Florida Gators 2023 Recruits to Know: Cornerbacks
Photo: Cormani McClain; Credit: Zach Goodall
With the 2023 recruiting cycle nearing its midway point, the Florida Gators are looking to make significant moves on the trail with a new coaching staff led by head coach Billy Napier.
After sorting through the recruits to know on the offensive side of the ball, the defensive line as a whole and inside linebackers, AllGators now looks to Corey Raymond's cornerback position. As he looks to rekindle a previous trend of ball-hawking, impenetrable secondaries at the University of Florida, Raymond is receiving considerable interest from a multitude of the nation's top defensive backs.
His impressive resume as a recruiter and developer has players lining up at his door to check out what a future in orange and blue could provide them and their careers.
As a result, the talent is plentiful on the Gators' list of cornerback recruits to know in 2023.
Gators 2023 recruits to know
- Quarterbacks
- Running backs
- Wide receivers
- Offensive tackles
- Interior offensive linemen
- Edge rushers/defensive ends
- Interior defensive line
- Insider linebackers
Cormani McClain, Lakeland (Fla.)
When looking at the 2023 recruiting class under the microscope, very few prospects have an argument as strong as Cormani McClain's for the billing of top recruit in the nation. With Florida in desperate need of ready-now candidates, McClain is as close as they come to a day one starter in an SEC secondary.
Not only has he complemented his top-notch talent with production on the field, but he is surprisingly polished for someone who is still relatively new to playing at the position.
Switching from wide receiver to corner as a sophomore, McClain quickly found his niche as a lengthy coverage man with elite speed, fluidity in his hips and continuously progressing technical abilities. The glimpses of potential greatness he displayed early on made a strong impression on coaches around the nation, including Raymond, during his time at LSU.
The two have rekindled their connection following Raymond's trek to Florida, and it has only affirmed that the Gators are in it until the end with the uber-talented DB. He is set to play his last high school season at Lakeland after spending the first three campaigns at Lake Gibson, his mother announced via Twitter on Monday.
McClain recently announced that he would be postponing his final decision for after his senior year, but the Gators have remained firmly at the top alongside the likes of Alabama, Miami and Georgia.
A.J. Harris, Central (Ala.)
Defensive back recruiting efforts at Florida has seen three players stand out from the pack for quite some time under Raymond.
While McClain sits as the undenied number one target, AJ Harris and Tony Mitchell are 2a and 2b options for the Gators' recruiting efforts.
Starting with Harris, the Phenix City (Ala.) prospect has impressed Raymond with his rare mix of ideal stature, athletic traits, explosiveness and scheme fit.
Most importantly, Harris isn't limited to a specific position in the secondary. If the Gators see fit, they can move him around from corner to nickel to safety based on matchups to ensure the best talent is on the field at once.
He has had one of the most intriguing recruitments to this point where the Gators are concerned. First, rumors circulated about the Gators reigning at the top of his list of potential schools, followed up by the Gators being on the back burner, to finally being at the same level as the others in serious contention.
Harris' final decision will be the only accurate indicator of who is truly winning or has won in his recruitment.
Raymond and Co. will host the talented defensive back from Alabama for the third time as he takes an official visit to Gainesville on June 10. They hope to impress him and his family once again to potentially create leverage for landing his services when the end of his process arrives.
Tony Mitchell, Thompson (Ala.)
The biggest defensive back on the Gators' short list of prospects that would be considered ideal landings is Mitchell. Standing at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, the Alabaster (Ala.) product possesses desirable size and length that can be an asset to shutting down opposing wideouts.
Displaying similar versatility to Harris, Mitchell will give the Gators the luxury of being able to plug and playing him at cornerback or safety. In fact, his ball skills when working as a free-range coverage man positions him to play potentially align at safety at the next level.
However, spending the majority of his time with Raymond when he visited UF in late March, Mitchell was impressed with the way they operated in teaching and developing talent.
"I feel like [Raymond] does a great job of really teaching his players," he told AllGators post-visit.
He tabbed the Gators as the favorite in his recruitment as a result.
Although Texas A&M has garnered the most interest from the Lakeland (Fla.) native as of late, the Gators will continue to push to potentially create a two or even three-headed monster in their secondary alongside the two players listed above.
Sharif Denson, Bartram Trail (Fla.)
Denson has consistently sat as a target for the defensive backs room since the last regime offered him in January 2020.
As a freshman then, the talented Bartram Trail prospect presented valuable traits in coverage that projected to only progress as he grew older.
Despite aligning as one of the smaller cornerbacks on this list, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound recruit possesses strong capabilities as a versatile man-to-man coverage defender who can win with physicality at the point of attack. His ball skills and willingness to play the run downhill skate him to potentially follow in the footsteps of his former high school teammate and current nickel in the Gators' secondary Tre'Vez Johnson if needed.
Denson has also assumed duties as the Bears' leading return man, a testament to the overall athleticism he possesses.
He recently placed the Gators in his top five schools list in early May. Battling alongside the likes of South Carolina, FSU, Ohio State and Texas A&M, Florida will get an opportunity to reel in the talented defensive back who resides nearly an hour and a half away.
He plans to take an unofficial visit to UF starting on June 24, where he will stay with Johnson for an extended trip to Gainesville.
Ja'Keem Jackson, Osceola (Fla.)
In search of talented cornerbacks to continue the elite-level of developmental success he realized during his lengthy stint at LSU, Raymond hasn't been afraid to expand his horizon to underrated prospects in his six months with the Gators.
Jackson is the latest example, as he has garnered a significant uptick in power five interest over the last month of his recruitment, including from UF.
Equipped with desirable length, speed and aggressiveness in coverage, Jackson sports a well-rounded package of tools when working against assignments in man-to-man coverage. His frame makes it difficult for passers to target him over the top, while his quickness — both laterally and straight-line — puts him in a position to stay step for step with his matchup and make plays on the ball. He couples his strong skills as a coverage man with the willingness and power to work downhill against the run.
Set to take two official visits to Penn State and Tennessee in June and three in the fall for schools yet to be determined, Jackson will take his time before making his life-altering decision.
However, given the fast and furious pressure Florida has applied to the in-state defensive back in recent weeks, he views the Gators as a program that will remain in contention until the very end. He even said that UF will find itself in his currently-unreleased top six schools list during an interview with AllGators after his May 31 visit to Gainesville.
He will commit alongside teammates and fellow Gators targets Derrick LeBlanc and John Walker on October 22.
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