Live Blog: #Gators15 National Signing Day Coverage
Wednesday, February 4, 2015 | Football, Scott Carter
Gators head coach Jim McElwain discusses his program's haul on National Signing Day.
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Updated: 5:05 p.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Gators head coach Jim McElwain is done with his National Signing Day press conference.
In case you missed the live stream, McElwain was in good spirits as Florida closed strong with the addition of 18 players today. The newcomers join a pair of early enrollees, tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe and receiver Kalif Jackson.
As recent as two weeks ago the major recruiting services ranked Florida near the bottom of their national rankings for the 2015 class. While the final rankings have yet to be determined, the Gators are expected to climb significantly after Wednesday's haul.
"We have a lot of positive things to sell,'' McElwain said. "That's what we do."
McElwain expects to add at least one high-profile signee this week and perhaps more players as the Gators round out the class.
Stay tuned and check out GatorZone.com later this evening for a column off today's events. And thanks for checking out our live blog throughout the day.
In other news, the University of Miami announced that Gators freshman defensive tackle Gerald Willis is joining its football program.
A talented player signed in 2014, Willis was involved in multiple off-the-field issues at Florida and wore out his welcome.
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Updated: 3:01 p.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Gators are closing out National Signing Day with a flurry.
Florida head coach Jim McElwain has announced running back Jordan Cronkrite out of Westminster Christian in Miami is the Gators' latest signee, No. 17 of the day.
I couldn't be more proud of this one🐊 #GatorNation #chompchomp @JC_Knows pic.twitter.com/tLfEVRK7VZ
— gaby zelhof (@gabyzelhof) February 4, 2015
Cronkrite (5-11, 195) is the second running back in this year's class, joined by St. Thomas Aquinas speedster Jordan Scarlett.
And before I could post Cronkrite's signing, D'Anfernee McGriff's NLI arrived in UF's football office. He is No. 18 for the day.
More on McGriff:
Another playmaker on board. Welcome @Dmcgriff1 to #Gators15! pic.twitter.com/1uiBfg2RVG
— GatorZone Football (@GatorZoneFB) February 4, 2015
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Updated: 2:34 p.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Gators have received their 16th National Letter of Intent today, this one from 6-foot-4, 285-pound offensive lineman Nick Buchanan of Dunwoody (Ga.) High.
The Gators continue to fill an area of need, signing their sixth offensive lineman of the day.
Florida is currently waiting on at least two more NLIs to arrive. Gators head coach Jim McElwain has his National Signing Day press conference scheduled at 3:30 p.m.
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Updated: 1:43 p.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Gators have signed another player from South Florida.
Florida coach Jim McElwain announced that Miami Central defensive lineman Keivonnis Davis (6-4, 225) is officially a Gator.
Davis was an Oregon State commit who flipped to Florida. He is the sixth of Florida's 15 signees today to come from South Florida (three from Dade County; two from Broward; one from Palm Beach).
A member of three consecutive state championship teams, Davis led Central with 20 sacks his senior season.
Some highlights below:
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Updated: 12:37 p.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida head coach Jim McElwain announced the Gators' 14th signee today a few minutes ago, offensive lineman Fredrick Johnson from Royal Palm Beach (Fla.) High.
Johnson, listed at 6-foot-6, 300 pounds, is the fifth offensive lineman to sign with the Gators today. He is also from South Florida, an area the Gators hit hard on the recruiting trail after the arrival of McElwain and assistant Randy Shannon.
"I feel great about these guys,'' McElwain told ESPNU. "We're going to do our darnedest here as we keep rolling through this state. I think we have made some huge inroads in all three parts of the state. That's what we're here to do. We're going to have a few more come in here as the day goes by."
Of the 16 players currently signed in this class, 11 are from Florida, four from Georgia, and athlete Kylan Johnson the lone player from Texas.
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Updated: 11:55 a.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Gators landed one of the most coveted players in the country a few minutes ago when Apopka (Fla.) offensive lineman Martez Ivey (6-6, 290) announced on ESPNU that he signed with Florida.
Ivey is ranked as the No. 1 offensive line prospect in the country by various recruiting services. Ivey had narrowed his choices to Florida and Auburn.
Tracking social metrics for #Gators15, can you tell when @tezivey made his announcement? pic.twitter.com/e27Kcuz6Od
— GatorZone Football (@GatorZoneFB) February 4, 2015
He was asked on ESPNU about why he chose the Gators.
"What I thought about was where I want to be at the next three to four years and what I want to do with my life,'' Ivey said. "It's not all about football. Some day football is going to come to an end. I don't want to go and stay in Alabama because I want to stay here in Florida."
The addition of Ivey, considered a five-star recruit, is certain to boost the first recruiting class for head coach Jim McElwain in the national rankings.
"He's a guy that can get after you,'' McElwain told ESPNU. "We're really excited about that position."
Within minutes after Ivey's announcement, the Gators signed their 13th player of the day, tight end Camrin Knight out of Tallahassee Lincoln High.
Listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, here is a look at Knight in action:
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Updated: 10:52 a.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida coach Jim McElwain just announced his 10th signee of the 2015 recruiting class.
And it's a big one. Literally.
Offensive lineman Brandon Sandifer is a 6-foot-4, 330-pound road block out of Northside High in Warner Robins, Ga.
“@_bsandifer: NATIONAL SIGNING DAY 🐊🐊🐊🐊 pic.twitter.com/vAw0k3vCLR”🐊🐊🐊
— Capo Popi (@AlcoaBoi2) February 4, 2015
And shortly after announcing Sandifer was officially a Gator, McElwain tweeted a welcome to Rayshad Jackson, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound linebacker out of Norland High in Miami.
So for those counting at home, Florida has 11 signees officially verified.
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Updated: 10:26 a.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Not long after missing out on Armwood defensive lineman Byron Cowart, the Gators got a boost when receiver Antonio Callaway signed.
Antonio Callaway after signing with #UF pic.twitter.com/PQr21WTwGR
— Blake Alderman (@MistaAlderman) February 4, 2015
Callaway (6-0, 185) is a player the Gators pulled out of Miami's Booker T. Washington High, the same school that produced quarterback Treon Harris in last year's signing class.
Callaway is considered a good get for Florida and adds play-making ability to an offense expected to be recharged under head coach Jim McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier in 2015.
Two other players are in: athlete Kylan Johnson (6-3, 200) from Skyline High in Dallas, and defensive back Chris Williamson (6-0, 185), who played at Gainesville (Ga.) High.
The three additions increase today's haul to nine players thus far on National Signing Day.
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Updated: 9:39 a.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The action has picked up for the Gators.
In good ways and bad.
First, head coach Jim McElwain announced two more additions to the Gators' 2015 signing class: defensive linemen Luke Ancrum and Jabari Zuniga.
Ancrum is a Sunshine State product out of Sebring High. At 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, he will need to add some weight at the college level but has tools to develop into an edge pass rusher according to scouting reports.
As for Zuniga, he is listed at 6-3, 260 pounds and played at Sprayberry High in Marietta, Ga. Three of the Gators' first six signees today are defensive linemen.
However, Florida fans let out a collective groan when Armwood (Fla.) High defensive lineman Byron Cowart (6-3, 255) announced he is signing with Auburn instead of the Gators.
Cowart is ranked the nation's top overall player by multiple recruiting services and had narrowed his choice down to Florida and Auburn.
"His intensity, his passion for the game, and his ability to change the game and be disruptive from a variety of alignments along the defensive front [make him a top prospect]," ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill said. "When he flashes that high-octane motor, there's not a better or more disruptive force along the front in this class. What you want to see out of him is more consistency."
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Updated: 8:57 a.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Gators head coach Jim McElwain just announced the addition of offensive lineman Richerd Desir-Jones, a teammate of running back Jordan Scarlett at St. Thomas Aquinas High in Fort Lauderdale.
Desir-Jones is listed at 6-foot-4, 290 pounds and played both guard and tackle in high school, where he helped St. Thomas Aquinas win a state championship his junior season.
Meanwhile, offensive lineman Mike Horton of Lakeside High in Atlanta, who had verbally committed to the Gators, has signed with Auburn.
The Gators are expected to add more offensive linemen before the day is out, an area that lacks depth.
"We need to put some spots a little bit of everywhere,'' McElwain told ESPNU earlier. "We have good players, but our numbers at offensive line are not very good right now as far as what we need from a scholarship standpoint. That's a big priority for us and we'll see how today goes."
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Updated: 8:49 a.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- As we wait on more players to sign, Tyler Jordan has already spoken to the media about his decision.
The offensive lineman from Jacksonville was the first player to have his NLOI validated this morning and one of Florida's earliest commitments in this class.
Gainesville Sun recruiting writer Zach Abolverdi spoke to Jordan this morning:
.@tyjordan58 on UF signing: "It means a lot. It's a great feeling knowing I'm finally a Gator. Grew up one and now I get to live it out."
— Zach Abolverdi (@ZachAbolverdi) February 4, 2015
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Updated: 8:29 a.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Running back Jordan Scarlett is the third player to have his national letter of intent validated by Florida's compliance office this morning.
A 5-foot-11, 210-pound threat out of St. Thomas Aquinas High in Fort Lauderdale, Scarlett is a big get for new Gators coach Jim McElwain and his staff. Scarlett originally committed to Miami but changed his pledge earlier this week and made it official Wednesday morning.
His commitment sparked some momentum this week for Florida.
McElwain told ESPNU moments ago that he felt good about Florida's potential to have a good day on National Signing Day.
"Fortunately I had recruited in the state before, so there was some pre-existing relationships and I can't say enough about our staff,'' McElwain said. "They went in, knocked some doors down, and we got back into a lot of homes that maybe we had been shut out of. There was a lot of really good momentum as we headed into today."
Scarlett was a big reason why.
He got a Twitter welcome from new teammate Brandon Powell, another former South Florida standout running back:
WELCOME TO THE FAM BRUH! @Famousscarlett 🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊
— Brandon Powell (@_Powellbp4) February 3, 2015
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Gators know how to send out a warm welcome.
With Tyler Jordan and Andrew Ivie the first two players officially signed this morning, they are the first to hit the big screen at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
If you are on campus today, check out the scoreboards. The Florida football staff plans to welcome all the 2015 signees on the big screen.
Our first two @GatorZoneFB family members are on the board. Welcome! #Gators15 #SigningDay #ItsGreatUF pic.twitter.com/F3EmSgeZ9J
— Florida Gators (@GatorZoneNews) February 4, 2015
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Updated: 7:51 a.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Gators have officially added their second player of the day, this time Pasco High defensive lineman Andrew Ivie. If that name sounds familiar, he is the younger brother of Gators defensive lineman Joey Ivie.
Andrew Ivie is listed at 6-1, 270 pounds and registered 59 tackles and five sacks as a senior.
In case you are not on Twitter, a little twist today for the Gators on National Signing Day. New head coach Jim McElwain is updating fans when the Gators officially receive and validate a player's National Letter of Intent.
You can follow him if you don't already -- @CoachMcElwain ... Here is his tweet on Ivie:
Want to officially welcome @ivie_andrew (Andrew Ivie) to the Gator Family! #ChompChomp
— Jim McElwain (@CoachMcElwain) February 4, 2015
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Updated 7:42 a.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Offensive lineman Tyler Jordan of Bishop Kenny High in Jacksonville was ready for National Signing Day.
Jordan was the first player to fax his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday morning shortly after 7 a.m.
Jordan is listed at 6-foot-4, 275 pounds and adds a player at a position the Gators desperately need to replenish after losing four regulars from last season's offensive line.
Here is a highlight video featuring Jordan at work:
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The drama-filled event known as National Signing Day is about to start.
As these words pop off the keyboard, it's still dark outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. By the time darkness returns this evening, a lot will have happened. There will be surprises, disappointments, hat tricks (non-hockey variety), fan eruptions (joy and sadness) and who knows what else from coast to coast.
That is what National Signing Day has become and for the next dozen hours or so, it will dominate social media and the airwaves.
We will keep you updated throughout the day on Florida's 2015 signing class, the first under new head coach Jim McElwain (photo, left).
The Gators gained momentum on the recruiting trail as NSD approached and seek to keep it going today with several targeted recruits still hanging in the balance.
As the day starts, here is where the Gators stand in the rankings of the three major recruiting sites: Rivals.com has Florida ranked No. 57, Scout.com has UF at No. 52, and 247Sports.com lists Florida with the 42nd-ranked class in the country heading into NSD.
Recruiting rankings are often proved wrong years later when you consider there are so many factors that are difficult to determine as a player transitions from living at home and playing in high school, to starting college and the challenge of the next level.
Accurate or not, one thing is certain: by the end of the day the class rankings posted this morning by the major recruiting services will likely look much different as players make their announcements.
You can follow the action throughout the day here on GatorZone.com. The sun will soon rise. And with it, the roller-coaster ride known as National Signing Day.
