The Florida Gators Pick Up Three Commitments
Sep 15, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp on the sideline against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Florida defeated Tennessee 37-20. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
The Florida Gators picked up a
couple of
three huge commitments this weekend.
One
two literally and one figuratively. They hosted a ton of prospects this weekend for their annual team banquet and it paid big dividends when mammoth JUCO offensive tackle Trenton Brown and four star linebacker Matt Rolin, previously committed to the South Carolina Gamecocks, pulled the trigger for the Gators. And just when we thought they were done, offensive lineman Roderick Johnson who had decommitted previously from the Gators, recommitted to the Gators.
Brown, originally scheduled to announce on December 19th decided to get his commitment out of the way during the excitement of the Awards Banquet weekend tweeting early this morning,
"“Gator Chompin’ #GatorNation join me Oh and add me to that #1 recruiting class”"
He added that he’s been a silent to the staff for some time, as many recruitniks and analysts had expected, and decided to just go ahead and make it public saying he’ll sign his letter of intent on the 19th. As a JUCO transfer he’ll enroll in January and be available for spring practice.
Brown’s commitment brought the staff’s commitment list to 23 and rounds out a great haul at offensive line, a position of great need. Brown, 6-7 345 is a massive lineman and is expected to come in and compete right away on an offensive line that has been somewhat inconsistent converting to Muschamp’s pro-style offense. With two other offensive line commits center Cameron Dillard, offensive guard Octavius Jackson and two transfers in Max Garcia and Tyler Moore, the Gators are likely done with offensive line recruiting this cycle.
The Gator’s were not done with commitments, however. While Brown’s commitment was somewhat expected,Matt Rolin’s came as a surprise. Somewhat. Rolin, a 6-4 205 linebacker from Ashburn, Virginia came out of nowhere to make a “quiet” visit to Gainesville on November 30th after being previously committed to South Carolina Gamecocks since May. After the visit he was tight-lipped about his visit asking recruiting analysts to stop texting and calling. In one of the rare statements he mentioned that he had a tough decision to make but would not elaborate any further. The decommitment from South Carolina was somewhat of a surprise considering his ties to USC. His parents attended USC and his grandfather played there. As is the case with Brown, and with many recruits these days, he went public via twitter.
"“Going back on my word is something I never envisioned myself doing and it hurts me to do it,” Rolin tweeted. “But in the end I have to do what’s best for me. That being said, I would like to let everyone know that I have decommited from the University of South Carolina.“I would like to thank the Carolina coaches an (sic) fans for all the support and hope you understand that I prayed about this an it’s best for me.”He then went on to add, “I have officially committed to THE University of #Florida. I will be wearing #9 as I continue to chase my dreams at #Florida.”"
Muschamp, Quinn, and Durkin are expected to make an in-home visit tomorrow.
Rolin’s commitment makes 24 in this class and adds to an already impressive haul which is ranked number one by ESPN.
And just when you thought it was safe to publish a commitment story another commitment comes in, via twitter, as usual. Offensive lineman Roderick Johnson announced this evening for the Gators.
"“Its official gator nation im back”"
Simple words but if there were any doubt about the meaning his twitter profile was decked out in big orange and blue Gator “F” logos. Johnson had committed to the Gators back in March then suddenly dropped them in August after his main recruiter Aubrey Hill resigned saying he wanted to open his recruitment back up. The staff, of course, never stopped recruiting him and their patience and diligence has paid off with a second commitment from Johnson. With him back in the fold, we can now be sure the staff is done with their offensive line recruiting this cycle. His commitment brings the total to 25 as Tyler Moore will count as a JUCO transfer when he arrives in January.