Just when you thought the granddaddy of the one night premiere college camps - Florida's Friday Night Lights - was dead and ready to be buried, the Gators coaching and support staff sprung into action, cleared the crowd away, gave the old man CPR and now have him up and moving around once again like a spry 20-year old.
Make no mistake about it, FNL, which once looked like it was an out-of-date, and an almost out-of-time, relic that needed to be put to bed permanently (aka a mercy killing), has seen an incredible revival this year.
From top to bottom, this is expected to be as talented a turnout as we have seen since the summer of 2006 when the likes of Joe Haden, Cam Newton and the Pouncey Twins headlined the event.
Though there is still some skepticism when it comes to the recruiting abilities of the Florida staff, lets not pretend that this type of turnout just happens. There was a lot of time, energy and effort expended to get this much talent on campus at one time.
Those involved deserve all the credit in the world.
Now that the platitudes are out of the way, lets run down the top names expected to be in attendance tonight and Saturday.
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* Live from Friday Night Lights
* Alley: Latest on Fields/Corral/Bailey
* Zipperer has Florida as his leader
* Sensational Sophomore Quoteboard II
* Sensational Sophomore Quoteboard I
* Sensational Sophomore Camp top five performers
* Top quarterback Bailey talks Florida camp
* 2019 lineman earns offer from Florida
* FREE ACCESS UNTIL THE MICHIGAN GAME
* Live from Sensational Sophomore Night
* Twitter reaction to Pitts Commitment
* Video Analysis: Pitts picks Florida
* Dunlap Commits: Video Analysis & Twitter Reaction
* Florida picks up a pledge from four-star Dunlap
* Friday Night Lights Visitor Updates
* Austin Appleby goes indepth on the Florida offense/Feleipe Franks
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He isn't expected in until after he concludes his visit to Florida State today, but Florida will once again get Justin Fields on campus. While he will be at the camp this evening, on the other hand there is a chance Matt Corral's visit will end before the beginning of the camp. The other real quarterback of note is Harrison Bailey. For those counting at home, that is three five-star quarterbacks due in this weekend.
In Iverson Clement Florida has one of the two backs they would like to sign already in the bag. Dameon Pierce is likely the biggest remaining target, but the Gators and North Carolina are also involved with West Virginia commit Leddie Brown. LSU commit Chris Curry could also make it in.
This is a strong list of receivers and tight ends due in over the weekend. It started off with two showstoppers last night in Keon Zipperer and Arik Gilbert (Sensational Sophomore top five performers) and will continue this evening with some of Florida's top targets. Though it could happen, don't expect Jacob Copeland to compete - he is in town on a little four-day mini vacation as he celebrates his birthday. A player to watch out for when it comes to Florida is Ja'Marr Chase - remember what he had to say about the Gators back at the Challenge (Insider Recruiting Notebook). A long list of competitors also includes Dante Lang, Ramel Keyton, Dominick Hill, Tyquan Thornton and Maurice Goolsby.
Here is another strong group who will be competing Friday and Saturday. Of the four listed above, Florida is likely in the best shape with William Barnes and Richard Gouraige for now, but the Gators are firmly in the picture for Nick Petit-Frere. Though they have a unique tie to Kardell Thomas (Florida working on LSU commit), you can never count on pulling a kid out of the boot. Other top prospects due in include Andrew Coker, Ed Montilus, Dante Lucas and Wardrick Wilson among others.
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FNL COUNTDOWN:
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While there are some standouts, this is a position where you would like to see some kids coming in that Florida has a better chance of landing. Azeez Ojulari might be the most important prospect in attendance this week as this could be his last visit before a decison (Could four-star be ready to decide). Coynis Miller will be in town on Saturday. Though he has strong interest in the Gators, it is hard to pick against Alabama here. A couple of other top tier lineman to keep an eye out for are 2019 Rivals100 defensive end Marcus Stripling and four-star Miami defensive tackle commit Nesta Silvera
There aren't a ton of top targets at this position, but then again, Florida isn't in the market for many linebackers in this cycle. Probably the best bet is David Reese, who won't be in until Saturday. The Gators are definitely trending up with him (Gators gaining ground for Reese). For as positive as it sounds for Reese, it is likely going in the other direction for Channing Tindall. He seems to be favoring South Carolina and Auburn over Florida and Georgia at this time. This visit however could change things once again. It is a wait and see mode here.
The very elite prospects in the secondary that Florida is at least somewhat in the running for - kids such as Tyreke Johnson, Patrick Surtain and Tyson Campbell are either sitting home this weekend or visiting elsewhere. That takes a little shine off of this group, but getting Akeem Dent, who should be a five-star in the next cycle along with Jaleel McRae, who is a Rivals100 member of the Class of 2019 lessens the sting somewhat. If there is a commit tonight, it could come in the form of Randy Russell.
This is not at all the full listing of those expected in Friday and Saturday. Join us in the Alley for updates in our Friday Night Lights Thread and then check back all weekend for video, photos, updates, notebooks and more from Florida's biggest recruiting weekend.
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