Ray-Ray McCloud III announced his verbal commitment to Clemson on Monday evening. The commitment came as somewhat of a surprise as McCloud was in attendance at UF’s Friday Night Lights camp. The feeling was that McCloud would go with Florida with Gainesville fresh on his mind.
Four-star cornerback decommits from Florida: 2015 cornerback Marcus Lewis (6 foot 194 pounds, Washington, D.C., Gonzaga Collegiate Academy) decommitted from UF on Monday.
Lewis had been wavering on his commitment for the last month. He took a visit to Michigan this past weekend. Although he is decommitted, his top four schools include Florida, Michigan, Miami and Oregon. Florida’s 2015 class remains with just seven verbal commitments.
Friday Night Lights notebook: The 2014 session of Friday Night Lights featured some of the top recruiting prospects from across the country. Several Gators targets, commits and even current UF football players were on hand from the event.
2016 cornerback commit shines: Current Florida cornerback commit Chauncey Gardner (5-foot-11, 190 pounds, Cocoa, Fla., Cocoa High) worked out on Friday and set himself far apart from the other cornerbacks.
As a rising high school junior, Gardner showed impressive speed and girth for his age. He flipped his commitment from Miami to Florida after attending Will Muschamp’s camp in early June.
No. 4-ranked linebacker shows versatility: Outside linebacker Jeffery Holland (6-foot-1, 225 pounds, Jacksonville, Fla., Trinity Christian Academy) worked out at both linebacker and, believe it or not, wide receiver on Friday.
Holland said he feels comfortable on both sides of the ball although he is listed as a linebacker.
“My first position was playing . . . running back, then I got moved to receiver so I’m really new to defense,” he said. “But I just can do it.”
Holland was on campus as early as Wednesday and said he thoroughly enjoyed being on campus with former Trinity teammates Nick Washington and Kavaris Harkless.
“It was great; I just got to hang out with the players,” Holland said. “They really didn’t take it as a recruiting trip, I just came to hang out and kick it with the coaches.”
Holland’s top schools include Florida, Auburn and UCLA. He is planning on enrolling early so he is expected to make a decision in December.
Roquan Smith enjoys visit: Linebacker Roquan Smith (6 foot, 203 pounds, Montezuma, Ga., Macon County High) was in attendance Friday, but he did not work out.
“It was a pretty good visit,” Smith said. “I enjoyed it. I watched some of the players go out there and compete. It was a pretty good atmosphere “
Smith, the fifth-ranked outside linebacker in the country, is friends with fellow Peach State linebacker Adonis Thomas (6-foot-3, 219 pounds, Lawrenceville, Ga., Central Gwinnett High), who is announcing his commitment on Friday.
Thomas is deciding between Florida and Alabama. Smith said the decision will be a partial factor in his commitment.
“I’d love to play with him, but at the end of the day you have to do what is best for you,” Smith said.
Smith said his visit to Gainesville will be the last one he will take before his senior season starts in August.
“It’s a nice city of Gainesville, good camaraderie of the players and the coaches are pretty good people,” he said. “So I enjoy it every time I come out.”
Follow Morgan Moriarty on Twitter @Morgan_Moriarty
Will Muschamp speaks at a press conference in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Jan. 13. UF hosted Friday Night Lights on Friday for its top prospects.
