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Football Recruiting Galleries

Photo Gallery: Venice at Southeast, 10/2/09 : BRADENTON -- Trey Burton and Jonathan Dowling are friends off of the football field, mostly because they have both made verbal commitments to play football at the University of Florida. However, on Friday night at John Kiker Memorial Stadium, it was Burton's Venice High School that defeated Dowling's Southeastern High School 34-10.

The Venice Indians improved to 4-1 on a strong offensive performance by Trey Burton. On the defensive side of the ball, junior Clay Burton was also impressive for Venice.

Photo Gallery: Venice at Southeast, 10/2/09

BRADENTON -- Trey Burton and Jonathan Dowling are friends off of the f ...

Updated: Oct 14, 2009 9:29pm PST

Photo Gallery: Tampa Catholic at South Lake, 9/4/09

GROVELAND -- South Lake High School hosted Tampa Catholic on September ...

Updated: Sep 09, 2009 8:32am PST

Photo Gallery: Trinity Catholic at GHS, 9/3/09

The Gainesville High Purple Hurricanes and Ocala Trinity Catholic Celt ...

Updated: Sep 04, 2009 8:29am PST

Photo Gallery: Columbia HS practice, 9/1/09 : LAKE CITY -- Columbia High School coach Craig Howard graciously welcomed Gator Country to watch football practice on Tuesday afternoon. The Fighting Tigers appeared to be ready to improve on last year's four-win season.

The obvious standout at practice was junior defensive lineman (Class of 2011) Timmy Jernigan. He set the tone for the defensive, but also encouraged his teammates on the offensive side of the ball. Jernigan voluntarily stayed after practice to run additional sprints with teammates, hoping to eventually have the entire team join him to build team solidarity. Jernigan's leadership and unselfishness, coupled with his size and athletic ability, make him a very attractive college prospect.

Senior quarterback Cameron Sweat was very impressive. Senior linebacker Brach Bessent (verbal commitment to Troy), senior wide receiver Jamaal Montague and senior running back Tiger Powell (verbal commitment to South Florida) will give Columbia a solid nucleus of talent and experience this season.

Photo Gallery: Columbia HS practice, 9/1/09

LAKE CITY -- Columbia High School coach Craig Howard graciously welcom ...

Updated: Sep 01, 2009 10:06pm PST

Photo Gallery: Palatka HS practice, 8/24/09 : PALATKA -- Former Lincoln High (Tallahassee) Head Coach Kyle Rice lead the Trojans to the Class 4A state championship game a year ago. In looking for a new challenge, he would end up at Palatka High School, a one-time powerhouse that has been down on his luck in recent years. That trend figures to change, beginning with the 2009 season.

Gator Country had the opportunity to observe practice at Palatka High School on Monday afternoon, and the Panthers look to be well on their way to a successful fall campaign. 6-foot-8, 270-pound senior tight end Keyshawn Hamilton (#33) is in his first year of playing football, but figures to be a real factor on this team. His size and athletic ability are a match-up nightmare for opposing defenses, and despite the fact he is incredibly raw, Hamilton has one thing you can't teach – incredible height.

Hamilton isn't the only player that stands out for this bunch. Junior running back/returner Kion Williams (#19) put on a show at the Swamp for Friday Night Lights back in July, and figures to do the same in stadiums around North Central Florida this coming season as well. At 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, with breakaway speed, he could prove to be just as highly recruited as his Uncle, former Palatka, University of Florida, and NFL standout running back John L. Williams.

Keep an eye on senior safety Billy Sampson (#8), junior quarterback Lavaris McCullough (#12), and linemen Charles Calloway (#65), Ray Drayton (#55), and Herbie Friday, among others. While it's a new season, new coach, and new direction, the fine folks of Palatka hopes its just a return for the winning ways of old in 2009. We wish them luck, and thank them for welcoming Gator Country in on Monday afternoon.

Photo Gallery: Palatka HS practice, 8/24/09

PALATKA -- Former Lincoln High (Tallahassee) Head Coach Kyle Rice lead ...

Updated: Aug 25, 2009 1:10am PST

Photo Gallery: Gridiron Kings, 7/25/09

LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Miramar's Ivan McCartney caught a touchdown pass f ...

Updated: Jul 27, 2009 4:21pm PST

Super Photo Gallery: Friday Night Lights, 7/24/09

Hundreds of the top high school football players from across the natio ...

Updated: Jul 25, 2009 7:41am PST

Photo Gallery: Heath Evans Foundation's 7-on-7 Championship, 6/20/09

WEST PALM BEACH -- Sixteen teams competed in the Heath Evans Foundatio ...

Updated: Jun 23, 2009 11:40pm PST

Photo Gallery: 2010 Commitment Jaylen Watkins, Cape Coral High School, 5/2/09 : Cape Coral -- Jaylen Watkins has already made a verbal commitment to be part of the Gators' 2010 signing class, but he might not be the only member of the Cape Coral High School football team to get an offer from Florida.

Spencer Boyd and Dan Koenig are 2010 prospects with legitimate talent that will attract offers from BCS teams.

Rising junior wide receiver Prince Holloway is emerging as a standout player for the 2011 recruiting class.

The Seahawks finished the 2008 regular season with a 7-3 record before falling to Venice in the first round of the playoffs.

Photo Gallery: 2010 Commitment Jaylen Watkins, Cape Coral High School, 5/2/09

Cape Coral -- Jaylen Watkins has already made a verbal commitment to b ...

Updated: May 02, 2009 2:20pm PST

Photo Gallery: 2010 Commitment Trey Burton, Venice High School, 5/1/09 : Venice -- May 1st signals not just the coming of summer, but the first day high schools around the state of Florida can start spring practice. At Venice High School, hopes are high after an 11-1 season which fizzled in the second round of the playoffs against rival Punta Gorda Charlotte.

The Indians have a deep and talented roster which includes Florida QB commitment Trey Burton (6-3, 215), and his younger brother Clay Burton (6-4, 225), a rising junior TE/DE prospect who already is receiving attention from the Gators.

2010 TE prospect Brandon Wilkinson (6-4, 215), recently received an offer from the University of Minnesota, which gives him his first offer from a BCS program. Fellow TE/DE prospect Beckett Wales (6-3, 210), is also a highly regarded prospect, and receiving attention from a number of schools.

Florida assistant coach Scot Loeffler was expected to be at practice on Saturday to observe his top QB commitment for the Class of 2010 (Burton) in action for the first time since he took over as quarterbacks coach back in January.

Photo Gallery: 2010 Commitment Trey Burton, Venice High School, 5/1/09

Venice -- May 1st signals not just the coming of summer, but the first ...

Updated: May 01, 2009 9:41pm PST

Super Photo Gallery: Badger Sport / New Level Athletics Pass Camp, Tampa, 3/14-15/09

Tampa -- Scores of the top prospects in the southeast were on hand for ...

Updated: Mar 16, 2009 11:07am PST

Under Armour Underclassmen Combine, 1/4/09

Updated: Feb 06, 2009 4:59pm PST

Under Armor Day 3, 1/2/09 : Photos by Casey Brooke Lawson

Lake Buena Vista -- The final day of practice was held Friday at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex, leading up to Sunday's Under Armour All-America game. The players went to Disney World after practice. Both teams will participate in a tour of the stadium on Saturday.

Under Armor Day 3, 1/2/09

Photos by Casey Brooke Lawson Lake Buena Vista -- The final day of ...

Updated: Jan 02, 2009 7:48pm PST

Super Photo Gallery: Under Armour, Day 2, 1/1/09

Lake Buena Vista -- The hitting started to pick up on the second day o ...

Updated: Jan 01, 2009 7:46pm PST

Super Photo Gallery: Under Armour, Day 1, 12/31/08 : Lake Buena Vista -- Practices started for the Under Armour All-America Game on Wednesday at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex, featuring 84 players from around the nation.

Defensive players are wearing dark jerseys while offensive players are in white. Quarterbacks are wearing yellow jerseys.

The caption below each image indicates the player’s name, position and college commitment.

The game will be televised live from the Florida Citrus Bowl on Sunday at 8pm on ESPN.

Super Photo Gallery: Under Armour, Day 1, 12/31/08

Lake Buena Vista -- Practices started for the Under Armour All-America ...

Updated: Dec 31, 2008 10:04pm PST

Photo Gallery: Pahokee vs. Trinity Catholic, 12/13/08 : Orlando -- Pahokee and Trinity Catholic of Ocala played for the Class 2B state title for the third time in four years on Dec. 13. In a back and forth game, Pahokee came out on top 21-17, on the heels of Dennis Hall's 19-yard catch-and-run touchdown with 55 seconds left to give the Blue Devils the decisive score. De'Joshua Johnson had 143 yards passing, and was on the other end of Hall's winning touchdown play. 

Johnson flashed incredible elusiveness during the game on several runs, and showed why he is one of the top prospects in the state of Florida for the class of 2010. Pahokee also got strong performances from seniors Vincent Smith (Michigan commitment-128 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries), Brandin Hawthorne (Michigan commitment-7 tackles, including 2.5 TFL), and Florida commitment Nu'Keese Richardson (53 yards of total offense, and 3 tackles on defense, while providing great coverage for the Blue Devils).

Trinity Catholic wasn't without some heroic performances as well. QB Rob Henry had a bit of an off-day passing (13-of-29), but still threw for 208 yards and 2 touchdowns on the afternoon. He also had 44 yards rushing on 7 carries, including a nice 24-yard scamper down the sideline in which he displayed great athleticism. Kedrick Rhodes had 16 carries for 83 yards, and showed why he is a prospect to watch in the class of 2010. 

Other standout juniors included safety Dionte Ponder (9 tackles, 1 TFL), and star wideout Kadron Boone (6 receptions, 100 yards, 1 touchdown), who showed great speed in getting behind the defense for a 34 yard touchdown to cap off the Celtics' opening drive in the first quarter. He already claims a UF offer, and showed why he is one of the top WR's in the class of 2010 for the entire state of Florida.

Photo Gallery: Pahokee vs. Trinity Catholic, 12/13/08

Orlando -- Pahokee and Trinity Catholic of Ocala played for the Class ...

Updated: Dec 23, 2008 5:09pm PST

Jacksonville Prep Football: Raines at Bishop Kenny, 10/31/08

Jacksonville -- On a Halloween night on the St. Johns River, directly ...

Updated: Nov 05, 2008 11:08pm PST

Photo Gallery: Winnersville Classic - Lowndes vs. Valdosta, 10/10/08 : Valdosta, Ga. -- Greg Reid didn't wait long to electrify a national television audience and more than 13,000 fans in attendance at the Winnersville Classic. 

Reid took a pass 70 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage, giving Gators fans a glimpse of what's ahead when the UF commit comes to Gainesville.

Valdosta and Lowndes played a tightly-contested game the rest of the way, with the Vikings coming out on top 14-7, taking the heated rivalry for the fifth-consecutive year.

Photo Gallery: Winnersville Classic - Lowndes vs. Valdosta, 10/10/08

Valdosta, Ga. -- Greg Reid didn't wait long to electrify a national te ...

Updated: Oct 16, 2008 3:00pm PST

Photo Gallery: Seminole HS vs. DeLand

DeLand -- The Gator Country team, and a football coach named Urban Mey ...

Updated: Sep 13, 2008 3:55am PST

Super Photo Gallery: Friday Night Lights

More than 315 exclusive photos from Friday at the Swamp! Gator Countr ...

Updated: Jul 21, 2008 8:29pm PST

Under Armour All-American game photo gallery

A Gator Country exclusive photo gallery of 257 images, featuring detai ...

Updated: Jan 16, 2008 5:41pm PST

Under Armour photos - Day 5

LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Here's another EXCLUSIVE gallery of photos from th ...

Updated: Jan 04, 2008 6:53pm PST

Under Armour photos - Day 3

LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Another gallery of 69 exclusive photos from the th ...

Updated: Jan 03, 2008 4:34pm PST

Under Armour practice gallery, 12/31/07 :

Under Armour practice gallery, 12/31/07

Updated: Jan 03, 2008 4:06pm PST

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