2013 Recruiting: James Hearns

Position:  Inside Linebacker

Hometown/School:  Tallahassee, FL - Lincoln

Height/Weight:  6'3/235

Rivals - 247Sports - Scout - ESPN

Other Offers:  Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, USF, Notre Dame, Miami, Louisville, South Carolina, Georgia Tech

Report:  Hearns was the fourth commitment for the Gators in 2013.  Hearns verbally committed to the Gators back on the 2nd of February.

247Sports, ESPN, and Rivals all agree that Hearns is a 4-star prospect and they all list him around the 9th-best ILB in 2013.  On the other hand, Scout only gives Hearns a 3-star rating.  This may have something to do with them listing him as a defensive end instead of an ILB.

The Bull Gator has an excellent scouting report of Hearns:

Hearns is a power defender, meaning he uses his strength to his advantage in almost every situation. Watch just a few moments of his highlights reels and you’ll see him run through most ball carriers and push many blockers out of his way. His raw power builds as he accelerates and he doesn’t always have to use technique to bring offensive players to the ground. Once Hearns gets a full head of steam, he can go up against much of what the offense has to offer. As he fills out and learns improved ways to condition at the college level, his power and strength will only increase, making him a dangerous individual to be hit by.

Bud Elliott of SB Nation talks about Hearns and what position he may play at Florida:

Hearns is 6'3" and 235. He's an interesting prospect in that his position in college is uncertain. Some think he will play defensive end, others outside linebacker, and other still place him at middle linebacker. At Florida, he will likely play the "buck" linebacker position -- a hybrid between weak-side defensive end and outside linebacker, playing in both a two and three-point stance. It's also entirely possible that he will grow into a strong-side defensive end.

Hearns made some headline news last month at a Florida State camp.  Hearns did the Gator Chomp after making a play which resulted in him getting kicked out of the camp that was ran by Jimbo Fisher.

Videos:

Reviewing Marcell Harris's Saturday Performance at The Opening

Safety Marcell Harris from Orlando put on a show in the Nike 7ON last night on ESPNU.  According to Rivals, Harris has Florida, Florida State, and Texas as his favorites.  After watching him last night, I believe Marcell Harris would be a great addition to this year's class.  Below are a few quick notes about what he did.

• First, just looking at his height and weight measurements (6'1/207) doesn't do him justice.  Marcell Harris looked bigger than that on my TV screen.  Saying Marcell Harris has great size for a safety would be an understatement.
• Harris cut off a long pass from Texas commit Tyrone Swoopes and came down with the interception.
• He then had another INT later in the half.  Harris almost had a third after he went vertical to break up a pass.
• Overall, Harris had an excellent day for the Field Generals yesterday.  He was the best defender on a team that made highly touted QB Tyrone Swoopes look awful the whole game.

Rivals ranked him as the second-best defender yesterday($):

Harris has proven time and again that he has great instincts, especially when the ball is in the air. He had two interceptions in one game and nearly a third. What's also impressive is that he has great size for a safety, but moves well and is smooth in coverage.

 Here is what he said when asked($) what he thought about possibility of changing positions to linebacker:

"Now people are looking at me different," said Harris "They're blogging right now about me, so I'm in their head that I'm a free safety all the way. I just want to come out here and prove myself again and not listen to the critics and the haters or whatever you want to call them. I'm out here doing my thing. I always feel that I have to prove I'm one of the best safeties in the nation there's a lot of good guys out here at that position. I feel I'm a wide range safety. I try to come out and be like Sean Taylorthat's my favorite player. Me and him have big size and have people critiquing us saying we're linebackers." 

DT Kelsey Griffin Has Florida Gators As A Finalist

In an interview with GamecockCentral.com ($), 4-star DT Kelsey Griffin listed his top five schools.  The other four schools he named were Florida State, Georgia, South Carolina, and Auburn.  The interesting thing is that Griffin hasn't taken a visit to either Sunshine State school.  Here is what he had to say on Florida and FSU:

"I haven't been to either one yet, but I've talked to the coaches a lot and they are very humble guys. I think I fit in the defense pretty well."

All four scouting services rank Griffin as one of the 12 best defensive tackles in the nation.  If Griffin decides to go with the Gators, he will be the second DT commit for Florida along with Caleb Brantley.

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