Unofficial Scholarship Breakdown: Pre-Fall Camp Update
With fall training camp fast approaching - and a number of offseason moves having been made over the past two months - we're in a position to update our Unofficial Scholarship Breakdown.
Here is a look at the updated version:
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* Analyst Q&A Break down of Florida's commits I
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* Florida adds Thornton to top 10 recruiting haul
* The Weekend Rundown: Commits, Visitors & Offers
* On the Mark: Florida recruiting on a roll
* FREE ACCESS UNTIL THE MICHIGAN GAME
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The movement since the May update:
--Added Notre Dame graduate transfer quarterback Malik Zaire. Zaire joined the program in June.
--Removed junior linebacker/tight end Camrin Knight, who will transfer to Georgia State after two seasons with the Gators.
--Removed Clemson offensive tackle transfer Jake Fruhmorgen. After spending not even a week with the team, Fruhmorgen opted to leave the program. However, he apparently did not attend any classes during his few days in Gainesville.
--Removed junior defensive back Chris Williamson, who announced he is transferring.
What this means as far as this fall:
--Florida should have roughly 82 scholarship players entering the fall, currently three under the NCAA maximum 85-man scholarship limit. The Gators should have room to award a few scholarships to deserving walk-ons during fall training camp - with redshirt senior Cristian Garcia being a name that immediately comes to mind, given his increased role late last year despite his walk-on status and the important part he played as a first-stringer during spring practices.
--Are the four walk-ons who were awarded scholarships, partly because there was room available at that time, going to keep them? They aren't required to be renewed. Therefore, any movement there could potentially make available 1-to-4 more slots
What this means for 2018:
After a fruitful week of recruiting, which saw the Gators add commitments from five-star quarterback Matt Corral, four-star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, four-star tight end Kyle Pitts, four-star offensive lineman Curtis Dunlap, three-star wideout Tyquan Thornton, three-star tight end/defensive end Dante Lang and three-star safety Randy Russell to the 2018 class, Florida currently has 14 members committed in that group.
With how the roster currently stands, after Florida's 12 seniors graduate following this upcoming season, it would have 70 scholarships filled - giving the Gators room to add 15 more scholarship players to the roster. However, that doesn't consider Zaire, Marcell Harris and/or Antonio Riles potentially pursuing NCAA waivers that would grant a sixth season of eligibility - if that's the route each opts to choose after 2017.
Regardless, the natural, annual attrition should come through once again this offseason. It’s worth noting that since the start of last August to this point in the 2017 offseason, 11 players who were on scholarship have left the team (without departing for the draft) for various reasons: Thomas Holley, Andrew Ivie, Matt Rolin, Jordan Cronkrite, Cameron Dillard, C.J. Worton, Brandon Sandifer, Justus Reed, Knight, Fruhmorgen and Chris Williamson.
Before that, multiple players transferred or left the team following and during McElwain's first year at the helm for a variety of reasons. It happens each and every year.
After the 2016 season, five Gators declared early for the NFL Draft: Alex Anzalone, Caleb Brantley, David Sharpe, Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson. There are a number of names that'll be worth watching after the 2017 campaign as far as potentially turning pro early, including Antonio Callaway, Martez Ivey, Jordan Scarlett, Eddy Pineiro and possibly some others, depending on how the year goes.
With all of the following in mind, it wouldn't be too surprising to see Florida be able to have enough available spots to take a full class of 25 - or at least a number not far from it - for 2018 once it's all said and done.
POS. (#) | SR. OR R-SR. | JR. OR R-JR. | SO. OR R-SO. | FR. OR R-FR. |
---|---|---|---|---|
QB (6) |
Luke Del Rio (w) |
|||
RB (5) |
||||
WR (9) |
||||
TE (5) |
||||
OL (13) |
||||
DL (15) |
||||
LB (9) |
||||
DB (16) |
Garrett Stephens (w) |
|||
ST (4) |
Ryan Farr (w) R.J. Raymond (w) |
|||
OFF. (38) |
5 |
11 |
8 |
14 |
DEF. (40) |
6 |
4 |
11 |
19 |
ST (4) |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
TOTAL (82) |
12 |
18 |
19 |
33 |
POSITION | PLAYER |
---|---|
QUARTERBACKS (1) |
|
RUNNING BACKS (1) |
|
WIDE RECEIVERS (4) |
|
TIGHT END (2) |
Dante Lang (also plays DE) |
OFFENSIVE LINE (1) |
|
DEFENSIVE LINE (1) |
|
LINEBACKERS (0) |
|
DEFENSIVE BACKS (4) |
Amari Burney (ATH) |
SPECIAL TEAMS (0) |
N/A |
OFFENSE |
9 |
DEFENSE |
5 |
TOTAL |
14 |
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