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Friday, November 29, 2024

Gators nab pair of receivers for 2008 class

The Gators landed two more verbal commitments following their dominating victory against Florida State, giving them 12 commits so far.

Corsicana (Tex.) High's Omarius Hines and Hallandale High's Frankie Hammond, both wide receivers, verbally committed to UF over the weekend.

Hines is a four-star prospect, according to Scout.com.

"Omarius has a knack for snatching a ball from defenders when he has players draped on him," Corsicana coach Dave Henigan said.

Besides being a playmaker, Hines has the size and speed to play at the collegiate level. Hines is 6 foot 1, 183 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in about 4.5 seconds.

"Tacklers just bounce off of him," Henigan said. "He is just strong."

Henigan said that Hines picked UF because of the chance to win a national championship.

"The one thing that he was constant about with his recruiting was, 'Coach, I want to win a national championship,'" he said. "They are getting a winner and a great kid."

While Hines may have picked the Gators for a shot at a national title, Hammond picked UF because of its track team as much as the gridiron.

"Florida is where he wanted to go anyway for track, so it balances out for football and track," Hallandale coach Dameon Jones said.

Hammond's track speed is one of the traits that make him a highly sought after recruit.

"He's got great hands, he has speed, he's 6 foot 1 and he's just a great kid all around," Jones said.

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Hammond is a three-star prospect according to Scout.com, despite not emerging as a receiver until a few games into this season.

He is considered to be a soft commit because he still plans on taking visits to Boston College and Miami in the next few weeks.

"He still wants to look at Miami and Boston College, but we will know for sure where he's going in two weeks," Scout recruiting analyst Jamie Newberg said.

The two receivers now join a growing recruiting class that features just three offensive players.

Hines alone should help UF move up Scout's recruiting rankings. Prior to this weekend, the Gators were ranked No. 17.

"They should move up," Newberg said. "You are talking about one of the better players and receivers from Texas."

The Gators had 15 other prospects in attendance during Saturday's game.

The nation's top-rated cornerback, Pompano Beach Blanche Ely High's Patrick Johnson, and Sierra (Cal.) Community College's five-star wide receiver Carl Moore were two of the visitors at the game on Saturday.

"When you go to a rivalry game like that, it's going to be a great atmosphere, and kids are going to walk away impressed," Newberg said. "It will be interesting to see where they all end up."

Newberg believes UF's class will bring in some of the top players still available and end up as one of the top classes in the nation.

"They will get their share in the end," he said.

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