defensive end making stops or sacks in the backfield. Even at the 240-pounds Florida listed him as on Signing Day, does he have the frame to put his hand in the dirt at the collegiate level or is he a stand-up situational rusher? He isn't particularly fast or athletic, but he does have some burst off the snap. Will he be able to maintain that as he puts on some much needed bulk?

The Bottom Line: We discuss numbers such as 14 of Florida's 18 signees being rated as four-star, but that, and the depth of this class, really hit home when putting together this countdown. Six players were seriously considered for this spot, but Chatfield won out at the end mostly because of his high school production being hard to overlook when you take into account the competition level at which he excelled against.