Photo via TJ Abrams (twitter)
FSU’s so-called “climb” has stalled. And that stall has taught us all a valuable lesson: oh, how things can change.
Less than one month ago, Florida’s 2024 wide receiver class stood as follows: one commit, zero of blue-chip caliber. On the other hand, three major misses had a large percentage of fans grumbling: Chance Robinson (Miami), Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State), and TJ Moore (Clemson).
Fast forward a mere three weeks later, and Billy Gonzales has replenished the Gators wide receiver board with not one but two blue-chip commits: speedster Jerrae Hawkins, and Tawaski “TJ” Abrams. And the latter is an especially sweet pull. Gonzales took him away from FSU, where he’d been committed for a solid six months.
On top of Florida and FSU, TJ Abrams also had offers from prestigious programs such as Georgia, Texas A&M, LSU, Penn State, Miami, and Tennessee. You can watch his high school highlights here.
Jumping off the page right away is this kid’s ability to produce. TJ Abrams reeled in 677 yards’ worth of passes a year ago for Dunbar High School in Fort Myers, helping lead Dunbar to the state semifinals. Some of that comes in the form of taking the top of the defense and beating them deep, and some of that comes with making the simple catches in the flat and turning them into something more with some cruel-looking jukes and spin moves.
TJ Abrams stands just 5’11 and 175, but likely isn’t done growing and adding muscle mass yet. And even as it stands with that frame, he’s able to go up and beat out the defenders for the football when he has to do so. Bulking up and tacking on a few more pounds of strength will do him some good in the SEC- in fact, he absolutely has to- but assuming that happens (and Mark Hocke has never done anything to give me any indication that it will not), he could be a fearsome asset in the Florida offense for years to come.
One thing scouts warn about TJ Abrams is that he tends to kind of do his own thing when it comes to route-running, and isn’t always in sync with the QB. But that’s certainly fixable, and his quick feet indicate that once he gets this fixed, he becomes a truly terrifying weapon. And with a quarterback like DJ Lagway to work with, the hopes that this gets cured at Florida become more reasonable to assume.
All things considered, Florida fans should know that Billy Napier & Co. just added a dynamic playmaker in the passing game. And its comes at the expense of a rival, which will make any success he ever has at Florida that much sweeter.
The addition of TJ Abrams adjusts Florida’s On3 industry rankings upwards from #4 to #3. Meanwhile, on 247Sports’ Composite rankings, the Gators strengthened their grip on that #3 spot.
