Why 5-Star Recruit Nate Craig-Myers Should Commit to Florida Gators
College football recruiting is all about seeing the short-term and long-term effects of a commitment.
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In the case of 5-star receiver Nate Craig-Myers, both his short-term and long-term success point extraordinarily high should he decide to commit to the Florida Gators.
247 Sports currently projects Craig-Myers committing to Florida State but he has recently said that Florida is still on his radar and is among his top choices.
The Tampa Catholic product is currently ranked by Rivals as the best 2016 receiver available and his addition would be massive to a growing 2016 UF recruiting class.
This isn’t pie-in-sky thinking either; there are legitimate reasons why the Gators have a shot at landing the No. 5 overall recruit.
By all accounts, Gators commit Chauncey Gardner is close friends with Craig-Myers and would obviously see much more of Gardner should he commit to UF.
Related: Chauncey Gardner is Florida’s not-so-secret recruiting weapon
It would be much shorter commute for Craig-Myers to simply walk to Gardner’s dorm, rather than having to visit him at Florida State or take a trip to Auburn, Alabama.
Having the two consistently practice against each other should also make both players much better in the long run, setting up a chance for possible NFL careers, something they both obviously aspire to reaching.
Me @jayvaughn_myers And @NateCraig2016 A Package Deal 🏈😈🏧💰✊🏾🐊💯❗️❗️❗️
— C.J. Gardner-Johnson (@CGJXXIII) June 8, 2015
Besides having the chance to hang out with his buddy, Craig-Myers would also have the opportunity to play an ample amount of snaps on offense in his very first year.
What’s more, he may have a legitimate shot to starting as a freshman under Jim McElwain. The Gators’ head coach has already expressed a willingness to play younger players, and isn’t afraid of having freshman feel the fire of the SEC early.
The wide receiving core for the Gators isn’t particularly vaunted at the moment as well. Latroy Pittman Jr. will be graduating this year, Demarcus Robinson may have a shot at leaving to the NFL early if he has a spectacular 2015 season and recently converted receiver Brandon Powell is still learning the position.
That leaves the chance for Craig-Myers to do some major damage his first year on campus.
Should Craig-Myers decide to join the Gators, he can expect to have plenty of opportunities to catch passes from whoever is the quarterback.
McElwain’s offenses have always been built around the ability to throw the ball frequently and down the field.
He even said so himself at this past SEC Media Days event.
That can clearly be seen in his last few years at Alabama and during his last head coaching stint at Colorado State.
The offense that the Rams boasted in 2014 was extremely prolific, led by 2014 NFL Draftee Garrett Grayson and star receiver Rashard Higgins.
The Rams were eighth in the country with 321 passing yards per game and put up a respectable 33.9 points per game.
In a pro-style attack, Grayson was 2nd in the country in passing yards and was 8th in touchdown passes. Higgins hauled in 96 receptions (10th in the nation), 17 touchdown catches and 1,750 receiving yards, which led all college receivers.
Imagine plugging Craig-Myers into a system that is that effective at finding the No. 1 receiver.
Everything makes sense for Nate Craig-Myers to join the Florida Gators and make an instant impact right away.
Whether or not Craig-Myers sees that potential remains to be seen.
No matter what his commitment decision turns out to be, his college career is one to take note of the minute he steps foot on to the college campus of his choosing.