Recruiting Run Down for May 5th

Talking Cormani McClain’s recruitment, plus discussing what’s going on with recruiting with four Florida college football programs: UCF, Florida State, Miami and Florida.

Brian Smith | May 5, 2022

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PLANTATION, Fla. - While on the road checking out Florida prep football programs during spring practice, there’s been quite a bit of “chatter” from a myriad of important folks about the college football programs inside the Sunshine State. Here’s what Inside The Knights learned during the first couple of weeks on the road, starting with a point about one of the nation’s truly elite prospects, Cormani McClain.

Chill…

People keep asking yours truly about McClain. Fair enough. He’s elite. He’s being recruited nationally by the likes of basically everyone, but Florida, Alabama, Florida State, Miami Georgia, Ohio State, USC, and many others could still be the final landing spot. With that in mind, impatient people are not going to be really happy about the following and that’s just too bad.

After having the chance to see the big-time cornerback/wide receiver and his Lake Gibson teammates practice on Monday, a little recruiting talk took place afterwards. Here’s all anyone needs to know about McClain’s recruitment, at least for now.

In this recruiting analyst’s opinion, McClain has very little idea of where he’s going. McClain is evaluating his options and going from there. That’s a good thing. Further, McClain is not likely to make a final decision anytime soon.

Leaving the majority of the conversation on the private side of life, do note one fact: McClain is not someone that lays out his life for the public to see, by and large, and that’s just who this young man is. It’s just his nature, nothing more.

Long, long way to go for McClain’s signature.

Working Towards June: UCF Knights

UCF had a flurry of commitments the day of and the week after its annual spring game. UCF sits at six commitments for the class of 2023. That’s a phenomenal start. Who’s next is always the question, but there’s no one player that appears to be likely to commit soon (that can change in about two seconds, however).

Isaiah Nixon Defensive End St. Petersburg (Fla.) Lakewood 2023 — UCF defensive end commitment Isaiah Nixon, one of the top recruits in the state of Florida, committed to the Knights on the same day as UCF's spring game / Brian Smith, Inside The Knights

What is known, based on talking to multiple sources and recruits themselves, UCF’s staff is staying on top targets and pushing for prospects to visit the Orlando campus in June. Anything UCF gains in terms of commitments between now and the first week of June is a bonus.

The UCF coaching staff has been all over Florida and Georgia in particular, the past couple of weeks. Let it play out. There will be some surprise visitors in the not so distant future based on the hard work the coaching staff for the Knights is putting in.

May is a bonus; what commitments take place because of visiting UCF in June is what’s truly next on the Knights’ docket, and that's that. Be patient UCF fans, it’s going to be an interesting June, and there are likely to be commitments in July and August for Knights’ recruiting as well.

Now or Never for FSU’s Staff

After a truly insightful podcast with NoleGameday’s Dustin Lewis Wednesday evening, adding that information was pivotal to solidify what many have been saying for a while. FSU needs to make something happen and make something happen now.

Well, this season that is. A lot of recruits are in wait and see mode. Florida State sits at six commitments, with top quarterback talent Chris Parson the player to watch. Considering the scrutiny the Seminoles are under (see below), that’s pretty good. Not only is Parson a really good signal caller, he’s also trying to help the FSU coaching staff recruit other top prospects to Tallahassee, Fla.

Even so, Head Coach Mike Norvell needs to win games right out of the gate in 2022. The Seminoles travel to the Big Easy to play LSU on Sep. 4, a Sunday game prior to the NFL kicking off its season the week after. Can the ‘Noles make a public statement in the state of Louisiana? That needs to happen.

Can Mike Norvell and his coaching staff have a good enough season in 2022 so that recruits take notice? :: Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat

Talking with multiple recruits and high school coaches around Florida, not one person has expressed serious belief in what’s going on in Tallahassee. Not one. This writer is just the messenger, but that information is the bottom line from people that matter.

The FSU staff will have their shot to prove they are on the rise when they hit the turf in New Orleans. A FSU victory could springboard the ‘Noles to a really good season and really good recruiting class. A loss, well, that’s leading to the inevitable question of, will this staff survive the 2022 season?

There’s a lot to see with FSU during the upcoming football season, and it’s going to be a major factor for recruiting as well.

Word on the Street: Miami Hurricanes

There’s going to be a flip, at some point, from a prominent recruit currently committed to a SEC program to Miami. That’s not any type of shocker, mind you. With this particular piece of information, there’s a very talented player in mind. His name cannot be divulged in an effort to respect sources. With that stated, note that the original sentence in this paragraph is also a basic statement.

Miami Football recruiting is going to be very different and that means going toe-to-toe with SEC schools for prospects that the last head coach, Manny Diaz (he was horrible), failed miserably time and time again along the recruiting trail. The changing of the guard is good for the Hurricanes.

With Miami Head Coach Mario Cristobal leading the recruiting charge for the Hurricanes, many of the recruits from prior years that were heading to SEC schools will likely at least give Cristobal his ‘Canes a serious look.

How many top recruits will actually sign with Miami? Who knows. Part of that depends on how Miami actually performs on the field during Cristobal’s first season in Coral Gables. That’s the bottom line, as they say. It’s not do or die like it is for the Seminoles, mind you, but there needs to be some ‘juice’ behind Miami’s play this fall to help Miami recruiting efforts off the gridiron. One key point for 2022 regarding Miami’s recruiting efforts and how it’s tied to the success on the field.

Remember, Miami returns quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to the lineup this fall. That’s the same young man that passed for at least 316 yards in each of his last six games, with a high water mark of 426 yards. If Van Dyke can lead Miami to nine or more wins in 2022, that will give Cristobal and his staff quite a bit of limelight and promote recruiting even further. Miami could really finish strong on the recruiting trail if Van Dyke and the current Hurricanes do well this season.

Tyler Van Dyke is one of college football's best returning quarterbacks. Now, can he lead Miami to nine or more wins in 2022? / Collier Logan

Doing it His Way

One of the most unique recruiters in the country would be current Florida Head Coach Billy Napier. He’s not throwing out offers like many other programs (SEC included) just to do so. He’s taking his time, along with his staff, and he’s evaluating the entirety of the situation, i.e. the prospect’s talent, character, where he’s from, how that particular recruit impacts Florida’s roster long-term, etc.

In some ways, that’s quite refreshing. Napier is attempting to build the Gators into a consistent machine. That’s cool. Now, can he play the long game while other schools are more aggressive with recruiting and accepting commitments of players that Florida is currently holding off on offering? That’s what makes recruiting interesting with the Gators and Napier.

Billy Napier and his staff have been deliberate with offers thus far, preferring to make clear and precise evaluations before tossing out scholarship offers. — Billy Napier and his staff have been deliberate with offers thus far, preferring to make clear and precise evaluations before tossing out scholarship offers :: Brad McClenny/The Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

There’s no one way to project how this is going to work out. The primary thought here, however, is that Florida might have to flip some recruits down the stretch (November-December) because they wanted to wait and see some recruits play live this fall. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s an approach that UF is going with, for now, with regards to some prospects that some people might be a bit surprised did not yet receive an offer from the Gators. One caveat to consider about that point.

Much like with UCF, Florida is going to have a lot of recruits in for summer visits and camps. Who knows, if some player fits the overall profile that Napier and his coaching staff really like, he will pull the trigger with an offer because the young man earned it. That’s old school; that’s doing one’s homework. Napier recruits players because of evaluations, not because of what they are ranked on 247, et al.

In the end, Florida’s class is moving along slowly, but that might not be a bad thing. The Gators have but two commitments (watch out for WR commitment Tyree Patterson, as he’s really good). That’s okay to have just two commitments because it’s a new coaching staff in Gainesville attempting to get its footing and that means a lot of evaluations. By the end of summer, it will be much easier to evaluate where the Gators stand with recruiting.

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