By: Kenneth Harrison

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The 2020 recruiting classes are officially in the books. One team I want to examine is the Florida Gators. Their recruiting class is ranked eighth nationally, one spot behind Auburn. We can argue Florida’s class is better.

They have 1 five-star recruit, 17 four-star players and 6 three-star players. Auburn does not have a five-star player, 16 four-stars and 10 three-star players.

The highest rated player is five-star defensive tackle Gervon Dexter from Lake Wales, Florida. He’s 6’6 and 294 pounds so he has prototypical size for the position.

He was the top-rated player in the state of Florida and sixth nationally. Dexter runs a 4.88 forty so he also has great speed and athleticism.

He only started playing football two years ago for Lake Wales High but has made an elite impact ever since. In two seasons, Dexter recorded 27 sacks, 53 tackles for loss, 178 total tackles, 14 forced fumbles, and three batted passes – all in 23 games.

Several four-star D-linemen will join Dexter in the trenches. Weak side defensive end Antwaun Powell (Chesapeake, VA), d tackles Lamar Goods (Oakdale, CT), Johnnie Brown (Sebring, FL), Jalen Lee (Watson, LA) and strong side defensive end Princely Umanmielen.

Four-star cornerback Ethan Pouncey is ranked tenth best at the position in the 2020 recruiting class. The last name looks familiar because he’s the younger cousin of Maurkice and Mike.

Ethan is 6’1, 160 lbs. so he has to get to the training table and weight room. His older brother Jordan is a wide receiver, who was previously at Texas but he is transferring to UF.

There are three other four-star corners coming to Gainesville. Avery Helm (Missouri City, TX), Jahari Rogers (Arlington, TX) and Mordecai McDaniel (Washington, DC).

First, I want to point out it is impressive for the Gators to land top recruits from Texas.

All of these corners are at least 6’1 so they have great size to compete with tall receivers.

They have four-star safety Rashad Torrence II from Marietta, Ga. He was on the team that won the 7A GHSA state championship, so he knows what it takes to win.

As a senior, he had 111 tackles, 7 pass breakups and 1 interception. I think he might be one of the most underrated recruits and I expect him to be a star.

Four-star dual threat quarterback Anthony Richardson is from Gainesville. He attended Eastside High just a few miles from the campus. He is also on Season 4 of the Netflix documentary series “QB1: Beyond the Lights.”

Richardson is 6’4, 233 lbs. and the fifth ranked dual threat QB in the 2020 class. He only played in six games in 2019 before he suffered a season ending shoulder injury. In those games, he scored 15 total touchdowns and the team averaged 24.5 points per game.

There are also several talented playmakers joining the Gators. Wide receivers Xzavier Henderson (Miami, FL), Jaquavion Fraziars (Dunnellon, FL), Leonard Manuel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) and tight end Jonathan Odom (Tampa, FL).