IMG 7-on-7 Insider Recruiting Notebook

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BRADENTON, Fla. | There were quite a few Florida targets and commitments on hand Saturday as 44 teams took to the field to kick off the first day of the IMG 7-on-7 National Championships. Inside the Gators was there to cover all the action in the Alley.

Here is a much closer look at how some of the prospects fared during pool play.

FLORIDA COMMITS

* Easily the top prospect on the field committed to Florida was Rivals100 cornerback Chauncey Gardner. He and his Pro Impact teammates showed up a little late, but made good use of their time winning three out of four games. Gardner made his prescence known, talking smack as soon as he walked on to the field. That seemed to get into the heads of a couple of players from opposing teams they played early on. Gardner was physical as a nickel back and jammed receivers off the line, and a couple times even drove wide outs to the ground. Gardner also played a little free safety on the day and came away with an interception or two as well. The four-star defender continues to fill out and add muscle, which has helped him become as physical on the field to back up his smack talk. Gardner is looking into possibly enrolling early at UF, but admitted it's still a work in progress. He plans to visit Florida State, Alabama and possibly Ohio State for their Friday Night Lights camp next month.

* Florida wide out commit Josh Hammond showed flashes during the event, hauling in a couple of long touchdowns in each of his final two games. Hammond is quick out of his routes and though he isn't the fastest receiver on the field, he was able to create separation and make the catch more often than not. Hammond is very solid in his commitment to UF, but admitted he plans to visit schools like Georgia, Ohio State and Stanford before summer is over.

* Four-star receiver Rick Wells had his usual solid showing at a 7-on-7 event, which is becoming a trend for him. Wells is strong and physical and tries to bully the defender for the ball, which usually works out in his favor. Wells consistently makes grabs and moves the chains for his Pro Impact team in just about every event he participates in. Wells has taken some visits this summer and noted Virginia Tech and South Carolina as places he went to that stuck out and said both of those places will receive return visits down the road. He said his commitment to UF right now is around 85 percent.

* Linebacker Vosean Joseph had a solid day on the field for his squad "Strong Arm". He moves well for a linebacker and used that to his advantage in coverage. He is looking to take a few visits to other schools out-of-state before the summer is over, but said his commitment to Florida is very strong. He was also sporting Florida socks during the first day of the event.

FLORIDA TARGETS

* Perhaps the most impressive defender on the entire day was Dade City (Fla.) Pasco athlete Jayvaughn Myers. Over the spring the three-star prospect saw his stock skyrocket, picking up offer after offer. On Saturday Myers rarely had the ball thrown his way and really shut down half of the field working at cornerback. Myers is long and skinny and once he adds a little weight and gets coached up by college level coaching, he'll have a chance to be a big time cover corner. Myers is hesitant to name any leaders at this time, but its obvious Florida, Florida State and Auburn are the main contenders here.

* Five-star linebacker Ben Davis took a visit to Florida on Friday with a few of his 7-on-7 teammates from Alabama. On the field Saturday the firs thing noticed about Davis is his size. He moves well for a big guy, but was a bit stiff dropping back into coverage. However he did come away with an interception on Saturday and even played a little wide out as well. Davis claims no leaders at this time, but Alabama is going to be a tough team to beat here with is father being the leading tackler in Crimson Tide history. During interviews with media about Florida on Saturday, Davis couldn't recall who the head coach at Florida even was, so while the Gators have a foot in the door, don't get your hopes up just yet.

* Rivals250 Cavin Ridley had a solid day overall, but started off a little slow. The one thing that sticks out about Ridley's game is his strength and how much he battles for the ball when it's in the air. He caught a few long balls for touchdowns and also was effective in the goal line where he can use his size and physicality to box out defenders. There were a few times that Ridley was wide open and was not targeted on Saturday as well. The four-star was decked out with Alabama gear on Saturday and said Florida, Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee currently stick out. He could possibly make a commitment at the summers end after taking a few more visits. Florida still seems to be in the driver seat here despite Ridley altering his commitment time-line, which was previously set for June 22nd.

* Rivals100 wide receiver Sam Bruce continues his quest for his fifth star on Rivals.com and unsurprisingly had another great day at 7on7. Bruce thrives at events like this where he can use his speed and crisp routes to always find a way to get open. Though he maintains his commitment to Miami is strong he plans to visit Florida next month for their Friday Night Lights camp and also expressed interest in visiting Alabama, Auburn, Oregon and Miami before the summer is over. The Gators continue to be the biggest threat to pull off a flip.

* Five-star athlete Demetris Robertson planned to visit Florida this past Wednesday, but had those plans fall through due to travel. Robertson hasn't visited Florida in quite a while now and will really need to step foot on campus before he becomes even a slight option. Defensive backs coach Kirk Callahan has been recruiting the Rivals100 member and has been working to get him on campus. Alabama, Georgia, and Stanford are the biggest players here. Florida is on the outside looking in currently but Robertson said the Gators could move up once he gets to know the staff better.

UNDERCLASSMEN

* 2017 cornerback Marco Wilson, the younger brother of Florida corner Quincy Wilson, rebounded for an overall strong day after a bit of a rocky start. Wilson has been participating in 7-on-7 since he began high school and has grown so much over the years. After adding some weight to go along with his long arms and legs Wilson could easily be one of the top defensive backs in the state of Florida for his class. The biggest play he made on Saturday was when he jumped a route against Florida Fire to seal the win with what would have been a pick six.

* 2017 linebacker Will Ignont picked up an offer from the Gators after visiting camps with his Alabama 7on7 team on Friday. On the field on Saturday Ignont may have been the most impressive defender on his team, which included 2016 five-star Ben Davis. Ignont is a bigger linebacker that will continue to grow, but the most impressive part of his game is how well he moves in coverage despite his size. Florida, Auburn, Alabama, Georgia and LSU currently stick out for the junior-to-be.

* 2017 Ohio State cornerback commit Shaun Wade didn't make a ton of plays on Saturday, but part of the reason is that he was barely thrown at by the opposing offenses. Wade will continue to take visits down the road, and stopped by Florida earlier this spring. However he showed up to IMG wearing a Buckeye's bookbag and says his commitment is very solid.

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