An already strong wide receiver class for the Florida Gators got even stronger today, as Billy Napier and his staff picked up a commitment from consensus four-star wide receiver Aidan Mizell.
Mizell, out of Orlando’s Boone High School, becomes the fourteenth member of Florida’s 2023 recruiting class, and the second in as many days following the commitment of cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson.
Nicknamed “Early,” Aidan Mizell chose Florida over Tennessee and Alabama. He also had offers from Georgia, Arkansas, Cincinnati, LSU, Michigan, Penn State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Miami, Baylor, Mississippi State, and others.
You can watch his high school highlight tape here.
The analysis of Aidan Mizell has to start with the word “fast.” As the old saying goes, speed kills, and Mizell has a lot of it. As a dual-sport athlete who also runs track, Mizell has been clocked at 10.65 in the 100 meter dash (again, that’s meters, not yards) and 46.99 seconds in the 400 meter dash. In other words, the straight-line speed is absolutely incredible. And to be sure, Mizell is the type of guy that Florida can use to really stretch the field vertically and take the top off a defense.
But while that straight-line speed may be his best attribute, Aidan Mizell has a lot more to him than just straight-line speed. His footwork has progressed throughout his high school career, making him an astute route-runner. He complements those quick feet with strong, soft hands that allow him to go up in traffic and come down with the football. And he looks more than comfortable running pretty much every pattern on the route tree.
The one thing scouts do hold against him is his blocking ability. To paraphrase Dan Mullen, he won’t have to become a great blocker to be a wide receiver, but he’ll have to become a willing blocker at the SEC level; otherwise, his mere presence in the game will spell out the fact that Florida intends to take a deep shot. But that can be taught, and from everything I’ve heard about him, Aidan Mizell is not afraid of work. I’m confident that he’ll come to Florida, embrace the challenge, and get to a point as a blocker where he can be used beyond just certain situations.
All in all, though somewhat raw as a blocker, Mizell is one of the best overall wide receivers in the 2023 recruiting class. Combined with Eugene Wilson and Tyree Patterson, the Gators are pretty much set with their 2023 wide receiver class.
