Will "The Flipper" strike again to give UF a top 10 recruiting class?

(Gator Bait Photo by Chris Spears)

Does “The Flipper” have one more gigantic flip left in him? That’s the question for today when the faxes start rolling in on the early signing day. Billy Napier, who has flipped 11 players since November 18, elevating Florida’s recruiting class to within striking distance of the top ten, has the Gators sitting at No. 11 as of midnight Tuesday.

It is a remarkable turnaround for Napier and the Gators, whose class dipped all the way to the 50s early in the season when things weren’t going so well on the field. The Gators are a hot team now, winners of their last three to improve to 7-5. The Gators are bowl bound, likely to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, which seems a great landing place since three expected signees today are Jacksonville kids, plus two that the Gators hope to flip.

It only takes one of the players on Florida’s hopeful flip list to get the Gators into the top 10. The two likely candidates are 5-star offensive guard Solomon Thomas, a Florida State commit, and 4-star safety Lagonza Hayward, who decommitted from Tennessee. The Gators are also trying to flip wide receiver Jaime Ffrench, a Texas commitment who is a high school teammate of Tramell Jones and Hylton Stubbs.

Here are Florida’s commits:

WR Vernell Brown III (5-11, 180, Wildwood, FL/Orlando, FL Jones)

CB Ben Hanks Jr. (6-1, 180, Miami, FL Booker T. Washington)

EDGE Jayden Woods (6-3, 245, Shawnee, KS Mill Valley), flipped from Penn State

S Hylton Stubbs (6-1, 200, Jacksonville, FL Mandarin), flipped from Miami

OT Tavaris Dice (6-4, 300, Fairburn, GA Langston Hughes), flipped from Auburn

EDGE Jaylen Wiggins (6-5, 260, Tallahassee, FL Rickards)

LB Ty Jackson (6-1, 210, Loxahatchee, FL Seminole Ridge), flipped from Southern California

DL Joseph Mbatchou (6-4, 280, Loganville, GA Grayson), flipped from Texas

RB Waltez Clark (6-1, 194, Tampa, FL Plant)

LB Myles Johnson (6-1, 220, Brewton, AL T.R. Miller), flipped from Alabama

QB Tramell Jones (6-0, 196, Jacksonville, FL Mandarin), flipped from Florida State

WR Naeshaun Montgomery (6-1, 170, Miami, FL Central)

RB Byron Louis (5-11, 200, Fort Lauderdale, FL American Heritage), flipped from Florida State

DL Stephon Shivers (6-5, 365, Brentwood, TN Brentwood Academy), flipped from Georgia

WR Muizz Tounkara (6-4, 195, League City, TX Clear Springs), flipped from Arizona

TE Tae’shaun Gelsey (6-4, 220, Jacksonville, FL Riverside)

TE Micah Jones (6-5, 245, Madison, MS Madison Central)

DL Jeremiah McCloud (6-3, 285, Leesburg, GA Lee County)

RB Chad Gasper (5-10, 200, Fulshear, TX Katy Jordan)

OT Jahari Medlock (6-6, 280, Riverdale, GA), flipped from Cincinnati

OG Daniel Pierre Louis (6-5, 290, Loxahatchee, FL Seminole Ridge). Flipped from Florida State

PK Evan Noel (Saint Louis, MS St. Stanislaus Bay), flipped from Arkansas

P Hayden Craig (6-2, 190 Brigdon, ME Brigdon Academy) 

Here are Florida’s targets to flip today:

OG Solomon Thomas (6-4, 315, Jacksonville, FL Raines), Florida State commit, 5-star

WR Jaime Ffrench (6-1, 190, Jacksonville, FL Mandarin), Texas commit, 4-star

S Lagonza Hayward (6-1, 200, Lyons, GA Toombs County), Tennessee de-commit, 4-star

DL Myron Charles (6-4, 300, Port Charlotte, FL), Texas commit, 4-star

CB Onis Konanbanny (6-1, 180, Columbia, SC Heathwood Hall Episcopal), Tennessee commit, 3-star

WR Joshua Moore (6-4, 205, Pembroke Pines, FL West Broward), Miami commit, 4-star 

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF: OREGON, TEXAS 1-2

The most meaningless of all the College Football Playoff polls was released Tuesday night. Meaningless because nothing really matters until the final conference championship game ends Saturday night. Until then, it’s all speculation.

For example, in the latest poll Notre Dame is ranked fourth. Because they don’t play a conference championship game, the Irish won’t be slotted No. 4 when the final pairings are released Sunday. The best Notre Dame can do will be No. 5.

The No. 4 slot will go to the Mountain West winner, either No. 10 Boise State or No. 20 UNLV, and the winner of the Big 12 Championship Game between No. 15 Arizona State and No. 16 Iowa State.

Georgia (10-2) is currently ranked fifth, but the Bulldogs will either have a first round bye as SEC champs or they’ll be a 3-loss team that will push either Alabama (9-3) or a team with a better record out. Tennessee (10-2) is No. 7 and a mortal lock to get in. Alabama is No. 11 and sitting on the bubble.

One game to watch is the ACC Championship Game between No. 8 SMU (11-1) and No. 17 Clemson (9-3). If it’s Clemson, the Tigers will get the first round bye. SMU at No. 8 shouldn’t fall out of the top 12 teams, but should the ACC get three teams in, especially since No. 12 Miami (10-2) has yet to beat a ranked team?  

CFP top 25: 1. Oregon 12-0; 2. Texas 11-1; 3. Penn State 11-1; 4. Notre Dame 11-1; 5. Georgia 10-2; 6. Ohio State 10-2; 7. Tennessee 10-2; 8. SMU 11-1; 9. Indiana 11-1; 10. Boise State 11-1; 11. Alabama 9-3; 12. Miami 10-2; 13. Ole Miss 9-3; 14. South Carolina 9-3; 15. Arizona State 10-2; 16. Iowa State 10-2; 17.  Clemson 9-3; 18. BYU 10-2; 19. Missouri 9-3; 20. UNLV 10-2; 21. Illinois 9-3; 22. Syracuse 9-3; 23. Colorado 9-3; 24. Army 10-1; 25. Memphis 10-2

Predictions  

Big Ten: Oregon beats Penn State to claim the No. 1 seed. Penn State remains in the field.

SEC: Texas will beat Georgia for the No. 2 seed.

Mountain West: Boise State will beat UNLV for the No. 3 seed.

Big 12: Arizona State will beat Iowa State for the No. 4 seed.

ACC: Clemson will beat SMU  but the ACC champ won’t get a first round bye since Boise State and Arizona State will rank higher.   

SEC FOOTBALL: PORTAL DEPARTURES/ARRIVALS

Alabama: LB Keanu Koht (RJR); CB Jahlil Hurley (FR); WR Kobe Prentice (JR)

Arkansas: WR Jaedon Wilson (RJR) to UCLA; QB Malachi Singleton (FR)

Auburn: DL Gage Keys (RJR); TE Grant Hidalgo (RJR); QB Holden Geriner (RSO); OG EJ Harris (SO); P Gabe Russo (FR); WR Camden Brown (JR)

FLORIDA: DE Justus Boone (RJR); OL Mike Williams (RFR); EDGE Quincy Ivory (RJR); EDGE Bryce Capers (SO); WR Andy Jean (RFR); CB Ja’Keem Jackson (SO); DL Kelby Collins (SO)

Georgia: CB Julian Humphrey (SO)

Kentucky: DL Keeshawn Silver (RJR); LS Walker Himebauch (SO); CB Avery Stuart (FR)

LSU: WR London Ibieta (SO); QB Rickie Collins (RFR); WR CJ Daniels (RJR)

Mississippi State: QB Chris Parson (RFR); WR Creed Whittemore (SO); WR JJ Harrell (FR); CB Jayven Williams (SO) from Kennesaw State; EDGE Ty Cooper (JR); LB John Lewis (RJR)

Oklahoma: WR Jaquaize Pettaway (SO)

Ole Miss: S Key Lawrence (RSR)

South Carolina: LB Bangally Kamara (RSR) to Kansas; LB Mohamed Kaba (RSR); WR Tyshawn Russell (FR)

Tennessee: OG Vysen Lang (FR)

Texas: WR Johntay Cook II (SO)

Texas A&M: DL Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (SO); QB Conner Weigman (RSO); WR Cyrus Allen (JR)

Vanderbilt: LB Jeffrey Ugochukwu (JR)

COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY UPDATE

West Virginia: Jimbo Fisher is indeed interested in coming home to West Virginia. Since he banked $75 million when Texas A&M pink slipped him, he can insist on spending money that would go for salary on NIL or other program upgrades. Another possibility is former WVU and current Jacksonville State HBC Rich Rodriguez.

UCF: Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell is the leading candidate to replace Gus Malzahn. Chadwell is

60-26 as a Division I HBC at Coastal Carolina and Liberty, 59-35 in Division II and D1AA.

UAB: The Blazers will give Trent Dilfer a third year. The Blazers were 3-9 this season, 7-17 in Dilfer's two years on the job.

Charlotte: Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino has withdrawn his name from consideration.