2013 Recruiting: Jordan Sherit

Position:  Defensive End

Hometown/School:  Tampa, FL - Hillsborough

Height/Weight:  6'4/240

Rivals - 247Sports - Scout - ESPN

Other Offers:  Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, USF, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Miami, Stanford

Report:  It seemed clear that Sherit would end up as a Gator.  He finally ended the speculation by committing to Florida over the weekend.

Scout, Rivals, ESPN, and 247Sports all agree that Sherit is a 4-star prospect.  How good Sherit is nationally varies from service to service.  Rivals has him in their Rivals100 (94), he is in 247Sports' Top247 at 217, and 254th in the ESPN 300.

According to Scout, Sherit totaled 110 tackles, 14 sacks, and forced 3 fumbles last year for Hillsborough.

Academics were a large part of Sherit's decision which kept the likes of Notre Dame, Stanford, and Vandy in the race.  He was offered a spot in Florida's Honors College, but isn't sure if he will do it or not.

Here is an excerpt from a post by InsideTheGators.com($) that describes Sherit's talents and how they will fit at Florida.

Sherit is perfectly built to play the Buck position that Muschamp utilizes at Florida. In fact, during this stage of his development, he might be better suited out in space rather than mixing it up along the line. During the summer Sherit played a big role in his 7-on-7 teams victory at IMG, displaying the ability to play in coverage.

EliteScoutingServices.com puts Sherit 21st in their Pre-Spring Top-150 for the class of 2013 in Florida.  Here is what they had to say about him:

Our first look at Sherit was at the Under Armor Combine last year. He dominated the combine and came away as one of the best defensive ends that day. He relies on his brute strength to beat the guy opposite him. He is another player who goes hard on every down. Jordan does a very good job of getting off the ball quickly before you can get your hands on him.

Sherit had the chance to compete with some of the best at The Opening in Oregon.  Mike Farrell and Chris Nee of Rivals quickly broke down what they saw from Sherit that weekend($).  First Farrell's take:

 A bit undersized for an end, but he played tough and was physical. At his size, he was sometimes over-matched by the size of the offensive linemen, but other times used his speed and willingness to be physical to beat bigger guys. He will need to get quicker.

Nee:

Sherit is a big frame defensive end who can bulk up a great deal. He has a good first step, active hands, and a variety of moves off the edge that make him tough to stop.

 So it remains a little unclear exactly where Sherit will play at Florida.  Defensive End (strong-side or weak-side), the "Buck" linebacker, or maybe even an outside linebacker.  Time will tell.

Sherit will play in the Army All-American Game which will allow Gator fans to see Sherit play live instead of YouTube videos.

Videos:

Gators Continue to Build Future Defensive Line

In the SEC, the games are won in the trenches especially with great defensive linemen.  The SEC has been the home to stellar defensive linemen in recent years like Nick Fairley, Terrence Cody, Fletcher Cox, Michael Brockers, and many more.

Will Muschamp has taken note.  Muschamp and the rest of the Florida Gators coaching staff has made the defensive line a priority in recruiting and it is starting to pay off.  Over the weekend, the Gators picked up three defensive line commitments.

The weekend got off to a great start when DE Antonio Riles committed to Florida.  Not many saw the 3-star recruit choosing Florida, but I'm sure Will Muschamp is happy that he did.

On Saturday, DE Jordan Sherit finally committed to the Gators.  It was well known that Sherit loved the Gators and it was thought that he was a lock to commit to UF.  He made it official over the weekend.  Scout, Rivals, ESPN, and 247Sports all agree that Sherit is a 4-star recruit and Rivals list him as a top 100 player overall.

Yesterday, the Gators got their second commitment of the 2014 class.  Former Louisville commit, Travonte Valentine, decided Gainesville is the right place for him.  The defensive tackle is a 4-star prospects according to 247Sports.

It was a great weekend for Florida Gators recruiting.  They picked up 5-star Vernon Hargreaves on Thursday and then added three defensive linemen in three days.  The Gators now have four defensive linemen in their 2013 recruiting class.  However, they may not be done with the linemen.

4-star DE DeMarcus Walker has been on Florida's radar for a long time.  He has narrowed down his choice to Alabama and Florida.  According to reports, Walker already has chosen where he is going to play in the future.  His announcement will come in late August.

Another possible future Gator is New York DE Ebenezer Ogundeko.  Ogudenko has narrowed it down to three schools; Florida, Notre Dame, and Syracuse.  He has delayed his announcement a couple times and isn't sure when he'll finally decide.

In a league where defensive linemen might be the most important position, Will Muschamp is doing a great job of recruiting them.

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DeMarcus Walker Will Decide Late August

According to several reports from Florida's Friday Night Lights camp, DeMarcus Walker has set a decision date (August 24th).  Walker pushed back his decision date so that the event can be televised.  According to Amy Campbell of FOX Sports NEXT, Walker already has chosen his school.  The battle for the 4-star DE is between two SEC schools; Florida and Alabama.

So what do you think, will Walker end up in Gainesville or Tuscaloosa?  Comment below.

Gator Recruiting News - 6/25

Ebenezer Ogundeko's perfect nickname; The Scrooge.

The Scrooge Coming To Florida?.  Ebenezer Ogundeko, a 4-star DE and the top recruit in the state of New York, (awesome name) says he is down to three schools in an interview with CuseConfidential.com($).  Here is what he said:

"My final three is Syracuse, Notre Dame, and Florida," Ogundeko said. He went on to talk about what put those three over the rest of the schools looking at him.

"What put those three on top was the connection I have with the coaches," Ogundeko stated. "They really take care of the players there and they offer a great opportunity to play."

Roderick Johnson's Recruitment Far From Over.  This story came out Sunday, but I never got around to it.  Florida commit, OT Roderick Johnson, told the Orlando Sentinel that "there are some other schools in the mix."  He listed Auburn and South Carolina as the main two.  This would be a big blow to the Gators because as of now, he is the only projected offensive tackle in the 2013 class.  When asked what are the odds that he sticks with Florida, here is what he said:

“Probably like six out of 10 chance I might [stay committed],” Johnson said.

Uh oh.

DeMarcus Walker Visiting.  DeMarcus Walker, a 4-star defensive end, is going to visit Florida on Friday according to his Twitter account.  Walker has Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, and Tennessee as his top 5.

Georgia Commit Possibly Decommitting for Florida?  Georgia commit, 3-star CB Shaq Wiggins, liked what he saw when he visited Florida recently.  Apparently, Georgia coaches weren't too happy about that.  Here is what Wiggins had to say about it in an interview with UGASports.com:

"Yeah, they asked what was wrong me, things like that," Wiggins said during registration for this weekend's Rivals Five-Star Challenge. "They freaked out a little bit, but I told them face to face I'm still a Dawg."

Here is what he had to say when asked if Bulldog fans should be worried since he said his recruitment isn't finished:

"No, they shouldn't be worried about me too much. I'm still 100 percent to the University of Georgia, that's where my heart is," he said. "But like I said, I'm going to continue to look at other schools, because you never know what can happen up until Signing Day. I just want to keep my options open, just look, but still be 100 percent to Georgia."

The strange thing is that Wiggins, according to Rivals, is still without a Florida offer.

Gator Recruiting News - 6/22

Is VHIII coming to Florida?

VHIII List Three Florida Schools As Favorites.  5-star CB Vernon Hargreaves III tells Josh Newberg of 247Sports($) that USF, Florida, and Miami are his favorite three right now.  He also said that he hasn't eliminated anyone yet.

Florida In Top 2 For Scott Pagano.  In a InsideTheGators.com interview($) with Rivals250 DT Scott Pagano, he listed Florida and LSU as his favorites.

"My top two favorites right now are LSU and Florida," Pagano said. "But you know, things can change."

In the article, he said that he would take trips to Alabama, Clemson, and Florida State (along with Florida and LSU) next month.  Right now, Florida has one defensive tackle verbally committed for 2013, Caleb Brantley.

At the Rivals Challenge today, Pagano showed up to the camp rocking a Gators hat.  Hopefully that is a good sign of things to come.

Side note:  Along with Pagano, there are three Rivals250 players in the state of Hawaii.  I'm impressed for such a small state.

More From Rivals100 Challenge.  Only one Florida commit (DT Caleb Brantley) will be competing this weekend in Atlanta at the Rivals100 challenge.  However, UF targets like safeties Leon McQuay III, Marcell Harris, and Demarcus Robinson will be at the camp.