Florida Gators Football Recruiting Update: April 5, 2016

A Florida Gators football recruiting update for the week of April 5, 2016, analyzing the program’s crop of prospects.

It was another fairly quiet week for the Gators on the recruiting trail in terms of big news. Jim McElwain and his staff didn’t add any new commitments, and they even dropped two spots in the 2017 class rankings to No. 33.

Florida did extend scholarship offers to eight prospects, two of which are in the 2017 cycle: 3-star offensive tackle Billy Ross and 4-star defensive end Jaelan Phillips.

The Gators also made headlines by offering a scholarship to an eighth grader. Avantae “Tae” Williams isn’t scheduled to graduate high school until 2020, but the Gators still offered the young athlete from DeLand, Fla. He plays running back and safety, and should expect to collect more scholarship offers now that he’s landed his first.

Florida also hosted Donovan Peoples-Jones, the No. 3 wide receiver in the 2017 class, for a visit.

Florida is in prime position to land 5-star receiver Trevon Grimes, who plays at St. Thomas Aquinas High School with 4-star quarterback and Gators commit Jake Allen. Potentially adding Peoples-Jones and Grimes alongside 4-star wideout Daquon Green, who has already committed, would make for a lethal trio of pass catchers in McElwain’s offense.

Peoples-Jones is a 6-foot-2, 175-pound, dynamic playmaker. He’s explosive, elusive and can win jump balls with his ridiculous leaping ability.

Below is a sketch of how Florida’s 2017 recruiting class currently looks.

Note: Scout rankings and ratings used in this article.

Florida Gators Football Recruiting Update

Complete Class

No. 33 Overall Class

Total Commits: 3

5-Star Commits: 0

4-Star Commits: 2

3-Star Commits: 1

Jake Allen: 4-Star, No. 16 QB, No. 201 Overall

Daquon Green: 4-Star, No. 20 WR, No. 151 Overall

Kadeem Telfort: unranked 3-Star OT

Top Targets

Dylan Moses: 5-Star, No. 1 ATH, No. 2 Overall

Trevon Grimes: 5-Star, No. 1 WR, No. 5 Overall

James Robinson: 4-Star, No. 18 WR, No. 118 Overall

Jarez Parks: 4-Star, No. 3 DE, No. 42 Overall

Tee Higgins: 4-Star, No. 7 WR, No. 40 Overall

Swamp Talk

Former Gator Compared Jim McElwain And Will Muschamp At Florida’s Pro Day

Florida Gives Jim McElwain Raise After One Season

Gators’ 5-Star Target Unveils Top 5 Schools

Tweet Of The Week

Blessed to say I have received my First Offer from the University Of Florida #GoGators pic.twitter.com/u5tkvYNsSC

— Tae Williams #7 (@SlowDownBoy7) March 30, 2016

The Gators offered eighth-grader Avantae Williams, an athlete in the 2020 class.

Scouting The Enemy

3-Star RB Maleek Barkley committed to Arkansas (4/3/2016)

Unranked DT Tyreek Johnson committed to South Carolina (4/2/2016)

3-Star DE Alex King committed to Kentucky (4/2/2016)

3-Star OT Eric Douglas committed to South Carolina (4/2/2016)

3-Star WR Monterio Hunt committed to Mississippi State (3/28/2016)

Recent Florida Offers

Brian Hightower, 2018 4-Star WR, Bradenton, Fla.

Billy Ross, 2017 3-Star, No. 44 OT, Unranked Overall, Huntington, W. Va.

Avantae Williams, 2020 ATH, DeLand, Fla.

Richard Gouraige, 2018 4-Star OT, Tampa, Fla.

Keiondre Jones, 2019 OT, Hogansville, Ga.

Emory Jones, 2018 4-Star QB, Franklin, Ga.

Aeneas Hawkins, 2018 DT, Cincinnati, Ohio

Jaelan Phillips, 2017 4-Star, No. 6 DE, No. 64 Overall, Redlands, Calif.

MORE: Baseball Team’s Success Could Give Florida Advantage For 4-Star OLB