With the dead period over and done with there is now a three week all out sprint to the finish line known as National Signing Day.

This weekend is the first of three big visit weekends for Florida.

The Gators are expecting to host eight official visitors - half of them Rivals100 members.

UPDATES

* Four-star Jones has a leader

* 7:30 Inside Scoop on visits of Spencer, Blades and Jones

* Alabama making a move up for Florida target Henderson

* Franks is player host for top target

* Rivals100 Hunter in love with Gainesville

* Rivals100 defensive back arrives on campus

* Parks won't visit this weekend

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Interest: Committed

Others: Nebraska (1/20), Georgia, and Southern Cal

Blake’s Take: Blades has mentioned taking other visits this month, but has maintained a close relationship with the Florida staff throughout it all. There is always some concern with a prospect so far away from Gainesville wanting to take other trips, but there isn’t much worry on the Florida side of losing him. The plan is for him to visit Nebraska next weekend and figure out when he can see Georgia and USC as his final weekend before signing day is already booked to play for the USA team in Orlando. Florida will aim to solidify Blades this weekend.

Interest: High

Others: Virginia Tech (12/9), North Carolina (12/2), Auburn (1/20), Alabama (1/27), and Ole Miss

Blake’s Take: Most of the schools on Hunter's list have been chasing Virginia Tech for the last several months. The Hokies have the advantage of being close to home and also have many players on the team Hunter has grown up with and is close to. The four-star plans to make his commitment on January 20th, with many expecting it to be the Hokies. He will still visit Auburn and Alabama despite his announcement.

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* The Inside Scoop: Weekend Visitor Updates

* Florida coaches on the road Friday

* Targets Florida coaches saw on Thursday

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Interest: High

Others: USC (1/20), UCLA, and Florida State (1/27)

Blake’s Take: The Gators have a tie to Jones and his family in that Randy Shannon having coached Jones father while at the Miami Dolphins. However, this visit will be Jones first ever to Florida, so he has a lot of questions heading in. Jones is looking to get out of Texas for college, and many feel this will come down to Florida or Florida State in the end. Heading into his January visits Jones has the Seminoles as the leader.

Interest: Committed

Others: None

Blake’s Take: With the need Florida has at linebacker, Miller is looking to come in and see the field early for the Gators. He’s remained solid since pulling the trigger over the summer and isn’t planning to visit any other schools.

Interest: Medium

Others: Florida State (11/25), Alabama (11/19), and Auburn (1/20)

Blake’s Take: The Gators haven’t been mentioned in conjunction with him nearly as much as they once were, that is until Parks set up the visit to Gainesville. The staff will bring him in this weekend, but we continue to hear that Parks is sliding down the Gators recruiting board after a pedestrian senior season.

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* Florida Gators Recruiting Big Board

* Looking at the likely replacements for the early entry players

* Early Entry Profile: Kyree Campbell

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Interest: High

Others: Oklahoma (12/9), Alabama (1/20), and Ole Miss (1/27)

Blake’s Take: After slow playing Robinson during the season, the Florida staff has really turned up the heat dramatically over the last six weeks. He’s in touch with a Florida coach almost every day and even had two Gators coaches go in-home with him on Thursday. Oklahoma seems to be Florida’s biggest threat, but this one has been trending to the Orange and Blue lately.

Interest: Medium

Others: Maryland commit (12/9), Penn State, and Kentucky

Blake’s Take: The Gators have recently gotten involved here after Maryland lost their defensive line coach Mike London. The Florida staff has a relationship with Spence from his time down at IMG, so he’s seen the campus in the past. This visit over the weekend is seeing things over again and spending more time with the current players and the coaching staff. Spence will be a tough flip from Maryland, but perhaps the loss of his position coach can leave the door cracked.

Interest: Medium

Others: Georgia and Ole Miss

Blake’s Take: With Florida desperate for help in the secondary, the staff is casting their net far and wide down the final stretch. The Gators have been in touch with Stokes for several months now after offering in July. Stokes is extremely fas,t but still working on the other parts of his game as a football player. Florida likely has a few other names on the defensive back board ahead of him at this time, but obviously there is enough interest on the Gators’ side to bring Stokes in on a visit.

* Rivals250 cornerback CJ Henderson will officially visit Alabama this weekend

* Rivals100 defensive end LaBryan Ray will visit Tennessee this weekend

* Rivals250 defensive back Brad Stewart will officially visit Arizona State this weekend

* Rivals250 offensive tackle Kai-Leon Herbert will officially visit Auburn this weekend

* Three-star defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt will officially visit South Carolina this weekend.

* Three-star defensive tackle Tyrone Truesdell will officially visit Louisville this weekend

* Three-star linebacker Nick Smith will officially visit Michigan State this weekend

* Three-star offensive lineman Caleb Chandler will officially visit Louisville this weekend

* Three-star defensive tackle Elijah Conlifee will officially visit Tennessee this weekend