Gator Recruiting: Thoughts of the Day

July 14, 2023

A few thoughts to jump start your Friday morning:

Jaylon Crawford - Photo Credit On3

Saturday, 4-star cornerback Jalyn Crawford (6-0, 180, Lilburn, GA Parkview) is going to make his college commitment between Florida, Auburn and LSU. The analysts from 247Sports and On3 are convinced Crawford will commit to Auburn, but the way Florida has been closing lately, you have to give Billy Napier and the Gators at least a puncher’s chance to come away with the 20th commitment of the recruiting class of 2023.

There is no hotter team on the recruiting trail than Florida, which has added 12 commitments since June 1, rising from a class that was ranked well outside the top 10 to No. 3 at both 247 and On3. The Florida class currently has two 5-star recruits and 11 4-stars. The Gators have the No. 2 ranking at ESPN and No. 5 at Rivals.

If the Gators continue their current recruiting trend to finish in the top five of the rankings, it will mark Florida’s first top five finish since 2013 when Will Muschamp brought in the No. 3 class, his second straight third-ranked class.

SEC football/basketball

Alabama: Point guard Jahvon Quinerly is transferring to Memphis.

Auburn: Linebacker DeMario Tolan, who transferred to Auburn from LSU, is no longer with the team.

Georgia: Magdi El Shahaway has resigned as the deputy athletic director for academics and student development, citing “burnout” as the reason to step away.

Kentucky: Defensive end Sam Anaele and offensive tackle Josh Jones have medically retired. Both will remain on scholarship but won’t count against the 85-man roster.

Mississippi State: Wide receiver Tyson Schilling, who caught 60 passes for 798 yards and nine touchdowns at East Los Angeles College last season, has joined the team as a preferred walk-on.

Missouri: Former Missouri offensive lineman Evan Boehm, who played in 55 NFL games with the Arizona Cardinals, is joining the Mizzou staff as the assistant director of recruiting/player relations.

Ole Miss: ESPN’s Greg McElroy believes if Ole Miss can get better productivity from its defense, it will be a dangerous team because the offense should put a lot of points on the board. McElroy said, “I don’t know if they’re necessarily going to be a lock down group, but if this offense can be as good as I anticipate, they have a chance to be dangerous for every single team they play.”

South Carolina: Austin Herro, the younger brother of former Kentucky and now NBA star Tyler Herro, has committed to play for the Gamecocks as a walk-on this fall.

Tennessee: Chris Ledlum (6-6, 225), a Harvard transfer who averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last year, has re-entered the transfer portal.

Texas A&M: Wildens Leveque (6-11, 240) is transferring to the Aggies as a graduate after spending last season at UMass where he averaged 5.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Leveque spent his first three seasons at South Carolina.

Vanderbilt: Athletic director Candace Storey Lee’s contract has been extended by five years.

SEC Baseball/Portal

ALABAMA

Recruits taken in the MLB Draft were 1B Bryce Eldridge (Round 1, San Francisco) and SS A.J. Ewing (Round 4 compensation, New York Mets).

Exits (9) Max Williams (to Florida State); Evan Chaffee (St. John’s); Gavin Jones (to Kent State); Jaxson West (to Florida State); Bryce Eblin; Brock Blatter; Kade Woods (to LSU); Colby Shelton (to Florida); Luke Holman

Incoming (3): Ian Petrutz (from Maryland); Evan Sleight (from Rutgers); TJ McCants (from Ole Miss)

ARKANSAS

Recruits taken in the MLB Draft were SS Aidan Miller (Round 1, Philadelphia), OF Kendall George (Round 1, Los Angeles Dodgers), 3B Nazzan Zanetello (Round 2, Boston), SS Walker Martin (Round 2, San Francisco), RHP Dylan Quested (Round 5, Minnesota), RHP Barrett Kent (Round 8, Los Angeles Angels) and RHP Gabe Gaeckle (Round 20, Cincinnati).

Exits (5): Tyson Fourkiller; Ryan Ward (to San Diego); Jade Putz (to Notre Dame), Isaac Webb, Harold Coll

Incoming (6): Hudson White (from Texas Tech); Wehiwa Aloy (from Sacramento State); Jack Wagner (from Tarleton State); Stone Hewlett (from Kansas); Craig Yoho (from Indiana); Ross Lovich (from Missouri)

AUBURN

Recruits taken in the MLB Draft were SS Colt Emerson (Round 1, Seattle), SS Kevin McGonigle (Round 1, Detroit) and LSP Bjorn Johnson (Round 12, Milwaukee)

Exits (3): Jordan Armstrong; Ryan Dyal; Camden Hill

Incoming (6): Mason Maners (from Jacksonville State); Cooper Weiss (from Miami, OH); Carson Meyers (from UAB); Christian Hall (from UAB); Sam Mongelli (from Sacred Heart); Javon Hernandez (from Jacksonville State)

FLORIDA

Recruits taken in the MLB Draft were RHP Steven Echevarria (3rd round, Oakland) and C/IF Stone Russell (18th round, Kansas City).

Exits (11): Yoel Tejada (to Florida State); Salvatore Alvarez (to Florida Southwestern); Rene Lastres; Carsten Finnvold; Anthony Ursitti (to Florida Gulf Coast); Clete Hartzog; Deric Fabian; Matt Prevesk (to UCF); Tyler Nesbitt; Erik Blair; Chris Arroyo

Incoming (2): Colby Shelton (from Alabama); Tanner Garrison (from Coastal Carolina)

GEORGIA

Exits (11): Luke Wagner; William Moore (to Georgia Highlands); James Smith Jr. (to Georgia Tech); Michael Polk; Jonathan Little (To Pensacola State); Will Poindexter; Charlie Goldstein; Max Beck-Berendsen; Josh Tate; Max DeJong; Justin Thomas

Incoming (10): Weston Eberly (from Columbia); Bryan Zeldin (from Pennsylvania); Luke Farris (from Western Kentucky); Slate Alford (from Mississippi State); Kolby Branch (from Baylor); Clayton Chadwick (from Sam Houston); John Marant (College of Central Florida); Daniel Padysak (from Charleston Southern); Henry Hunter (from UAB); Logan Jordan (from Campbell)

KENTUCKY

Exits (4): Tanner Kim; Kendall Ewell; Reed Gannon; Seth Logue

Incoming (5): Trey Paige (from Delaware State); Trey Pooser (from College of Charleston); Ty Crittenberger (from Western Kentucky); Mitchell Daly (from Texas); Dominic Niman (from Central Conecticut State)

LSU

Recruits who were drafted include C Blake Mitchell (Round 1, Kansas City), LHP Cameron Johnson (Round 20, St. Louis), OF Ashton Larson (Round 20, Minnesota) and LHP Jake Brown (Round 16, Texas).

Exits (5): Jason Bollman (to Oklahoma); Darian Howard; Jacob Fury; Josh Stevenson (to Ohio State); Cale Lansville (to San Jacinto JC)

Incoming (4): Justin Loer (from Xavier); Kade Woods (from Alabama); Michael Braswell (from South Carolina); Gage Jump (from UCLA)

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Recruits taken in the MLB Draft were SS Colin Houck (Round 1, New York Mets) and OF Aidan Smith (Round 4, Seattle).

Exits (9): Slate Alford (to Georgia); Ryan Williams; Marc Seibert; Graham Yntema (to Mercer); Lane Forsythe (to Oklahoma State); Bryce Hubbard; Andrew Ray; Rufus Harvey; Nate Williams

Incoming (3): Johnny Long (from Pittsburgh); Logan Kohler (from Memphis); Karson Ligon (from Miami)

MISSOURI

Exits (16): Jordan Austin; Ty Wilmsmeyer (to Arkansas); Carlos Pena; Derek Williams; Jacob Hasty; Chandler Murphy; Javyn Pimental; Zach Leach (to Missouri State); Nander De Sedas; Kyle Potthoff; Logan Lunceford; Hectorgiovanny Mangual-Duran; Trevor Austin, Dalton Bargo (to Tennessee); Ross Lovich (to Arkansas); Austin Troesser

Incoming (1): Danny Corona (from Wake Forest)

OLE MISS

Taken in the MLB Draft were RHP Jake Knoth (Round 1 compensation, Milwaukee), RHP Zander Meuth (Round 2 compensation, Pittsburgh) and SS Cooper Pratt (Round 6, Milwaukee).

Exits (14): Will Plattner; TJ McCants (to Alabama); Tim Simay; Austin Tolley; Noah Magee (to Delta State); Braden Luke; Hudson Sapp (to Georgia Highlands); Matthew Parenteau; Nathan Fink (to Florida Southwestern); Peyton Chatagnier (to TCU); Tywone Malone (to Ohio State); Jordan Vera (to Virginia Tech); Brady Disbro; Tommy Henniger (to USC Upstate)

Incoming (5): Kyler Carmack (from Arkansas State); Treyson Hughes (from Mercer); JD Urso (from Tampa); Andrew Fischer (from Duke); Connor Spencer (from Southeastern Louisiana)

SOUTH CAROLINA

Recruits taken in the MLB Draft were IF George Wolkow (Round 7, Chicago White Sox) and OF Raudi Rodriguez (Round 19, Los Angeles Angels).

Exits (5): Michael Braswell (to LSU); Brett Thomas; Jack Theil; Kevin Madden (to College of Charleston); Winston Wheeler

Incoming (8): Austin Brinling (from North Florida); Garrett Gainey (from Liberty); Blake Jackson (from Charlotte); Tyler Dean (from Virginia Tech); Kennedy Jones (from UNC-Greensboro); Parker Noland (from Vanderbilt); Ty Good (from College of Charleston); Matt Duffy (from Canisius)

TENNESSEE

Exits (10): Jake Fitzgibbons; Alex Stanwich; Turner Swistak (to Louisiana Tech); Jacob Bimbi (to Western Kentucky); Bradley Gagen; Dillon Orr; Hollis Fanning; Chase Burns (to Wake Forest); Logan Chambers (to Missouri State); Payton Ebbings

Incoming (6): Anthony Causey (from Jacksonville State); Nathan Snead (from Wichita State); Cannon Peebles (from North Carolina State); Ryan Galanie (from Wofford); Billy Amick (from Clemson); Dalton Bargo (from Missouri)

TEXAS A&M

Taken in the MLB Draft was recruit RHP Isaac Morton (Round 19, Milwaukee).

Exits (8): Jaren Warwick; Wyatt Tucker (to Sam Houston); Robert Hogan; Lucas Kelly; Matt Tucker; JD Gregson; Max Debiec; Ty Sexton

Incoming (8): Hayden Schott (from Columbia); Ali Camarilo (from Cal State Northride); Jackson Appel (from Pennsylvania); Ted Burton (from Michigan); Zane Badmaev (from Tarleton State); Tanner Jones (from Jacksonville State); Eldridge Armstrong (from San Diego State); Charlie Pagliarini (from Fairfield)

VANDERBILT

Recruits from Vanderbilt in the MLB Draft were OF Max Clark (Round 1, Detroit), LHP Thomas White (Round 1 compensation, Miami), SS George Lombard (Round 1, New York Yankees) and LHP Alexander Clemmy (Round 2, Cleveland).

Exits (3): Ivan Arias (to Dayton); Tyler McKenzie; Parker Noland (to South Carolina)

Incoming (2): Sawyer Hawks (from Air Force); Jayden Davis (from Samford)

ACC signs a football/basketball deal with The CW

The Atlantic Coast Conference can’t get out of its contract with ESPN, but it’s scrambling for money wherever it can find it to keep the restless natives happy. That’s why commish Little Jimmy Phillips signed a deal with The CW to broadcast 13 football games in the fall and 28 basketball games in January, February and March. The money won’t be enough to bridge the gap that exists between ACC money and that of the SEC and Big Ten but right now the ACC is doing whatever it can to keep Florida State, Miami, Clemson, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia and Virginia Tech happy.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The problems at Georgia continue to mount. Now, a former member of the Georgia recruiting staff has filed a lawsuit that has very serious implications. Victoria Bowles was in one of the vehicles that crashed the Saturday night after Georgia’s spring game, killing offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy. LeCroy was driving a rental vehicle that was to be used for recruiting purposes. It has been alleged that LeCroy and defensive lineman Jalen Carter were street racing when their vehicles crashed. Carter, who is named in the suit, left the scene of the accident but returned later on. There has been plenty of speculation that Carter was inebriated, went home and sobered up before turning himself in.

Bowles is seeking reimbursement for $170,000 in medical bills as well as an unspecified amount for lost wages, future expenses, pain and suffering and punitive damages. Bowles claims she suffered a broken vertebrae and ribs, a fractured clavicle, broken and cracked teeth, lacerations to her kidney and liver, a punctured and collapsed lung, internal abdominal bleeding, neurological damage and a spinal cord injury that could eventually cause paralysis.

As if that isn’t bad enough, Bowles says the Georgia Athletic Association flat out lied in a statement post crash, saying the vehicles were to be used for recruiting purposes only. Bowles’ attorneys presented screen shots of text messages that gave permission to use the vehicles that night even though LeCroy had a history of driving at unsafe speeds and had received a ticket in the fall for driving 77 in a 55 zone.

Willock’s family has filed a $40 million wrongful death lawsuit against the University of Georgia and now this lawsuit on the heels of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution exposing UGa for a lack of discipline as evidenced by more than 300 traffic violations by football players and covering up 11 sexual assaults.

The 9-page letter that refuted the AJC story and a Wednesday press conference in which Kirby Smart claims he takes all these allegations seriously has not been well received. If this is in any way similar to whistleblower situations, more reports will surface about more problems within the Georgia football program.

Chances are things will get much worse before they get better in Athens.