Breaking Down the Florida Gators’ 2010 Recruiting Class – Part 3

Jordan Haden

DB – 6’0″, 198 lbs. – Fort Washington, MD – Friendly

With the bevy of talent coming in at defensive back, Haden almost seems forgotten at times.  For the last few months everyone has wanted to talk about Matt Elam, Joshua Shaw, Jonathan Dowling, Cody Riggs, and ever Demar Dorsey.  Many tend to forget Haden is already enrolled and adjusting to life at Florida.  Don’t sleep on the latest Haden to suit up for the Gators.  He could make a big impact sooner than many think.  And hopefully the Haden-to-Florida line doesn’t stop with him.

Darrin Kitchens

LB – 6’3″, 215 lbs. – Homestead, FL – Homestead

Along with Adrian Coxson and Chaz Green, Kitchens was one of the Signing Day commits.  Take a look at his rankings and you might not be all that impressed, but Kitchens in an extremely athletic linebacker that could see time at a few other positions as well.  He’s one of those never stop going guys that is every coach’s dream.  A redshirt is most likely in his immediate future, but he should provide solid play for years after that.

Michael McFarland

TE – 6’6″, 230 lbs. – Tampa, FL – Blake

McFarland was headed toward a grayshirt season before Dorsey dropped/was dropped.  It also didn’t hurt that Auburn started to put the full-court press on the Tampa tight end.  McFarland’s grayshirt future lasted only a few short days and he will instead now join his fellow classmates as a freshman in the fall.  McFarland is a project who won’t see the field for a while, but should be more than ready when he does.

Tyler Murphy

QB – 6’2″, 190 lbs. – Wethersfield, CT – Wethersfield

Murphy is the question mark of the class.  Rivals.com rates him as a two-star dual-threat quarterback and the tenth-best prospect from the state of Connecticut.  To many that doesn’t sound like Florida Gator material, but Murphy is a QB who can run effectively with the ball and may have a better arm than you think.  Having run a spread offense in high school helps his transition to Florida.  Murphy may not end up spending his entire career at quarterback, but is an intriguing prospect nonetheless.

Leon Orr

DT – 6’4″, 300 lbs. – New Port Richey, FL – Gulf

Orr gets a little lost in the shuffle behind those other defensive linemen ranked near the top of most recruiting lists, but he shouldn’t.  A great overall talent for someone his size, Orr will most likely play defensive tackle for the Gators.  He should make the adjustment well given his strength.  Orr may also be used to provide depth along the offensive line.  Think of him as the Matt Patchan type that could be used a variety of different ways.

Solomon Patton

WR – 5’10”, 175 lbs. – Mobile, AL – Murphy

Although Chris Dunkley is the one everyone mentions, Patton may be a step ahead of the other receivers because he enrolled early.  Patton possesses above average speed, but his biggest strength may be his field vision.  He has that ability to find open space similar to what Percy Harvin had.  Not that I’m comparing Patton to Harvin, but he does have a great ability to know where to run and how to get into the open field.  Patton could see time early depending on how the depth chart shapes up.

Ronald Powell

DE – 6’4″, 230 lbs. – Moreno Valley, CA – Rancho Verde

The star of the class, Powell gives Florida the top prospect in the nation.  Whether it’s at defensive end, outside linebacker, or tight end, Powell will make an immediate impact.  He has all the tools to star at any position and according to coaches could play multiple.  Although that’s said much more often than it actually happens.  Expect Powell to be one of the top contributing players for years.  And expect Florida coaches to use his success to pluck a few more future Gators out of California.

Come back tomorrow for the final part.