Committed? A.C. Leonard, Yes; Jeoffrey Pagan, Um…
Keep up with the series of events surrounding A.C. Leonard. The University Christian (Jacksonville, FL) tight end was one of the first to join Florida’s 2011 recruiting class. As the recruiting cycle gained steam, Leonard became a well known star and sought after prospect. While visiting Gainesville to watch the Gators face LSU, he supposedly said he was bored during the game. Not long after, Leonard decommitted, but mentioned Florida was still in the race. He then allegedly said the Gators were completely out of it and his list only included other schools.
The A.C. Leonard saga has now come full circle. Leonard has recommitted to Florida and this time it’s final.
Or as final as it can be until national signing day, which is still a long four months away. Nothing is certain until a recruit signs his letter of intent and sometimes not even after that point. Whether Leonard ends up signing with the Gators is anyone’s guess, but he appears as solid as anyone can be in giving a verbal commitment.
Leonard has always believed Florida was the best place for him and that he wanted to become a Gator, but outside influences got to him which led to last week’s decommitment. It happens all the time. Coaches, players, or other recruits sway a recruit to go against his instincts, but sometimes they come back around. It wasn’t long before the star tight end came back to the orange and blue and realized that he had made the right decision in the first place.
And now Leonard is done. The recruiting process is rarely done for anyone until he signs on the line, but occasionally some prospects do end it early. They make a “final” commitment and stop taking calls from other schools. They don’t visit other campuses. They are effectively done. Leonard appears to be one of those, but after the last few days it’s easy to assume that anything could happen. Until we see him on the field in a Gator uniform, we can all just keep our fingers crossed. The same is true of anyone committed at the moment.
On the other side of the ball, fellow Rivals100 member Jeoffrey Pagan may not be as committed. Not in that solid category, but instead in the soft one. The Asheville (Asheville, NC) defensive end is still verbally committed to Florida, but likes a few other schools and isn’t afraid to name them. Among those are Clemson, Georgia Tech, Oregon, and Tennessee.
While Pagan is still considered a Gator, he’ll be one to take his visits and heavily weigh all of his options. In the end, distance may be a factor. Don’t expect this one to be over until February. Clemson is close enough to Pagan’s hometown to make the transition very smooth for the defensive end. While Florida isn’t the other side of the country, it may be a little more of a trip than Pagan would want to make and could be a deciding factor.
The good news for Gator fans is that Pagan has not decommitted and continues to mention Florida favorably. He feels he fits in and could definitely see himself spending his college years with the Gators. If there’s one position that stands out for Florida this year, it may very well be defensive end. But his recruitment remains wide open and that makes fans nervous. Pagan is a talented pass rusher and run stopper who is only going to get stronger and possibly even faster. Feel free to drool at the thought of him coming around the corner and taking down an unsuspecting quarterback.
By now, you’re scratching your head about Leonard’s commitment, decommitment, and recommitment and you’re wondering why Pagan is committed at all if it seems like he really may not be all that sure of his decision. Here are a few words to ease your mind: this is recruiting.
This is nothing new and both situations are examples of what has been happening for years. Recruits pull the trigger before they’re ready. They use words like “soft” or “solid” when discussing their commitment status. They say they’ve made the final choice just to change their mind a few days, weeks, or months later. They spurn a school for a rival only to end up at the first school again. They mention their “final” lists then have completely different “final” lists later. Basically, they’re teenagers.
None of what recruits do should surprise any of us, but it does. It does because we love the game. Both college football as a whole and the recruiting game all by itself. We develop crushes on certain players and get excited when they make their announcements. We’re even to the point that we watch those announcements unfold on national cable networks. We eat it up and are the reason why it has become the spectacle that it is.
There’s nothing wrong with that. We thrive on the entertainment factor in it all. We enjoy following a kid through his high school (and sometimes even middle school) years up until he runs out of the tunnel wearing our favorite team’s uniform. We also secretly like it when our team goes up against a kid we coveted. It’s part of the sport. It’s all part of the passion.
There’s also nothing wrong with the way these kids handle the process. It has become such a circus over the years that it’s hard to expect them to make a decision and stick with it. When a recruit announces his choice it’s not like every other school immediately stops pursuing him. In most cases they actually get more persistent.
Get as frustrated as you want, but be reminded that others that we supposedly revere do the same thing (Billy Donovan anyone?). Urban Meyer even had us all thinking the Gators would have a new head coach in 2010. Each and every one of us has flip-flopped on a decision, and not just minor ones.
Shake an angry fist at a kid who decommits or curse under your breath at a recruit who picks a rival – that’s your right as a passionate fan – but just remember it’s their decision, not yours. Leonard may sign elsewhere or he may truly be done with recruiting. Pagan may stay pledged to Florida or he may decide to stay closer to home. Just enjoy the ride.