No. 1 DE recruit dealing with discipline issues

ST. PETERSBURG — Dante Fowler Jr. could be considered either one of high school football’s biggest question marks or one of its boldest exclamation points.

At 6-foot-3, 232 pounds, Fowler carries the title of the nation’s No. 1 defensive end recruit, according to Rivals.com.

Beneath the evasive façade and tough bravado, though, is just an 18-year-old with a soft voice and a wide-toothed smile — and an easily ignited temper.

Dante Fowler, Jr. is an FSU oral commit.

After an on-field dispute last season, Fowler was ejected from a game and served a one-game suspension from the Florida High School Athletic Association.

Then, in early September, according to the St. Petersburg Times, a growing tension between Fowler and his coaches at St. Petersburg Lakewood High was detonated by one maverick play.

Fowler, frustrated by being double teamed in Lakewood’s season opener against Seminole High, went rogue and recorded a sack despite orders from his coaches to remain inside. Then came a four-week suspension from coach Cory Moore.

Against St. Petersburg High on Friday night, Fowler also got into trouble, beginning with a late hit in the first quarter, after which he taunted the offensive lineman he had pushed around.

He was also involved in a dispute involving a few players from both teams on the St. Petersburg sideline after a player was pushed out of bounds.

“Yeah, I get out of line a lot,” Fowler said, “but I’m going to have to practice on that in college.”

Coupled with his on-field aggression is a senior season in which Fowler has failed to meet expectations and his own goals.

Before the season, Fowler had set a goal of 25 sacks. Instead, he watched his team go 5-0 from afar before rejoining the squad that has now ended its season on a 1-4 note.

Fowler ripped off his helmet nearly every time his cleats crossed the Lakewood sideline Friday night, often throwing it to the ground in irritation.

For a defensive lineman heralded for his pass-rushing ability and knack for disrupting offenses, Fowler seemed to consistently be the farthest Lakewood defender from the ball.

He recorded just one and a half tackles before halftime and capped the 37-14 loss with five tackles and two assisted tackles. He was also pulled out for a few fourth-quarter plays and later reinstated at tackle.

“It’s a tough loss,” Fowler said.

“The whole season, teams have been scheming against me … but I’m glad I made it through my senior season, all four years with not like a real bad injury.

“I’m ready to take it to the next level.”

He has been a soft oral commit to FSU since last December.

After stating he would keep everyone guessing until National Signing Day on Feb. 1, he retracted comments about taking official visits to UF, Southern California, LSU and Clemson during a trip to Tallahassee last weekend.

Fowler was originally scheduled to take an unofficial visit to Florida during the Vanderbilt game two weeks ago before making an official visit in January.

It is unclear whether he still plans to attend UF’s game against FSU on Nov. 26.

Oral commitments are non-binding until a national letter of intent is signed on or after National Signing Day on Feb. 1, 2012.

This article originally appeared in the Independent Florida Alligator on Nov. 15.

Receiver prospect has Gainesville roots

Uriah LeMay is 17 years old, but he was in Gainesville to celebrate the Gators winning a BCS title before most students on campus applied to college.

However, none of that sports stuff really interested the young LeMay, who grew up in Gainesville while his dad served as a chaplain for the Gators’ football team under former coach Urban Meyer.

Although football runs in both his brothers’ blood, as well as that of his dad, Stacy, who played football for Florida A&M, LeMay said he was never a sports nut as a kid. While his older brother, Christian, would be soaking in stats from ESPN on television, Uriah said he would be in the backyard playing with the dog or hanging from monkey bars.

When former UF quarterback Chris Leak came over to the LeMay house to have dinner, he asked his big brother, “Who’s Chris Leak?” At the time, LeMay only knew Tim Tebow’s name because they had talked about their shared Christian beliefs when Tebow was a freshman at UF and LeMay thought he was a “cool” mentor.

Uriah LeMay, a 2013 WR prospect, is the son of a former UF chaplain.

And after his time playing  flag football in pee-wee leagues was spent, he quit the game because he said he was scared of getting hit. He grew up watching his two brothers from the sidelines, including Christian, who is now a freshman quarterback at Georgia.

Finally, cheerleading got old for the middle LeMay boy, who dipped his speedy feet back into the game as a linebacker and running back at the beginning of his middle school career.

By eighth grade, he had made the transition to wide receiver.

“That’s when I started to become the player I am today,” he said.

The player LeMay is today, a 6-foot-2, 188-pound junior from Matthews (N.C.) Butler High, holds 18 scholarship offers. He said Alabama, Rutgers, LSU, Tennessee, Florida and FSU are the schools recruiting him most heavily.

LeMay said his ideal school will provide “just honesty from the coaches about how everything is going, how things will be going when I get there, as well as just a safe environment.”

This article originally appeared in the Independent Florida Alligator on Nov. 2.

No. 1 tight end recruit commits to Florida

LAND O’LAKES  — The 6-foot-5, 215-pound son of a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle tries very hard to keep his secrets.

Kent Taylor, rated the No. 1 tight end in the nation by Rivals.com, walked into the lobby of the Land O’Lakes High gym wearing red and black, an ambiguous color choice given his offers from FSU, Georgia and Alabama.

He had waited nearly a month, keeping his decision under wraps until the Thursday afternoon ceremony presenting him with his U.S. Army All-American Bowl jersey.

He said only a few close friends and family members knew his final decision.

Kent Taylor of Land O' Lakes, the nation's No. 1 tight end, is committed to UF.

Taylor has hung out in Nick Saban’s office and Joe Paterno’s house. His final choices included college football’s No. 1- and No. 2-ranked schools in LSU and Alabama, respectively.

His principal even said the ceremony was “one of the most important announcements in Land O’Lakes High School’s history.”

So after Taylor slipped on the black-and-gold All-American jersey, he stepped up to the podium, visibly anxious. He thanked his loved ones and talked gratefully about his final six choices: LSU, Alabama, Penn State, Georgia, FSU and Florida.

“But I do want to tell you guys this,” he started. “Once a Gator – “

He stopped, reaching for a Philadelphia Phillies drawstring backpack, which he struggled opening for about 20 seconds.

“Uh,” he stuttered awkwardly. “Hold on.”

“— always a Gator.”

He threw on an orange-and-blue hat, finally making his decision public.

Earlier this month, when Taylor called UF tight ends coach Derek Lewis to inform the staff of his decision, he said all the coaches were in a meeting room.

“When I committed, they really went crazy,” Taylor said.

His oral commitment is significant for Florida, which just had sophomore tight end Gerald Christian announce his transfer. Taylor is also the 17th overall oral commit in coach Will Muschamp’s first full class.

“I wanted to play football since I knew what football was,” Taylor said. “My dad played for the Bucs, and I’ve always wanted to do it. So now that I’ve lived through (that) and I get to go to Florida … it’s absolutely a dream come true.”

But the biggest determining factor, Taylor repeated several times, was the promise of playing time in the new offense.

“Past history has shown that the offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis, is going to throw to tight ends,” he said.

“It depends how ready I am and how big I get. They kind of said as a freshman, (I’ll be) just kind of catching balls and growing into that every-down blocker.”

Next on Taylor’s schedule: “absolutely got to recruit recruits.”

He said he is currently talking to Tampa Berkeley Prep five-star athlete Nelson Agholor, the nation’s No. 11 overall recruit, and St. Petersburg Lakewood High five-star defensive end Dante Fowler, Jr., who is currently a soft oral commit for FSU.

Oral commitments are non-binding until a national letter of intent is signed on or after National Signing Day on Feb. 1, 2012.

This article originally appeared in the Independent Florida Alligator on Oct. 28.

UF commits not wavering despite three big losses

Breaking up isn’t as hard as it’s said to be.

Lorenzo Phillips, an outside linebacker from Patterson (La.) High, decommitted from Florida last week. Now he’s considering Houston, where two of his teammates are committed; Texas A&M, where he decommitted from in March; as well as LSU, Alabama, Pittsburgh, Nebraska, Louisiana Tech and Tennessee. He told Rivals.com that distance from home was the factor that prompted reopening his recruitment.

Some other UF oral commits don’t buy that.

Mike Davis, a running back commit from Stone Mountain (Ga.) Stephenson High wasn’t surprised.

“I think it had to do with the three lost (games),” he said.

In a recruiting realm where oral commitments are often announced and withdrawn with spontaneity or seriousness, many schools land sought-after athletes only to see them shift allegiances to the next big offer thrown their way.

Some blame coaches, parents and mentors for letting teenagers freely make decisions and not holding them accountable. Some blame the intense fan following of recruiting news, and the Internet. Others blame college coaching staffs, whose interest in certain recruits can decline when the prep star next door makes headlines.

Yet another cause is the potential effect of a losing streak on recruits’ decisions.

Florida is in the midst of a three-game slide, losing at home to Alabama and on the road against LSU and Auburn.

But other than Phillips, Florida’s 2012 recruiting class seems unwavering.

“Yes, it has been rough,” said Davis, who orally committed Feb. 19. “It affects (my commitment), but not as much. I just look at it as ‘Why are we losing games? We should win.’… I love the new offense, (but) Florida needs bigger backs… I want to come in and help the Gators win. I look at it as a rebuilding year for any team.”

Wide receiver commit Latroy Pittman of Citra North Marion High committed on Aug. 18, 2010. He was a bit surprised by the Phillips news, but said the losing streak “really doesn’t affect me much. Every team has its run and their rough seasons.”

“Just take it for what it is: new coaching staff, kind of a young team looking for its identity. Just playing more assignment football, doing more of the little things right (are keys),” he said.

Melbourne Holy Trinity’s Marcus Maye, a safety commit, was also surprised by Phillips’ move, but says that as far as his commitment, he is “still in, 100 percent.”

 Maye, who injured his foot earlier this month, said one thing is on his mind when watching the struggling Gators: “Make them better.”

Oral commitments are non-binding until a national letter of intent is signed on or after National Signing  Day on Feb. 1, 2012.

This article originally appeared in the Independent Florida Alligator on Oct. 27.

Top 2013 QB weighing his options

Cord Sandberg is a 16-year-old multitasking machine.

As a freshman, he practiced with the Bradenton Manatee High varsity squad, led his junior varsity team to an undefeated season and recorded playing time in the first round of the state playoffs. As a sophomore, he led Manatee to a 13-1 season that ended in a state semifinals loss to perennial power Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas. That season, he threw for 2,855 yards and 25 touchdowns while rushing for 579 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Sandberg also said he hit .399 on the baseball team in the spring, racking up five home runs and 25 RBIs in the lead-off role as Manatee advanced to the state semifinals. He has been projected to be an early round pick in the MLB draft by his senior year.

It’s fair to say the 6-foot-2, 190-pound dual-threat quarterback and two-sport prospect has a few avenues to pursue.

Now a junior, Sandberg and the Hurricanes are 3-2, with close losses against No. 10 Olney (Md.) Our Lady of Good Counsel and No. 1 Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep. He has collected offers from Auburn, Clemson, Cincinnati and Iowa State, while also talking to coaches and drawing interest from Alabama, FSU, Stanford, Texas, Tennessee and Florida.

“Right now, my options are open as far as football or baseball,” Sandberg said. “During football season, I’m going 100 percent and loving it. But when it ends, it’s baseball season and I give (that) everything I’ve got.

“Whatever happens next year — senior year — is probably what I’ll end up doing. I’m not sure yet right now, though.”

Cord Sandberg, a Manatee High junior, is a dual-threat
QB as well as a dual-sport athlete.

After his freshman season, Sandberg had already been around the recruiting circuit with trips to Auburn, Clemson and Florida. Last summer, he visited FSU, Alabama and Tennessee. After his junior year, he plans to add LSU, Texas and Stanford to the itinerary.

This summer, Sandberg was invited to Gainesville for a one-day offensive and defensive line camp to put his arm on display, an experience he enjoyed.

 “I talked to (Florida offensive coordinator Charlie) Weis, and he seemed like a pretty bright guy as far as offense and developing quarterbacks,” Sandberg said. “If they were interested in me at Florida, that would definitely be an option I would have to consider for sure.”

Sandberg also has some family ties to Florida. His father, Chuck, an assistant coach for Manatee, was a first baseman for UF’s baseball team in 1979.

“I am open to wherever as of right now,” Sandberg said. “But Auburn and Clemson have definitely shown the most interest. Personally, I want to go to a place where the coaches and atmosphere feel right. So whatever happens, happens.”

This article originally appeared in the Independent Florida Alligator on Sept. 28.

2012 UF oral commit breaking the kicker mold

Austin Hardin is 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, squats twice that weight and maxed out benching 290 pounds last year. He said his 40-yard dash clocks in at 4.4 seconds. He regularly takes snaps for Atlanta Marist High as a corner, a strong safety or, depending on the sugar content of his coach’s breakfast cereal, a halfback.

And he’s rated the nation’s No. 9 kicker by Rivals.com.

“I guess I’m not your typical kicker,” said Hardin, a Florida oral commit.

Hardin, who will be in Gainesville for the Alabama game this weekend, was hardly noticed before his junior year, as he warmed the bench behind Justin Moore, who is now at Georgia Tech. Then, Hardin kicked a textbook, arching field goal from 59 yards out against rival Decatur (Ga.) Southwest DeKalb last fall.

“They wouldn’t send the kicker out to try this, would they?” a GPBSports announcer inquired during the locally broadcast game.

“Nah, it’s too far for a field goal,” the other booth man said.

Hardin, UF oral commit, after his infamous 59-yard field goal.

Marist won, 17-14, fans stormed the field, and Hardin was soon swarmed with invitations to universities across the country.

He began prioritizing which schools he would visit in the spring. Florida was at the top of his list, although not first on the schedule.

“That was the one camp that we had really marked off, like, ‘OK, this is the one camp we’re going to,’ even though I had a whole summer filled up with coaches wanting me to come (visit),” he said of UF.

Hardin’s camp season started at Ole Miss. In May, Derek Dooley offered him at Tennessee, then Gene Chizik at Auburn. The calendar days narrowed down until Hardin’s anticipated visit to Florida, followed by a stop at Virginia Tech.

“At Florida, I would’ve been surprised if I didn’t pick up the offer,” he said. “Like, (two) other [Southeastern Conference] schools had just offered me, so it was kind of what I was waiting for. So they pulled me out, about the second day of camp, and were like, ‘Alright, let’s cut to the chase: You’re the guy we want.’”

Soon after, he went on an unofficial visit to Gainesville and talked with coach Will Muschamp. Hardin never made the Virginia Tech visit. He committed to UF on the spot.

In Marist practice, Hardin does the things all the big boys do — he hits, he sprints, he scrimmages. Most high school kickers stick around for about 20 minutes of practice, like Hardin’s little brother, Luke, who kicks for another Atlanta school. Hardin thus has arguably the least-fresh — yet the best — legs in high school football, which presents a separate challenge to take on at Florida.

“I’m kind of excited to see what it’ll be like to just be a kicker,” he said. “But at the same time it’s kind of sad because I really do like hitting and tackling and stuff. On kickoffs, when I’m not hitting it in the end zone, I’ll probably be running downfield for tackles.”

Most would think that kickers don’t pose a tackling threat. But then again, Hardin has never been a typical kicker.

Note: Oral commitments are non-binding until a national letter of intent is signed on or after National Signing Day on Feb. 1, 2012.

This article originally appeared in the Independent Florida Alligator on Sept. 28.

Maye taking a different path

Marcus Maye lights up most fields he steps onto, most Friday nights – even the barely-lit ones.

On Friday, Maye, a Florida oral commit, and Melbourne Holy Trinity (2-0) dominated St. Petersburg Catholic (0-3), 35-6, on a run-down Northside Christian field more suitable as a dog park than a football field.

Fans were welcomed with a buzz of cicadas louder than a lone cheerleading squad and greeted with “You want a mosquito wipe, honey?” from a football mom in a homemade, glittered shirt glorifying a 17-year-old long snapper. Both sidelines lacked bands.

Ten rows of wooden bleachers constituted seating. There were 24 kids on the sideline and 17 in the stands with some clappers. Only three lights initially illuminated the field. The goalposts stood rusted, evidently erected far before these players were even born. The complex’s periphery seemed to be bordered by swampland beyond the trees and chain-link fences.

Maye, rated the No. 5 safety in the nation by Rivals.com, is used to this kind of low-key playing environment.

“It’s definitely like, ‘Wow,’ but I still gotta play to the best of my ability and do everything I have to do to get the job done,” he said, of playing in obscure backyard pitches of grass across Florida’s tiny Class 3A landscape.

Marcus Maye is an oral safety commit for UF.

After going up against some of the nation’s best talent during summer’s combine season, Maye has received plenty hate mail regarding his choice to play at Holy Trinity rather than a larger Melbourne public school in a competitive class.

“I decided to go to the Holy Trinity School because it was a college preparatory school, and then football was just, you know, there,” he said. “I felt like I needed to get away from certain things and be around the right people to keep focused and maintain that right path. I definitely get (criticism) from all my friends who go to public school…They say, ‘Oh, you play small ball,’ but I just take it and run with it. I feel like I dedicate myself hard enough to where I can be fulfilled and prove everybody wrong.”

Come fall 2012, though, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Maye will have to transition from playing near local swamplands to The Swamp – a few steps up from 17 parents in the stands.

Maye came to Gainesville for Florida’s Southeastern Conference opener against Tennessee, his second gameday experience. He thinks he’s ready to line up among those orange-and-blue jerseys in a few months.

“I mean, it’s not gonna be easy,” he said. “I’ve made a very big jump from (3)A football to SEC football, but I feel like I work hard and that’s why I can make that transition anywhere.”

By the end of the first quarter of Friday’s matchup, Maye’s Holy Trinity jersey was scuffed with dirt and grass stains – a contrast to his teammates’ still-pristine, white jerseys – providing evidence of his heavy uses as safety, tailback, punt and kick returner. He finished with 142 yards and three of the Tigers’ five touchdowns, although three additional touchdowns of his were called back. On the other side of the ball, he tallied eight tackles.

After an explosive 40-yard interception return, Maye raised his hand and extended his arms, preparing to do the Gator Chomp in the end zone.

In this brief moment of celebration, one of Florida high school football’s most unassuming egos was called back to the 2-yard line for dropping the ball before crossing the goal line. A St. Pete Catholic defender recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchback. So Maye lined up again, this time on defense, just to watch the opposing team take it 80 yards for its lone touch down of the night. He expressed no reaction.

Humility is perhaps something public school wouldn’t have taught him.

Note: Oral commitments are non-binding until a national letter of intent is signed on or after National Signing Day on Feb. 1

A version of this article originally appeared in the Independent Florida Alligator on Sept. 20.

Florida right fit for top-tier TE commit Thompson

Nine-hundred twenty-five miles is a long way from home.

But for University of Florida 2012 oral commit Colin Thompson of Warminster, Pa., Gainesville is where he feels he will fit in best.

“It’s weird because I never thought I’d go there,” Thompson said. “I had extreme passion for the playbook, for coach [Will] Muschamp and other coaches. I wanted to go to the University of Florida, but something was holding me back.”

So the 6-foot-5, 255-pound powerhouse tight end sat down with his parents and his coach after two unofficial visits.

TE Colin Thompson is verbally committed to UF.

Then, on May 5, came the decision. In a recruiting realm in which every decision date is a hyped, planned-out production, Thompson laughs at the suggestion Cinco de Mayo was significant.

“That was a weird coincidence,” he said. “I didn’t even know, to be honest.”

As a recruit in Will Muschamp’s first full class, Thompson is confident in his decision.

“There’s only been positive repercussions,” he said of his commitment. “I’m really happy I picked Florida.”

One beneficial result? Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis doing away with the spread run during Urban Meyer’s tenure and implementing a traditional pro-style offense. Thompson has been told he will be used in some two tight end sets in addition to other options suitable for his threat as a downfield option, blocking prowess and ability to catch in backfield traffic.

“I want to try to go to a school where I can fit in,” he said. “Obviously with Charlie Weis going in there, I have a great chance to be successful.”

Between two busy game weekends for Archbishop Wood High — one of which was broadcast on ESPN2 — Thompson hasn’t had much time to watch the Gators; however, he said what he has seen in highlights and heard from other sources has been impressive.

“Their offense is doing a great job,” he said. “I look at the field now and I say, ‘Wow, that’s going to be me next year,’ or ‘I hope that’s going to be me next year.’ It’s a little nerve-wracking, but I’m up for the opportunity.”

Note: Oral commitments are non-binding until a national letter of intent is signed on or after National Signing Day on Feb. 1

This article originally appeared in the Independent Florida Alligator on Sept. 14.