Signing Day Capsule: Rivals100 CB Kaiir Elam
Dan Mullen’s staff added another top 100 player to their 2019 class on National Signing Day.
Just a few hours after Khris Bogle signed his letter of intent to Florida, four-star cornerback Kaiir Elam decided to make the in-state move to UF as well. The product out of Palm Beach Gardens (Fl.) was also considering Colorado, Georgia and Miami.
Elam, who is the tenth-ranked recruit in the Sunshine State, had a multitude of motivations to make the move to Florida. For starters, Elam is a Gator legacy prospect as his uncle, Matt, played for the school from 2010 to 2012.
On top of that, the 6-foot-2, 180-pounder is well aware of Florida’s tradition of developing defensive backs and producing them into the NFL.
Although cornerbacks coach Charlton Warren left UF with just over two weeks until his recruitment ended, Elam has a solid relationship with Florida’s entire staff, namely Mullen.
With Elam’s signing, the Gators now have a total of 2,526 points on Rivals Team Rankings.
Evaluating Florida’s 2019 Class of DB’s
Along with giving UF a significant boost in the rankings for this cycle, Elam provided the program a strong finish in the secondary.
Both Chester Kimbrough and Jaydon Hill followed through with their fall pledges to the school and signed early in December. While they are not projected to be starters in their first season with Florida, both of these players will provide much-needed depth to Florida’s roster and have potential for the future.
During early signing period, the Gators also secured a signature from one of the top prospects in the nation: five-star recruit Chris Steele. The prospect out of Bellflower (Calif.) may not only be limited to playing cornerback as he has the versatility to take on a number of roles in the secondary.
Whether Elam starts for Florida in his freshman year remains to be seen, as C.J. Henderson and Marco Wilson are set to reassert themselves as the team’s dynamic duo at cornerback. There is also a vacancy at the “star” position which is a spot that is seemingly open for the taking, due to Chauncey Gardener-Johnson declaring for the NFL Draft.
There are no guarantees that any of these Gators’ signees will end up starting during their freshman seasons, but that won’t be an indictment on the quality of this class of defensive backs.
Each of these players have different skillsets that they will bring to the table as Mullen’s program looks to continue to lay claim to the school’s ‘DBU’ moniker.
Stay tuned to GatorsTerritory.