With National Signing Day approaching, let’s take a look at the five must-have targets for Florida football recruiting.
Jim McElwain took over the Florida football program just two years ago and already has 19 wins and two SEC East division titles. Sure, he’s fallen short against Alabama in both conference title games, but the improvement is clear.
Florida is looking like a serious SEC contender under McElwain and the soon-to-be third-year head coach has some major recruits left on the board for National Signing Day. He has been a solid recruiter since taking over, piecing together the No. 21 class in 2015 and the No. 12 class last year, according to 247Sports.
Could this class top both of those?
There are a number of targets who Florida remains high on such as LeBryan Ray and Oliver Martin, but both top-100 talents are considered locks to head elsewhere. They are top targets, but they didn’t make the list for that reason.
Here are the Gators’ top remaining must-have 2017 National Signing Day recruits.
5. Brad Stewart, 4-star CB (New Orleans, La.)
Brad Stewart leads the list as one of the top remaining targets for the Gators. The New Orleans-native is considering teams like the Gators, LSU and Mississippi State, but Florida is leading the way for his services.
When you produce NFL cornerbacks year after year, seemingly, you’re going to reel in some of the top defensive backs in the country. It’s also nice to see that McElwain is making it a priority to lure some of the top corners in the nation.
With both Quincy Wilson and Teez Tabor heading to the NFL this season, the cornerback position will be freed up for some young guys to step in and play right away. That could draw Stewart by National Signing Day.
Stewart will be officially visiting Florida on Jan. 27 which could be just to tell the staff he’s committing. He is ranked the No. 153 overall prospect and No. 23 cornerback in the 2017 class, according to 247Sports.