Miramar's Tracy Howard is the top-rated cornerback in the country and is considering UF. (Orlando Sentinel file photo)
With National Signing Day less than a week away, Florida already seems to have a top five class. All three major recruiting services have UF as one of the top classes in the country – with Rivals.com and ESPN ranking the class as fourth in the country and Scout.com putting the Gators in fifth.
But they can add some top recruits to the class between now and signing day, or even a few days after. Because of the Gators’ low scholarship numbers, they can add as many as 28 in the class to get back to the NCAA limit of 85. They have 20 committed players so far, including six early enrollees. It would be surprising but not impossible to add eight in the final days.
Here’s a look at some of the top recruits left on Florida’s board that would boost the class.
WR Nelson Agholor, Tampa Berkeley Prep
6-foot-2, 180 pounds
Rankings: Rivals (third) and ESPN (sixth) both rank Agholor as a receiver, while Scout has him as the fifth-ranked safety nationally. He is the No. 1 prospect in the Sentinel’s Florida Top 100.
Where the Gators stand: Agholor has kept pretty quiet in terms of where schools stand, but it seems that UF is in the running with Florida State and USC. He took an official visit to Florida and will announce his decision on signing day.
Prediction: Florida
WR Stefon Diggs, Olney (Md.) Our Lady of Good Counsel
6-foot-, 185 pounds
Rankings: Both Rivals and Scout rank Diggs as the second-best receiver in the country, while ESPN ranks him in third as an athlete.
Where the Gators stand: Diggs visited in January and has been thought to be leaning toward picking Florida. During his visit, he tweeted, “I love it . Love the environment and just the thought of being a gator.” But the talented receiver was still planning trips to Ohio State and Maryland and will wait to announce until Feb. 10.
Prediction: Florida
DT Dante Fowler Jr., St. Petersburg Lakewood
6-foot-3, 232 pounds
Rankings: Fowler is ranked as high as third at defensive end by Rivals, while Scout and ESPN have him in 10th at the position. He ranks 26th in the Sentinel’s Florida Top 100.
Where the Gators stand: Fowler took an official visit to Florida in late January and enjoyed the visit. While he has remained committed to Florida State, he has long flirted with the idea of coming to Florida. During his visit, UF coaches showed him more of the depth chart and where he would fit in. While he said he remains 100 percent committed, he does plan to pick from three hats – Florida, FSU and USC – on signing day.
Prediction: Florida State
ATH Josh Harvey-Clemons, Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes
6-foot-5, 208 pounds
Rankings: ESPN (first) and Scout (second) have him ranked at outside linebacker, while Rivals lists him as the No. 2 athlete nationally.
Where the Gators stand: UF is in good position with the top recruit from the state of Georgia. Will Muschamp visited with Harvey-Clemons family during a church service, and assistant coach Brian White was expected to speak at his high school’s football banquet. Florida State and Georgia are also making a late push, and Harvey-Clemons will choose between the three on signing day.
Prediction: Flip a coin between Florida and Georgia. They’ve been his co-leaders.
CB Tracy Howard, Miramar
5-foot-11, 175 pounds
Rankings: Rivals and ESPN have him as the top cornerback in the country, while Scout ranks him fourth. He is third in the Sentinel’s Florida Top 100
Where the Gators stand: Howard was one of several prospects to visit UF last weekend and has the Gators among his finalists. He’ll choose between UF, Florida State and Miami on signing day.
Prediction: Florida
OT Jake Meador, Whiteland (Ind.) Community High
6-foot-7, 305 pounds
Rankings: One of the lower-ranked remaining targets, Meador is the highest in Rivals’ ranking as the 43rd-best offensive tackle.
Where the Gators stand: Meador was originally committed to Ole Miss until the school fired Houston Nutt and Meador de-committed. That opened the door late for his final schools – Florida, Missouri and Wisconsin. Meador visited UF in mid-January and has his last official visit planned for Wisconsin this weekend.
Prediction: Missouri
QB Skyler Morninwheg, Philadelphia St. Joseph’s Prep
6-foot-3, 215 pounds
Rankings: ESPN rates the QB the highest at 19th nationally at the position
Where the Gators stand: A late addition to Florida’s board, Mornhinweg plans to visit Virgina Tech before deciding. He’s been committed to Penn State, but another prospect from the Philly area thinks he’ll flip. Warminster (Pa.) Archbishop Wood TE Colin Thompson, a Florida commit, was on the same visit to Florida as Mornhinweg last weekend and said he thinks the QB will pick Florida on signing day.
Prediction: Mornhinweg had been previously committed to Stanford, so it’s anyone’s guess if the QB could flip again. For now, Penn State.
LB Schyler Miles, Tampa Berkeley Prep
6-foot-2, 220 pounds
Rankings: ESPN gives the inside linebacker the highest ranking at 22 at the position, while Rivals has him 27th and Scout has him 60th. He’s 80th in the Sentinel’s Florida Top 100.
Where the Gators stand: Miles has had West Virginia among his top schools since the summer, but Kansas got into the mix late after former Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Weis was hired as its head coach in December. After visiting all three, Miles will announce his choice of those final schools on signing day.
Prediction: Kansas
DT Vincent Valentine, Edwardsville (Ill.) High
6-foot-3, 300 pounds
Rankings: Rivals rates him the highest at 28th at the position, while ESPN has him 34th and Scout ranks him as the 56th best defensive tackle.
Where the Gators stand: Nebraska has long been on his list and at one point was considered his favorite but a visit to Florida in January has made it more difficult for the Valentine. He’s expected to take a final visit to Illinois and choose between the three schools.
Prediction: Nebraska
OL Avery Young, Palm Beach Gardens
6-foot-6, 273 pounds
Rankings: Scout has him the highest as the fifth-ranked offensive tackle, while ESPN (eighth) and Rivals (ninth) also have him in the top 10. Young is 14th in the Sentinel’s Florida Top 100.
Where the Gators stand: Young’s four finalists – Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Miami – all planned visits to Palm Beach Gardens this week, according to coach Chris Davis.
Prediction: Young has kept pretty quiet on which way he might be leaning so far, so it’s hard to tell. But Florida would be a good guess.