Gator Recruiting: Ali's Most Wanted

New regular recruiting feature by popular podcaster Ali Peek Wilbur.

If ever somebody has been a true Orange&Blueblood, it’s Ali. You can’t have a much oranger-and-bluer heritage than somebody who not only graduated from Florida, but married a former Florida player, and whose grandfather, dad and brother played for the Gators.

All of a sudden, its Ali Peek Wilbur’s chance to be a star. As host of her popular You Tube podcast A Peek Inside Florida Gator Football with an audience growing by leaps and bounds, she speaks authoritatively about current Gator football program -- especially recruiting.

She has a smart football IQ and a strong work ethic. In recent months, Ali has been demonstrating those skills as she graced us on The Buddy Martin show almost regularly, becoming so popular that we’re making her a regular co-host on Wednesdays. She brightens up the show and enlightens us on all things recruiting.

We’re so happy to add Ali to our show lineup that we also brought her into the Gator BaitMedia.com family where she is a recruiting columnist, joining recruiting analyst Matt Quartararo.

Incidentally, heads up husband Eric (punter ’03-’06) , Granddad Scottie (end –‘48-’52 and track star; deceased) Peek, dad Skipper (cornerback ‘77-’79) and brother Scott, (LB-FB) ‘08-12 -- it's Ali's time to shine.

The evidence of her digging and sorting can be found below with the unveiling of her first Ali’s Most Wanted list, the players she’d most like Billy Napier to land.

By the way, all you dudes who think you’ve got a time crunch, Ali does all this with two sets of twins, all girls, who are active in youth sports.

--BUDDY MARTIN

HOT ON THE RECRUITING TRAIL WITH BILLY NAPIER: MY 10 'MOST WANTED

By ALI PEEK WILBUR

GatorBait Recruiting ColumnIst

Billy Napier and the Gators have been hot on the recruiting trail, putting together a Top 5 recruiting class for the 2024 cycle. It’s only June, so a lot can change, but Napier’s recruiting army seems to have the Gators well positioned to sign a top class full of blue chip talent. Florida will probably take somewhere between 7 and 9 more players in this class, so let’s take a look at some the best talent available and some of the players most likely to become Gators.

My Most Wanted List:

10.) Teddy Foster is a 3-star cornerback out of Cardinal Moody High School in Sarasota. He is 6-2, 170 pounds. He plays both ways in high school, not only excelling at cornerback where he made 38 tackles, 9 pass break ups and 2 interceptions, but he also caught 17 passes for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns last season. He has taken official visits to Florida, North Carolina, and Oregon State. I expect his stock to continue to rise as his senior season ramps up and I think he will be a Gator before too long.

9.) Colin Simmons is a 5-star edge rushery out of Duncanville, Texas. He is 6-2, 225 pounds. Florida is a LONG SHOT here, but this is a situation where Florida can afford to put the full court press on Simmons until the end and see what happens. Texas is considered the favorite here but LSU, Alabama and Georgia are also in the mix as well. Simmons is described by his coaches are relentless and quick off the ball. He set a sack record for the state of Texas during the 2022 season with 22.5 sacks and was MVP of his state championship game. He regularly takes over games with his athleticism. It would take a miracle to land him, but Colin Simmons is someone you can build a defense around.

8) Jordan Ross is a 6-4, 230-pound edge rusher out of Birmingham, Ala. He is a 5-star player. His recruitment is thought to be a battle between Tennessee and Florida, but Georgia, Texas and Alabama are also in the mix. He has shown incredible athleticism in camps this summer. Scouts have commented on his quickness, footwork and his closing speed. He is a multi-sport athlete who also plays high school basketball. Ross has had I all state, all region, all metro and even All-American honors for his 2022 season performance. He runs a 4.6 40 time, which is smoking fast for his size. He would be a huge (figuratively and literally) addition to the 2024 signing class.

7.) Zay Mincey is 6-3, 180-pound 4-star safety out of Mainland High School in Daytona Beach. On3 has him at the eighth best safety in the country and 24/7 Sports has him listed as the fourth best safety. He is the 64th best player overall. He would have to jump into the top 32 to get that 5th star, but it’s not an insane leap and definitely possible. I feel strongly that UF needs to keep local players home and UF is certainly the closest Big 3 school to Daytona Beach. Mincey is another multi-sport athlete; he plays basketball and also runs track. I think he is a very good athlete that Florida is trending well for. He could end up in this class sooner rather than later.

6.) LJ McCray is a 4-star defensive lineman from Mainland High School in Daytona Beach. He is a teammate of the person above on this list, Zay Mincey. He is a 6-6, 265-pound bruiser. He is the No. 136 overall player and No. 14 defensive lineman in the 247Sports Composite ranking. The Daytona Beach native is also the No. 22 player from Florida. He is ranked as the No. 87 overall prospect in the 2024 class according to 247Sports.com. Georgia, Miami, FSU, Auburn and others are all recruiting him very hard. He is scheduled to visit FSU on Oct 7 for an official visit when the ‘Noles play Virginia Tech. Florida was trending well for McCray a couple of weeks ago, but it seems he is not quite ready to pull the trigger. This is another one of those home turf battles that UF needs to win. Experts say he is a big, fast athlete that can easily break into the backfield. He has a 79-inch wingspan, which is massive. He is explosive and can overwhelm blockers with his size and get off speed. He is also a multi-sport athlete. He plays basketball for Mainland and is dominate on the court. Dad has coached at Bethune Cookman for the last decade. Coaches kids usually have a high football IQ.

5.) Chance Robinson is a 6-1, 180-pound wide receiver who is currently committed to the Miami Hurricanes. He is a 4-star player at the storied St. Thomas Aquinas. His junior season he had 540 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns on 29 catches (quick math- that means he scored every 2.2 catches). He is 111th player in country according to On3 industry. He recently took official visits to UF and Penn State along with a trip to Miami. Recruiting experts say he understands the importance of run blocking, has quick feet and has strong hands. His thicker frame allows him win battles with DBs. Obviously, Miami has a strong lead, as he is committed to the U. But, it’s a long way until signing day and it would be killing two birds with one stone to flip his commitment away from Miami and bring his talents to Gainesville.

4. Ethan Calloway is a 4-star offensive tackle from Mooresville, NC. He visited during the spring and then took an official the weekend of June 2. Then went to Georgia on June 9, Penn State June 16 and LSU June 23. He is 6-7, 300 pounds. We say this all the time, on The Buddy Martin Show, but you can’t teach size. He is very athletic and moves really well for his size. He is from North Carolina — so those schools are involved but thought to be a battle between UF, Georgia and LSU and Penn State. On3 has him listed as the eighth best tackle in the country. Winning starts in the trenches, games in the SEC are won and lost by the lines. UF needs to add a couple offensive linemen to this class and Calloway would be a great addition.

3.) Fletcher Westphal is a 4-star offensive lineman out of Leesburg, VA. The 11th best OT in the country according to the Industry Rankings. Size, size and more size!! Westphal is 6-3. 300 pounds. He is an absolute monster. Recruiting predictions for him are all over the place. There are a lot of schools still in the mix for Westphal’s talents, including both Virginia schools, Maryland, Clemson, Arkansas, Georgia and Auburn. HE HAS HUGE SIZE. He has the body type to be and IQ to be a left tackle. He has length to match his frame. He is a two-way player that takes meaningful snaps at defensive end. Really explosive. MEAN on the field … which you love to see. Quick feet and really strong lower body. Florida needs offensive lineman and Westphal would be a great fit to the culture Napier is trying to build. He will commit on July 10th.

Photo of offensive lineman Fletcher Westphal at his visit at the University of Florida. Photo via Fletcher Westphal's Twitter.

2.) Jamari Howard is a 6-2, 175-pound cornerback out of West Hialeah, FL. He is #50 player overall On3 – could rise to 32? This would make him a 5-star. He was committed to Michigan State but decommitted a few weeks ago. MSU is still in the mix but this is largely seen as a battle between FSU and UF. Recruiting experts love his wingspan -- it’s an amazing 80 inches, and he has long strides…he is another one of those multi-sport athletes that we know Napier loves. Howard is part of the track 4x400 squad that won Florida relays as a 10th grader. He is also a talented man on special teams. He recorded 44 tackles, 2 INTs and a forced fumble last season.

Photo of defensive back Jamari Howard. Photo via 247Sports.

1.) Jeremiah Smith is a 5-star wide receiver who verbally committed to THE Ohio State University on Dec.14, 2022. He’s considered the 247Composite number 2 overall player this recruiting cycle so far, and the top WR in the nation. Smith stands at 6-3, and weighs 198 pounds. He plays football at Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Opa Locka, FL. He caught 58 passes for 1,073 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2022. While I think Jeremiah Smith ultimately signs with OSU, don’t be shocked if UF makes a hard push for him to flip. He has created a strong bond with DJ Lagway, who I expect to continue to push hard until signing day. I think Smith would need to see some growth this upcoming season and maybe some of our younger wide receivers put up some numbers to be swayed from Ohio State. He feels strongly about being coached and developed by Brian Hartline, so Billy Gonzales is going to have to continue to highlight and sell himself as a good alternative to Hartline. Smith wants to be a first-round draft pick, so UF is going to have to convince him they can do that if they are going to flip him.

Photo of #1 wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Photo via 247sports.

Billy Napier has a HUGE advantage over so many other programs and that’s the fact that the base of his recruiting class is already set and he’s able to be incredible choosy with how he fills out the rest of this class. Rivals said that the eight commits UF got in 10 days was just a PR stunt but what it really is, is Napier and his staff getting the bulk of the class IN and Locked before the season so they can be extremely picky going forward. It also allows them to take some massive swing at guys like Jeremiah Smith and others.

I’m so impressed with what Napier is doing with this class. The kids committing to this class know that last year was a tough year, yet they’re still buying into what Napier and his staff are selling on the trail.

If UF hits on these guys -- or at least most of them -- they’re going to be knocking on the door of the top class in the country. Pretty impressive for a coach with a 6-7 record last season.

Link to Ali Wilbur's YouTube Channel

"A Peek Inside Florida Gators Footbal"

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