New Additions: Meet Florida's six new signees
Florida added six new signees on Wednesday giving the Gators a total of 18 in the 2018 class.
Below is a profile of the six signees and what Dan Mullen said about them during his Signing Day press conference.
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* Florida 17th in team recruiting rankings
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* Florida a Signing Day Winner
* Alley: 14 of 18 signees are four-stars
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Florida listed Hgt/Wgt: 6-foot-2, 226-pounds
UF Sports Info Bio: Played three years of varsity football where the team went a combined 37-2 including undefeated State Championship runs his junior and senior seasons. ... Finished his varsity career with 220 tackles, 41 sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. ... 2017 Florida All-USA First Team (USA Today). ... Chose Florida over FSU, Miami, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Louisville.
Mullen: "Andrew Chatfield is kind of an outside linebacker guy that he came in -- I don't see where we listed him at, 6-foot-2. He was almost 240 on his visit when he came in, so he's grown. He's put on that size. One of the things I love, you turn on that film and you talk to people at American Heritage last year, you say, describe him, and everyone will say he's the hardest playing guy on the field. The effort to me is what is so important and so impressive, having him come be a part of it."
Florida listed Hgt/Wgt: 5-foot-11, 186-pounds
UF Sports Info Bio: Over the course of his career he recorded 2,261 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns on 104 receptions. ... Also recorded 685 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 99 attempts. ... Finished his career with 3,245 all-purpose yards, including 196 kickoff return yards. Chose Florida over Alabama, Tennessee, LSU, Clemson and Georgia.
Mullen: "You look at Jacob Copeland who's one of the top receivers in America. Was obviously a top priority for us from the day we got hired here. I think he's a mismatch problem on the field. You can move him around. You can motion him in the backfield, give him the ball, throw him bubble screens or throw him vertically down the field or work over the middle of the field on option routes. You know, he's a complete player and is a great playmaker with the ball in his hands. "
Florida listed Hgt/Wgt: 6-foot-5, 271-pounds
UF Sports Info Bio: Played on the offensive and defensive line throughout his career at Cambridge Christian. ... Defensively, he recorded 210 total tackles 23.5 sacks, eight pass breakups, seven forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two blocked field goals. ... Helped CCHS to a 9-3 overall record and a 3-0 conference record in 2017. ... Chose Florida over Auburn and Clemson.
Mullen: "You know, it's huge. One of the things that is important, with the offensive line and defensive line to me, is one of the things I've learned as a head coach. You never want to fall behind in that position. I mean, you want to make sure you're going to succeed in this league, you have got to have depth on both sides of the line of scrimmage."
Florida listed Hgt/Wgt: 6-foot-6, 269-pounds
UF Sports Info Bio: Played three-years of varsity football totaling 208 tackles and 19 sacks. ... Named to the 2017 Alabama Sports Writers Association 5A All-State First Team ... Played basketball all four years of high school. ... Chose Florida over Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Kentucky.
Mullen: "To have Malik Langham come on board is huge for us. You know, I mean, he's a guy that I've known about for a while, was kind of a guy that you're really excited about. He's a raw talent, great student, great worker, great size, great growth potential. I think has that unbelievable future ahead of him."
Florida listed Hgt/Wgt: 6-foot-4, 267-pounds
UF Sports Info Bio: Led Lee County High School to a 14-1 record and a state championship in 2017. ... Chose Florida over Mississippi State.
Mullen: "Well, I mean, he's a guy that -- I'm a big believer, we had him in multiple camps, and so when you have the opportunity to have him in camps and you're coaching and teaching him and seeing how he responds, then you get to watch him on film and his growth from his junior to his senior year, then you get to find out the competitive nature -- he's one of those guys, you do your homework and you know an awful lot about, both as a player, as a person, as a student, and you know an awful lot about him."
Florida listed Hgt/Wgt: 5-foot-11, 172-pounds
UF Sports Info Bio: Over the course of his career, he recorded 3,087 rushing yards and 39 rushing touchdowns on 340 attempts. ... Also registered 866 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 42 receptions. ... Recorded two punt return touchdowns and four kickoff return touchdowns. ... Garnered 2017 Florida All-USA First Team accolades by USA Today.
Mullen: You know, Justin Watkins is somebody that he's electric. He's an electric guy with the ball in his hands, and you watch this year, any time they go put him at corner, he's a lock-down cover corner. They put him at running back, makes things happen with the ball in his hand. Put the ball in his hand in the slot, in the kicking game, everything. He's the type of player we expect to have in our program.
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