New kid in town: Getting to know incoming freshman CB Kaiir Elam

As reported yesterday by Gators Territory beat reporter Jacquie Franciulli, four Florida Gators incoming freshmen have enrolled in Summer A term.

Cornerback Kaiir Elam (Benjamin School - Palm Beach Gardens, FL), defensive end Khris Bogle (Cardinal Gibbons - Fort Lauderdale, FL), defensive end Lloyd Summerall (Lakeland HS - Lakeland, FL), and athlete Trent Whittemore (Buchholz HS - Gainesville, FL) have made their way to the University in order to begin school before their first season in orange and blue.

With that being said, let's get to know each Baby Gator and what role they will be serving with the team in the immediate future. Today, we start with cornerback Kaiir Elam.

Elam, a Rivals 4-star prospect who is considered a top 10 cornerback in the nation for the 2019 signing class, could see immediate action this upcoming season, following the departure of 2019 early enrollee Chris Steele. Steele, a Rivals 5-star, is considered as the third best cornerback prospect in the nation by Rivals, and was expected to provide legitimate depth for the Gators in his true freshman year.

Well, now Steele is in the transfer portal, and with some members of the team taking shots at Steele for leaving on Twitter and the reported reasons behind his departure, it's not looking likely that he will return.

That leaves Elam as the highest-graded cornerback prospect in the Gators 2019 signing class haul. He may not be a 5-star like Steele, but Elam is still considered a top 10 player both at his position in the nation and in the state of Florida as a whole. For immediate depth purposes, Elam should still be able to contribute.

Elam ran a 4.72 second 40 yard dash on turf at the Rivals 5-Star Challenge in Atlanta in 2018, which is a solid time for an incoming freshman defensive back.

Elam signed with Florida over Georgia on National Signing Day. He drew 26 offers after breaking the Rivals 250 in December of 2017, his junior year.

The lengthy - 6-2, 180 lbs. with LONG arms - prospect is the son of seven-year NFL safety Abram Elam. His cousin, Matt Elam, is a former first round pick who played football at the University of Florida from 2010-2012.

At the Benjamin School, Elam was a weapon used just about everywhere, according to his stats per Max Preps. As a defensive back, Elam recorded 71 total tackles in four varsity seasons, including three sacks. He intercepted nine passes, with three in his senior and sophomore seasons as career highs.

On the offensive side of the ball, Elam played wide receiver but also received carries and even threw the ball now and then. He tallied 97 receptions for 1490 yards and 15 touchdowns. Elam rushed the ball 15 times for 96 yards and a score, and completed 4/8 passes for 64 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

A cherry on top? Return game ability: Elam returned 13 kickoffs for 434 yards (33.4 yards per return), and 20 punts for 226 yards (11.3 yards per return).

Elam plays with nimble feet and utilizes his length to jam receivers near the line and maintain his coverage moving vertically. His hips are a bit slow to flip but his long strides and solid footwork can make up for that in man coverage as his fluidity improves as he develops.

Length comes in handy at the high-point of the receivers route on the play above, which Elam picks up on as the receiver breaks down. He puts his hand to the receivers outside hip to gain some leverage, then Elam jumps the route to make a huge play on the ball. He returned this interception for a touchdown.

Elam won't shy away from contact, and plays outside runs well. He shoots down against the reverse to set the outside edge by forcing the receiver to play outside, and gets his hands inside first to win initial leverage to get off of his block when the time comes.He does just that after forcing the runner inside with his edge set, and gives the runner a good pop before knocking the ball loose for a fumble.

Working inside is where Elam will need some development with his hip fluidity, as his sharp turns are a little stiff that can allow the receiver to separate. However, his natural length is put on display again that makes up for losing the initial inside step. Max Preps didn't track his defended passes throughout his career, but Elam's long frame led to a lot of pass breakups like this.

This clip gives us a great look at what Elam is capable of in man coverage and playing vertically.

Elam has a fantastic initial jam to kill all feet movement from the receiver to begin his outside release. Elam never loses control from there, turning outside and remaining hip-and-hip with the receiver with his inside hand to the receiver's chest. He forces the receiver to step out of bounds and out of the play before working back towards the middle of the field to intercept the deep ball. A perfect man coverage play where Elam put his natural length and physicality on display.

A clip from his time at receiver, here's a look at Elam's insane catch radius and ball skills which will translate to cornerback. If it isn't clear by now, Elam is possesses gifted length that the Gators coveted, and it gives him an advantage any time the ball comes near him. He will make crazy catches like this now and then, but his length will contribute beyond that: To break up passes, jam receivers near the line while maintaining a cushion, and even making tackles.

Kaiir Elam is a really intriguing prospect who was overshadowed by the Chris Steele signing. While Florida is losing a talented player in Steele, his departure is probably the best thing that could have happened for Elam.

Elam now has a chance to compete immediately and earn a key reserve role at cornerback, as depth at the position is slim at this point. C.J. Henderson and Marco Wilson are locked in as starters, however Wilson has not been fully cleared from his 2018 ACL tear. He should be ready to go by fall, but this is obviously something to keep in mind.

Trey Dean III could always move back outside in a pinch, after starting in Wilson's place for nine games at boundary cornerback. However he currently projects to start at STAR nickel cornerback after Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was selected by the New Orleans Saints.

Brian Edwards, a junior who has played in 18 games at Florida, was viewed as a depth piece entering 2019. However he was recently arrested on a battery charge.

As of now, redshirt junior C.J. McWilliams is the only proven depth piece entering the season as solely a cornerback. He played in nine games last season, starting two. Otherwise, depth is left up to Elam and other incoming freshmen Jaydon Hill and Chester Kimbrough. Hill enrolled this past spring, but was limited in practices as he rehabs from an ACL tear last September that shut down his senior season in high school.

The sky appears to be the limit for Kaiir Elam, with intriguing intangibles and really good tape from high school that led to his top 10 ranking at the cornerback position. With Chris Steele leaving the program, the door is open for Kaiir Elam to make an immediate impact at the University of Florida.