Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Early Signing Period in college football, which runs from December 18-December 20, which means that some (many) of the biggest names in high school will be sending their Letters of Intent to the school they choose. The Gators hope to
have a majority of their 2020 class inked and ready to go by dinnertime tomorrow.
A few exceptions: 4-star WR Leonard Manuel will NOT be signing his Letter of Intent tomorrow as some grade issues still need to be resolved by February. 4-star WR Marc Britt is not expected to sign, nor is newly flipped commit 4-star DB Mordecai McDaniel, and 3-star OG Jovens Janvier (who seems to be still undecided).
In the meanwhile, Florida will have a hat on the table with several high level players tomorrow. Predictions are in bold, and school’s colors.
4-star DL Tim Smith (Sebastian, FL) is an Alabama commit but has been flirting with the Gators all fall and just returned from an official visit this weekend in Gainesville. Many insiders (including us) feel really good about getting Smith in a Gators uniform. This one will come down to the wire. But my prediction: Florida.
3-star WR Sam Brown (Bloomingdale, GA) was just on campus for his official visit to UF this past weekend and by all accounts the staff aced his visit. Brown is interesting because he was under the radar on most recruiting services until he had a breakout senior season and had a bunch of late offers recently. The former UCF commit I believe is all Florida’s come tomorrow.
4-star DL Donell Harris (Miami, FL) is currently a Texas A&M commit but visited Florida on December 6th and apparently loved his time. The Gators staff have given Harris something to think about as of late. Harris was just in College Station this past weekend where the Aggies staff tried to solidify his commitment and keep him from going to Gainesville. If Dan Mullen and Todd Grantham were able to land his signature, it would be a massive pull and maybe one of Mullen’s best recruits since he’s been at Florida. I think the official to Aggie-land might have been just enough to keep Harris’ pledge. If forced to pick, I’ll say he sticks with Texas A&M, although that’s a prediction I make with very low confidence. By no means would I be shocked if he flips to Florida.
4-star RB E.J. Smith (Dallas, TX) is the son of former Hall of Famer and Gator legend, Emmitt Smith. Naturally this seems like a perfect fit, right? Well maybe not so much. Smith has been flirting with Texas A&M and also Stanford for their academics they can offer. Although the University of Florida has sensational academics as well, it may not be enough to sway Smith from Palo Alto. Also there have been rumors of E.J. not wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps but instead wanting create his own path. I believe Stanford lands Smith’s services tomorrow.
4-star OT Marcus Dumervil (Ft. Lauderdale) is a prized recruit in this class. Landing him along with Walker and Braun may make this the best offensive line class Florida has gotten in a decade. This is a Florida vs. LSU battle and I believe watching the success that Ed Orgeron has had this season has swayed Dumervil’s decision to head to Baton Rouge. It feels like LSU has him locked up.
Other notable commitments tomorrow: 3-star DT Clyde Pinder, 3-star WR Elijah Canion, 3-star WR Kentron Poitier, and 4-star LB Phillip Webb.