Productive 2021 Miami commit receives word from Gators, expands offer sheet

The Gators’ coaching staff has already proven themselves capable of flipping a prospect’s commitment from Miami to Florida.

Earlier this month, UF secured pledges from Kingsley Eguakun and Michael Tarquin after the two had been committed to the Hurricanes for a majority of the year.

On Monday, Florida got themselves in the mix with a pair of 2021 Miami commits: Donell Harris and Thaddius Franklin. Both players had outstanding sophomore seasons, with Harris recording 69 solo tackles and 18 sacks.

Not to be outdone, Franklin rushed for 1,602 yards on 164 attempts and 14 touchdowns in his second year of high school.

“I had a good reaction,” Franklin said of receiving an offer from the Gators. “I want to just stay in Florida, so that is one of the schools I wanted to go to. My goal is to stay in Florida.

“I don’t really know too much about Florida, so I can’t really explain. I would play for them, though, if I had the chance.”

Although he primarily plays running back, Franklin was also given a few reps at signal-caller ras a freshman. Fittingly, Franklin was offered by quarterbacks coach, Brian Johnson, the area recruiter for Miami-Dade.

“Because I’m 2021, he couldn’t talk to me a lot,” Franklin said of his conversation with Johnson. “When I called him, he was just telling me about the little things, like my film and stuff like that. He was just saying to keep up the good work. He really liked my film. Just stay on top of my grades and finish out strong.”

Nothing has been finalized yet, but Franklin said there is the possibility of him making his first visit to UF in the near future.

“For football, for my school, I think we have college visits set up where the whole team goes on a college visit,” Franklin said. “I’m planning on going to Florida… it’s like before spring.”

Below are some highlights from Franklin’s sophomore year.

Stay tuned to GatorsTerritory.