Call a Plumber: The Vanguard-To-UF Pipeline Has Busted

The pipeline to Vanguard was strong...until it wasn't. Photo Courtesy: SEC, Credit-Courtney Culbreath

My dad is a plumber. It’s not the most glamorous occupation, but I’ve learned a lot in the years of watching my dad repair my family members’ plumbing woes.

And let me tell you, it’s all about leak detection.

You decide to look into the problem once there’s proof there’s a problem – typically a small puddle of water. But that small puddle of water isn’t simply a collection of rogue water drops.

Instead, it’s typically indicative of a bigger issue.

The pipeline from Vanguard High School to Gainesville has busted. On the exterior, it looks like the Gators are swinging and missing on players from arguably the most talent-rich football school in Marion County.

But beneath the surface, water is pooling.

The Vanguard Knights produced two four-star recruits for the 2021 recruiting cycle: Trevonte Rucker, a 6-foot wide receiver, and Bryce Langston, a 6-foot-3 defensive end.

Both Rucker and Langston spent time committed to the Florida Gators, and spent even more time seriously entertaining their offers from Florida. Rucker and Langston both committed to Florida as freshmen before backing off their pledges after the Jaylon Jones and Chris Steele incident.

Rucker went on to recommit to Florida in February of 2020, where he stayed true to the Gators up until this week when he committed to play for Deion Sanders at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. Meanwhile, Bryce Langston committed and has reportedly signed with the LSU Tigers.

It appears Florida will go 0-for-2 on Vanguard prospects in 2020. And 0-for-3 on Vanguard prospects in the past two recruiting cycles.

In the 2020 recruiting cycle, Leonard Manuel was committed to the Gators before falling off the side of the earth... kinda.

Manuel was a four-star wide receiver that Florida was chasing, until the chase seemingly ceased. Manuel also packed his bags and left Vanguard in the middle of the football season before going on to play just weeks later at Stranahan High School in Ft. Lauderdale.

Manuel later posted a picture of a diploma from West Port High School, another Ocala-area school That tweet has since been deleted from Manuel’s Twitter.

There was a lot of speculation from recruiting sources and the Gators’ fanbase that Manuel would never qualify academically at Florida.

To this day, Manuel, who was at one time a highly regarded recruit, doesn’t play college football anywhere.

On the other hand, Rucker and Langston will both start their college careers this coming fall with Rucker heading to Jackson, and Langston bound for Baton Rouge.

But what does that say about Florida’s recruiting efforts?

Not much.

Bryce Langston really might have been a swing and a miss. The Vanguard defensive end flew under the radar for much of his recruitment, but both the Gators and the Tigers stayed at the top of Langston’s list.

But the Gators humiliating loss to LSU on December 12 seemed as though it might have been the deciding factor for Langston.

Meanwhile, Trevonte Rucker’s flip to Jackson State came as a shock. Rucker had been loyally committed to Florida for a long time.

“I mean, I was committed a long time, you’re correct,” Rucker said. “But then I felt the vibe they were giving me and they weren’t real like I thought they were.”

Exactly what gave Rucker this impression is unclear, however, it’s obvious that friction existed between Rucker and the Florida Gators football program prior to Rucker’s flip.

When asked about what he thought about some of Florida’s fanbase questioning his academic eligibility, Rucker was quick to fire back.

“Man, they are trolls,” Rucker said. “I don’t pay attention to them. All of that is motivation.

Them saying that makes me work even harder. So you tell them this: The more they keep talking, the more I’m going to keep working.”

And while Trevonte Rucker continues to work in spite of his critics, it might be time that Florida fans stop holding their breath for Vanguard prospects. For whatever reason, [insert your imagination here], it never works out in the end.

And whether the Vanguard to Gainesville pipeline has actually busted, like I believe it might have, or whether it’s just sprung a tiny leak, sometimes fans need to dig a little deeper to find it.