Florida Gators Top WR Target DJ Allen Commits TCU

The Florida Gators fail to outduel TCU down the stretch for 2022 WR target DJ Allen.

The beginning of the end of the 2022 recruitment cycle starts with unfavorable news for the Florida Gators class.

The Gators are still seeking their first wide receiver commit of them 2022 cycle with Gladewater (Texas) product DJ Allen's commitment to TCU.

I’m 1000% committed‼️@CoachMXKelly @CoachSonnyDykes pic.twitter.com/yVWQj06q3j

— 𝓓𝓙 𝓐𝓛𝓛𝓔𝓝⭐️ (@_Datsdj) February 1, 2022

Offered by the Gators in late December, Allen and wide receivers coach Keary Colbert would rekindle the relationship they started to build during Colbert's time at USC. Their connection paid dividends in Florida's ability to reassert themselves into his recruitment in the final month.

Traveling to Gainesville for an official visit Jan. 28-30, Allen would effectively narrow down his schools to the Gators and TCU on Sunday. With the University of Florida getting the final visit, they felt confident about their chances for the talented wideout.

"It's pretty nice out here," Allen said about Florida just after leaving campus. "It was nicer than I thought it was gonna be."

Unfortunately for Florida, their last-ditch efforts weren't enough to pull Allen away from Sonny Dykes and his home state TCU Horned Frogs.

The Gators miss out on a 5-foot-11, 190-pound pass-catcher who has produced in a big way for Gladewater High School over the past two seasons. Reeling in 71 receptions for 1,604 yards and 18 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,133 yards and 12 touchdowns on 116 attempts, Allen wins with effortless speed and elusiveness.

He would have been a perfect addition to the Gators unit as they look to air out the ball more often than the offensive staff did while at UL.

"They need some players that can make plays after the catch," Allen said. "They said they're going to run [an offense] kind of like they did last year at Louisiana and they're going to try to open it up some more."

With the Louisiana-Lafayette offense being heavily dependent on the run to open up the pass, the expectation for the Gators' new-look offense was that it would shift toward a similar 60/40 style. However, Allen's comments suggest that Napier intends to utilize the skillsets of his pass-catchers at Florida with more frequency.

However, that shift to a more balanced attack will require speed on the boundary, something Florida is currently lacking. After missing out on Allen, the Gators remain with no committed players at that position of need. 

Napier and company will likely turn their attention to KD Hutchinson, who visited Florida alongside Allen last weekend but left without an offer. They are also awaiting the commitment announcement of fellow Texas-based prospect Caleb Douglas. Douglas is slated to choose between LSU and Florida Wednesday.

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