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.