Many already perceived Friday Night Lights as a success for the Gators leading up to Saturday night. Then, at 7:36 p.m. ET, it transformed into a massive one.
The news of 2018 five-star quarterback Matt Corral committing to Florida this weekend, roughly a little more than a month after he de-committed from USC, is huge for obvious reasons.
Since the days of Tim Tebow taking the field at The Swamp, the quarterback position at Florida has been one marred by instability for various reasons. Poor play, numerous injuries, off-the-field issues (Treon Harris, as an example) and a yearlong suspension for Will Grier for taking a performance-enhancing substance – well, Florida fans have had to endure a lot over the past seven seasons.
Florida has been snake-bitten at quarterback, and the bad luck the Gators have had to deal with at that position could certainly permeate into recruiting, as we all know. That’s what makes this addition so significant for Jim McElwain and Co. – despite an offense that has ranked in the bottom half nationally since Tebow (and in the 100s in total offense over the past two years), he’s managed to land a top-tier talent at QB for this 2018 recruiting class.
Credit goes not only to McElwain, but to the entire Florida staff for their recruiting efforts and selling Corral on the future of the program.
To put it in perspective, the addition of the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Corral is big for a number of reasons:
-- According to Rivals, Corral is the highest ranked Gators commit (No. 7 overall) since Martez Ivey (No. 4 overall) in 2015.
-- Corral is the first five-star of the McElwain era who is not an O-lineman or D-lineman. His previous five-stars have been Ivey and defensive linemen CeCe Jefferson (2015) and Antonneous Clayton (2016). However, 2016 defensive back signee Chauncey Gardner was very, very close to earning five-star status.
-- Corral is Florida's first five-star at quarterback, running back, wide receiver or tight end since Andre Debose in 2009, per Rivals rankings. He’s the first five-star quarterback for Florida since Cam Newton in 2007.
-- Corral is only the fourth five-star on offense for Florida since 2009, after Debose, offensive tackle D.J. Humphries and Ivey.
-- The Long Beach, California, product is currently the highest-ranked QB for Florida not only of the past decade, but dating back to 2002. Tim Tebow was 22nd overall in 2006, while Chris Leak was 26th in 2003. Newton (28th), Jeff Driskel (32nd), Grier (46th), John Brantley (47th), Feleipe Franks (57th) and Treon Harris (69th) were also up there in their respective classes but not rated as five-stars.
Florida’s weekend haul is already highly impressive, with 2018 three-star tight end Dante Lang, 2018 three-star safety Randy Russell, 2019 offensive lineman Wardrick Wilson and 2019 defensive lineman Cameron Williams also committing over the past few days - and the Gators may not be done yet.
Still, the importance of landing Corral at this point in the cycle cannot be understated. Since 2016, each of Florida’s recruiting classes has at least one quarterback recruit. The depth situation is in a much better place now with Corral on board.
While Florida needed better quantity at that spot, it also needed quality – and it certainly gets that in Corral, a player who should be a cornerstone for the 2018 class and potentially a game-changer for the Gators down the line.
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IN THE ALLEY
* West Coast Analyst Adam Gorney shares his thoughts on Corral
* Join other Florida fans in discussing this huge commitment
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* Florida lands another 2019 commit
* Friday Night Lights Insider Recruiting Notes
* Friday Night Lights Quotebook I
* Friday Night Lights Quotebook II
* Friday Night Lights Insider Recruiting Notebook
* Visit was about building on relationships for Gouraige
* Barnes may switch commitment timeline
* Video: Recapping Friday Night Lights
* Florida got last crack at Fields
* Live from Friday Night Lights
* FREE ACCESS UNTIL THE MICHIGAN GAME
* Austin Appleby goes indepth on the Florida offense/Feleipe Franks
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