Seven Florida commits reserve spots in the final Rivals250
Recruiting season is certainly in full swing, with the final Rivals100 rankings being dished out on Monday afternoon. Five-star Chris Steele, Tyron Hopper and Mohamoud Diabate all reserved spots on the prestigious list after backing up their reputation all week at the All-American Bowl.
Steele, who teamed up with the Gators during his time in San Antonio, closed out his prep career as the No. 19 player overall. Outside linebacker Tyron Hopper climbed 83 spots to No. 46 overall, while Diabate made the biggest splash of all after finishing at No. 94.
The Auburn (Ala.) native has been armed with four stars for several months, but was previously outside the Rivals250, meaning he climbed over 150 spots to close to put a stamp on his high school career.
However, those are just the Rivals100 rankings. It's a heck of an achievement to land on that list, but the Rivals250 is jam-packed with top-shelf talent as well, with four additional UF commits hearing their names called.
The newcomer to that list is four-star tight end, Keon Zipperer, who checks in as the 160th-ranked player overall. The 2018 state champion was previously a four-star prospect but outside the Rivals250.
Zipperer was consistent during Under Armour week and did a nice job of creating separation with double-moves and crisp route-running. Below is what Rivals' Rob Cassidy had to say about Zipperer just prior to the rankings release:
"The knock on Zipperer is always his lack of speed. And while I won’t sit here and tell you the guy is a burner, he was certainly fast enough to run away from a stout St Thomas Aquinas defense in the state title game. The film isn’t hard to find. I’ve always been pretty high on the Lakeland (Fla.) High School tight end’s upside, but the four-star prospect helped me help him by looking great in all-star workouts in front of the other members of the analyst team.
Zipperer knows how to use his wide frame and fits the H-back role more than that of a traditional tight end. If used correctly, he could be a dynamic weapon at Florida and deserves to be solidly in the Rivals250."
Below are the additional future Gators who soaked up the attention of the Rivals National Team.
Final Ranking: No. 130 overall | No. 14 wide receiver | No. 11 player in the state of Texas
Final Ranking: No. 158 overall | No. 15 ATH | No. 19 player in the state of Florida
Final Ranking: No. 173 overall | No. 3 all-purpose back | No. 24 player in the state of Florida