Evaluating Florida's Assistants on the Recruiting Trail

With the Early Signing Period coming to a close, GatorMaven how each Florida assistant did on the trail for the 2020 cycle.

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With the early signing period wrapped up, I've decided to evaluate how each coach performed on the recruiting trail for the 2020 cycle. Over 85% of Florida's class has signed, with the exception of Leonard Manuel, Jovens Janvier, and Marc Britt. 

Christian Robinson (LB) 

Grade: A+

Florida's ace recruiter is no doubt 29-year-old UGA alum, Christian Robinson, who has his fingerprints all over Florida's 8th ranked class. For one, he landed one of the best linebackers in the country in Derek Wingo, flipping him from Penn State back in June. Wingo was a massive addition to the Florida class and filled a position of need.

As I mentioned earlier, many of Florida's top targets were heavily recruited by Robinson, including Manuel, Ja'Quavion Fraziers, and Jahari Rogers among others.

Robinson is easily the best recruiter on the staff who is young and relatable, which always sits well with recruits. Grades out at an A+ for obvious reasons. 

Brian Johnson (QB): 

Grade: A-

Johnson is the area recruiter for much of South Florida and also recruits the quarterback position. 

He landed Anthony Richardson as his sole QB this cycle, which explains the A- grade. Anthony Richardson is ranked as the fifth best dual-threat QB of the 2020 class, and his ranking is well deserved. This was a layup for Johnson since Richardson plays high school ball just 15 minutes down the road from the University of Florida, but he was a much-needed prospect and the fit is perfect. 

Besides his own position group, Johnson pitched in for various Miami/Ft. Lauderdale targets, such as offensive tackle Issiah Walker and Britt. Walker signed yesterday while Britt is waiting to sign until February.

Torrian Gray (CB) 

Grade: A-

Gray has made his presence felt on the trail in his first year back at Florida, landing many productive defensive backs including Jahari Rogers, Avery Helm, and Mordecai McDaniel.

Not only has he recruited his own position, but he also was the lead recruiter for Antwaun Powell due to his ties to Virginia from being a position coach at Virginia Tech.

The 45-year-old corners coach is well-liked and that has paid dividends on the trail as he continues to reel in elite talent to fill Florida's defensive backfield. 

David Turner (DT) 

Grade: B+

Since his introduction last January, Turner has made many fans in Gainesville as he has helped rebuild Florida's defensive trenches. Many questioned Turner's recruiting ability when he was hired from UTSA, and those same people ate crow just 11 months later.

Turner landed Jalen Lee and Lamar Goods this cycle but unfortunately came up short for Alabama four-star DT Timothy Smith from Sebastian River. The Gators we're in it to the end, but ultimately Nick Saban retained the talented defensive tackle.

Recruits have raved about Turner's ability to coach and develop, and many love his personality on and off the field. Dan Mullen mentioned how he was an upgrade from former DL coach Sal Sunseri in his ESPNU interview on early signing day, saying the following:

"When we first got here I thought that's a part we didn't address the way it needed to be addressed," said Mullen. "Made some changes to make that happen within our coaching staff and the recruiting department".

Mullen went on to praise David Turner and his coaching ability, mentioning Turner as "the premier defensive line coach in the SEC."

It is clear that Turner is a fan favorite who is working on and off the field to make Florida better, but I graded him out at a B+ for not flipping Tim Smith. It's hard to flip people from Alabama, and Saban is just a different animal. But it hurts when you get someone on campus for five home games and camps and still can't close the deal. 

Larry Scott (TE) -

Grade: B+

Scott does a lot of work behind the scenes to hold down the Tampa and Polk County area, and he also got his tight end from his area in Tampa product Jonathan Odom. Odom was highly recruited and was visiting many schools before his commitment to the Gators, including visits to Alabama, LSU, Iowa, Miami, FSU, and Wisconsin, among others.

Larry Scott was also the lead recruiter for Gervon Dexter, Fenley Graham, and Johnnie Brown.

Scott is an effective recruiter in one of the most valuable areas in Florida and has done more than enough on the trail to lock down some of Florida's best commits. 

John Hevesy (OL) 

Grade: B

Florida has five offensive linemen committed, but that number may change depending on what happens with guard Jovens Janvier by February. The other four targets are now signed: OT Joshua Braun, OG Richie Leonard IV, OT Gerald Mincey, and Walker.

Hevesy has loaded up in the trenches for his 2nd consecutive cycle and landed the Gators two blue-chip tackles after the abysmal play of the ones on the roster this past season. Unlike a few other coaches on staff, Hevesy found a problem and addressed it immediately with two distinguished names.

Hevesy is a veteran guy who is another outstanding developer and gets the most of everyone on his roster through his coaching. He has won two national championships at Florida by developing three-star offensive linemen into a championship-level unit, and he worked his magic last year by getting multiple Gators to the pros.

Braun was one that fell into the lap of Hevesy and the Gators, and that is why I have the grade at a B. If Pittman never left Georgia, Braun would have enrolled there and played against Florida for four years. Florida also missed on in-state target Marcus Dumervil to LSU, who announced his decision on early signing day. 

Ron English (S)

Grade: B-

Florida has landed multiple safety gems in the 2020 class, and Ron English is responsible for Ethan Pouncey, Rashad Torrence II, and Tre'Vez Johnson. English's best target Avantae Williams has not signed yet, and the Gators are in a good spot with a few weeks to go until the second signing day.

English's criticisms are more on the field, but there is no question he has added some valuable pieces to a shallow safety room. Torrence and Johnson will both be early contributors for the Gators in the next few years, and English will continue to develop them as best as he can.

Pouncey was a big addition, but that was another one that Mullen worked out in early December. 

Billy Gonzales (WR) 

Grade: C

Gonzales is an excellent coach and developer, but similar to Knox he has struggled to land any big-name targets on the trail. 

Florida currently has wide receivers Ja'Quavious Fraziars and Leonard Manuel committed, but only Fraziars has signed. Manuel will wait till February to sign but is still solid to the Gators at this time. 

Manuel is a former five star and Fraziars is a solid pickup from nearby Dunnellon, but both were mainly recruited by linebackers coach Christian Robinson. 

Gonzales was tasked with landing Sam Brown most recently, who didn't even have a Florida hat on the table when he committed to West Virginia on early signing day. Florida had the last OV and did offer late, but still did not make the cut. 

Now an LSU signee, Koy Moore, a four-star receiver from Archbishop Rummel High School in Lousiana, made it obvious that Florida was at the top of his list back in the summer. Many Gator commits started a hashtag and campaigned for coaches to go after him, to no avail. Gonzales decided not to pursue, and Moore is now going to play his college ball for a rival. 

Gonzales also failed to make an impression on Xzavier Henderson, despite him being on campus for almost every UF home game and is brothers with Florida's starting cornerback, C.J. But again, Henderson will most likely attend Clemson instead of following in his brother's footsteps. 

There's still much to be desired on the trail from Gonzales, especially after the insanely productive season from the wide receivers group. He has also seemed to ignore the slot this cycle and with the losses of Josh Hammond and Freddie Swain, and that could come back to hurt Florida in a few years. This is the same coach who landed Percy Harvin out of high school, but he now seems disinterested in getting the same talent back to Florida.

The good news is that the transfer portal has multiple high profile targets, such as Tarik Black and Justin Shorter. This seems to be the most obvious move for Gonzales, as he recruited both Trevon Grimes and Van Jefferson from the portal two years ago. 

Greg Knox (RB/ST)

Grade: D

Well... Greg Knox did not have a running back sign early and missed on one of the best backs to come out of Florida in recent memory in Demarkcus Bowman.

Sure, Clemson is the defending national champion, so maybe Knox deserves the benefit of the doubt on Bowman. But that's not where the problem ends - actually, it's just getting started.

Florida had a chance at multiple backs this cycle, including Jaylan Knighton and Jo'Quavious Marks, but instead lost them to Miami and Mississippi State, respectively.

Knox still has a chance to redeem himself before the end of the 2020 class, as he will have Henry Parrish and Jahmyr Gibbs take official visits to the Gators. Still, trust isn't high, and Parrish is seemingly trending to Ole Miss, while Gibbs will be a difficult pull from his home state team Georgia Tech.

Knox is a good on-the-field coach, but his recruiting is uninspiring, to say the least. It is hard to see so many high profile backs go elsewhere multiple cycles in a row, especially after Dan Mullen decided to replace ace recruiter JaJuan Seider with Knox. 

Final Thoughts 

Florida finished up the early signing day with the 8th ranked class which still has a chance to improve by the end of the second signing period. The Gators did not have the signing day they hoped for, but that can be salvageable by the end of the first week of February.  

Missing on Tim Smith hurt more than anything, as Florida had him on campus over eight times and still couldn't finish the deal. Still, the Gators have a top 10 class and look to jump up a few more spots with Avantae Willams and other targets that sign late. 

The early signing period was a reminder that Florida isn't quite to a top-five class, but the gap is slowly being chipped away at. Dan Mullen has a decision to make for a lot of these assistants, as many of them will face extensions or will be let go. For some, their seats may be getting warmer, but Dan Mullen is all about familiarity. 

If Mullen wants Florida to take the next step in these next few years, he'll have to cut ties with some of his friends if they don't start performing better on the trail and on the field. The solution may not be cutting ties with some coaches, but instead trying to expand the recruiting office and trying his hand at that. Athletic Director Scott Stricklin has shown he is willing to invest in the football program, and the recruiting staff has grown over the past year, which is a sign of improvement. 

Regardless, the Gators are headed back in the right direction, and Mullen has accomplished many great things in his first two years. A tough signing day when you are trying to flip three guys and coming in late on the other isn't going to end well for most schools. Sure it hurts for Gator fans now, but Florida will be just fine moving forward. This class is one loaded with talent regardless of rankings and many of these signees know what it takes to take the next step for Florida football. 

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