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Florida Gators Football Recruiting: Elijah Blades Update

By Maxwell Ogden

Nov 12, 2016; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain walks out of the tunnel before the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2016; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain walks out of the tunnel before the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Florida Gators football team is going all-in on keeping cornerback Elijah Blades. Find out the latest on the recruitment of the Gators star.

The Florida Gators football team is approaching National Signing Day with a disheartening level of uncertainty. There are a number of intriguing players on the radar, but until they’ve signed, nothing is official.

One of the players whom the Gators are most adamant about maintaining a commitment from is standout cornerback Elijah Blades.

Blades has been one of the Gators’ top targets throughout the 2016-17 recruiting process. He’s one of the Top 300 players on most recruiting sites and has the potential to be the next great addition to DB U.

According to Luke Stampini of 247Sports, the Gators sent in a heavy arsenal of coaches and recruiters to visit Blades and his family on Jan. 19.

"Head coach Jim McElwain, defensive backs coach Torrian Gray, and area recruiter Tim Skipper met with the 6-foot-2, 175-pound Blades and his family on Thursday night."

Defensive backs coach Torrian Gray and area recruiter Tim Skipper have been the primary recruiters for the Pasadena, California native.

Blades is a consensus four-star recruit who’s ranked at No. 138 on the 247Sports Composite and the No. 265 overall recruit on the ESPN 300. He’s widely regarded as a potential star at cornerback due to his combination of physical gifts and timing against the long ball.

Blades committed to Florida in June of 2016, but he still has an official visit scheduled with the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Florida will need to make a continued to push to keep Blades on the fast track to Gainesville.

Blades has great size for a cornerback at 6’2″, as well as the speed to prevent the opposition from stretching the field vertically. He has the length and ball skills to become one of the premier defensive playmakers in the SEC.

Following the departure of superstar cornerbacks Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson to the 2017 NFL Draft, adding Blades could provide Florida with long-term stability.

Must Read: Chris Rumph turned down Clemson to stay at Florida!

With Nebraska attempting to steal Blades from Florida, head coach Jim McElwain is pulling out all the stops.

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