Below is a map of the in-state recruiting responsibilities for the UF staff, which was created by InsideTheGators.com (Florida’s website on the Rivals network).

Here are the 34 prospects UF has seen since our last look at the Evaluation Period.

* — indicates UF offer

*QB Ryan Buchanan, 6-3, 210, Jackson, Miss./Jackson Prep
*RB Adam Lane, 5-8, 216, Winter Haven, Fla./Winter Haven (Florida commit)
*RB Ryan Green, 5-10, 187, St. Petersburg, Fla./Catholic
RB Tramaine Batten, 5-10, 190, Dunedin, Fla./Dunedin
RB Tim Longmire, 5-10, 185, Tallahassee, Fla./Godby
*WR Reggie Davis, 6-0, 162,  Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln
*WR Travis Johnson, 6-3, 231, Tampa, Fla./Jesuit
*WR Levonte Whitfield, 5-9, 168, Orlando, Fla./Jones
*WR Taj Williams, 6-4, 166, Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln
WR Zach Benjamin, 6-4, 187, Tampa, Fla./Tampa Catholic
TE Jordan Davis, 6-4, 225, Thomson, Ga./Thomson
*OL Trenton Brown, 6-8, 350, Milledgeville, Ga./Georgia Military
*OL Rod Johnson, 6-6, Delray Beach, Fla./American Heritage (Florida commit)
*OL Brandon Kublanow, 6-3, 290, Marietta, Ga./Walton
*OL Laremy Tunsil, 6-6, 295, Lake City, Fla./Columbia
OL Ira Denson, 6-3, 316, Madison, Fla./Madison
*DE Joey Ivie, 6-4, 270, Dade City, Fla./Pasco
*DE Antonio Riles, 6-4, 262, Lawrenceville, Ga./Archer
*DE Jordan Sherit, 6-3, 245, Tampa, Fla./Hillsborough
*DE Demarcus Walker, 6-4, 276, Jacksonville, Fla./Sandalwood
DE Brad Smith, 6-4, 205, Tampa, Fla./Jesuit
DE Brandon Crawford, 6-3, 228, Madison, Fla./Madison
*LB James Hearns, 6-3, 230,Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln (Florida commit)
*LB Dillan Lawson, 6-4. 215, Crestview, Fla./Crestview (Florida commit)
*LB Daniel McMillian, 6-3, 220, Jacksonville, Fla./First Coast (Florida commit)
*LB Quinton Powell, 6-2, 200, Daytona Beach, Fla./Mainland (Florida commit)
*CB Adrian Baker, 6-1, 168, Hollywood, Fla./Chaminade Madonna
*CB Vernon Hargreaves III, 5-11, 185, Tampa, Fla./Wharton
CB D.J. Killings, 5-11, 182, Jacksonville, Fla./First Coast
CB Shedrick Williams, 5-11, 175, Madison, Fla./Madison
*S Keanu Neal, 6-1, 200, Bushnell, Fla./South Sumter (Florida commit)
*S Nick Washington, 6-0, 180, Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian (Florida commit)
*S Marcell Harris, 6-1, 213, Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips
ATH Khalid Thomas, 5-10, 175, Tallahassee, Fla./Godby

NOTES:

* Offensive coordinator Brent Pease offered quarterback Ryan Buchanan after observing him throw on May 8. He will visit UF sometime this summer. Schools such as Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Oklahoma State have also offered the three-star prospect.

* Running back Ryan Green has visited Gainesville several times, but at this point the Gators appear to be a distant third behind Florida State and Notre Dame. UF running backs coach Brian White watched the Rivals100 member practice on May 4.

* Four-star defensive end DeMarcus Walker released his top eight Monday and the Gators made the cut along with Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, LSU, Tennessee and USC. Walker said he will make summer trips to UF, FSU and Clemson and officially visit the five remaining schools.

* After an academic evaluation by UF linebackers coach D.J. Durkin and defensive line coach Bryant Young on May 4, Florida linebacker commit James Hearns said he will be able to enroll early.

* Four-star linebacker Mike Mitchell was offered by Florida on May 10. He checks in at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds from Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas.

* Cornerback Adrian Baker, who was seen by UF receivers coach Aubrey Hill on May 5, is scheduled to make a commitment this month between Florida, Florida State and LSU.

* Rivals100 safety Marcell Harris plans to announce a top list of schools in June and make a decision in August. The Gators will be among his finalists and are currently the favorite to land his commitment. UF cornerbacks coach Travaris Robinson visited Harris, Rivals’ No. 5 safety in the nation, on May 9.

Here are the prospects Florida evaluated from the 2014 class:

QB Tyler Harris, 6-3, 205, Blackshear, Ga./Pierce County
QB Chivarsky Corbett, 6-5, 190, Tampa, Fla./Tampa Catholic
*WR Johnnie Dixon, 6-0, 175, West Palm Beach, Fla./Dwyer
WR Adly Enoicy, 6-5, 200, Delray Beach, Fla./Atlantic
WR Moral Stephens, 6-3, 205, Perry, Fla./Taylor County
TE/OL Reilly Gibbons, 6-6, 247, St. Petersburg, Fla./Catholic
*OL K.C. McDermott, 6-6, 285, Wellington, Fla./Palm Beach Central
*OL Donell Stanley, 6-3, 311, Latta, S.C./Latta
OL Corey Martinez, 6-4, 290, Tampa, Fla./Tampa Catholic
*DT Khairi Clark, 6-3, 311, Hollywood, Fla./Chaminade Madonna
LB Vincent Jackson, 6-2, 230, Tampa, Fla./Jesuit
LB Delvin Purifoy, 6-2, 228, Pensacola, Fla./Catholic (cousin of Florida sophomore cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy)
S Deion Singleton, 6-2, 165, Tallahassee, Fla./Godby

NOTES:

* Dixon, Clark, Dixon, McDermott and Stanley were all offered by UF following their evaluations. The Gators also offered 2014 Bolingbrook, Ill., cornerback Parrker Westphal, a former teammate of Florida freshman linebacker Antonio Morrison.

* The coaches evaluated 2015 Jacksonville First Coast linebacker Sherrod Willimas and 2015 Orlando Timber Creek running back Jacques Patrick (who holds a UF offer).

The Gators are now going after another Joey — Joey Ivie. And while the unranked Ivie is not as coveted as Bosa, the nation’s No. 2 DE in 2013, they still have a lot in common besides their first name.

They’re both from the Sunshine State, they have similar playing styles, their measurables are almost identical and they could probably pass for brothers.

And like Bosa, Ivie now has a Florida offer.

After being evaluated by UF defensive coordinator Dan Quinn last week, Ivie spoke with head coach Will Muschamp Monday morning and started off his week wonderfully.

“I got on the phone with coach Muschamp and he offered me a scholarship,” Ivie said. “He told me that he wants me to be a Gator and he was pretty excited about it.”

Ivie currently has 14 scholarship offers, including UF, FSU and Miami

For the Dade City Pasco prospect, a life-long Florida fan, it was more than exciting for him and his family.

“It was overwhelming for me,” he said. “I grew up a Gator fan so it’s a pretty big offer. My grandma called everybody and told them. A lot of my family graduated from Florida, so they were excited because I could be a Gator. To think that I might play for the team that I grew up watching is pretty neat.”

That neatness has put UF in the drivers seat for his services, even though he won’t release a leaderboard until the summer.

“My doors are still open to a lot of colleges, but Florida is the top team for me,” Ivie said. “I was there three weeks ago and it went very well. It was cool because I was the only (recruit) visiting, so I got to spend a lot of one-on-one time with the coaches. It was very inspiring and special. I definitely had a great time and it’s only an hour and a half away.”

The 6-foot-4, 270-pounder will return to Gainesville in June for summer camp, and he also has a handful of other trips planned before he makes a decision.

“I’ll be going to Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia and the in-state schools,” Ivie said. “I need to look at all those colleges and go to a couple camps. I’d like to wait until I can take some official visits in September, but I’ll probably commit earlier than that.”

Photo by Fox Sports

And there weren’t any Gator fans that liked his status.

The Florida defensive tackle commit announced he is now a soft verbal and unsure about his decision.

Brantley pledged to the Gators back on Jan. 28, but in hindsight he says it wasn’t the ideal situation for him.

“I feel like I made the right choice, I just did it in the wrong way,” said Brantley, the nation’s No. 2 DT on ESPN. “I rushed my commitment and I didn’t really take my time.”

Brantley is UF's highest ranked commit in the ESPN150 (No. 18)

At the beginning of his recruitment, Brantley initially wanted to see several schools and decide later in the process. But the Junior Day visit to Gainesville with his family changed his plans.

“Everything just kind of fell into place on that trip,” he said. “I had a lot of family members with me and we’re all Gator fans. So obviously we loved the coaches and the school, and once everybody was on the same page I just went ahead and committed. But when I look back on it now, I feel like I shouldn’t have done that. And even if I didn’t, I’d probably be committed (to UF) by now anyway to be honest with you. But I still should have waited.”

Florida remains the leader for Brantley and is recruiting him harder than any other school, but he has doubts about the depth chart that he wants to address with UF defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and defensive line coach Bryant Young.

“The depth chart is my main concern,” Brantley said. “I just need to see what the roster looks like in the fall and get some questions answered by coach Quinn and coach Young. I want to make sure I can get early playing time because I don’t want to sit on the bench my freshman year.”

Looking at the numbers, Brantley shouldn’t have that issue. Florida has seven scholarship defensive tackles for 2012, assuming that either Dominique Easley or Sharrif Floyd will play end. One or both of them could leave early for the NFL after next season, and seniors Nick Alajajian and Omar Hunter will be graduating.

So if the Gators don’t add another defensive tackle in the 2013 class, which they may not have room for, Brantley’s position will have five players at the most when arrives on campus and two of them (Damion Jacobs, Easley/Floyd) would be seniors.

Brantley has spoken about everything with UF coach Will Muschamp, who is confident he will keep the 6-foot-3, 302-pounder.

“He knows where I’m going with this and he’s on board with my decision,” Brantley said of Muschamp’s reaction. “He just told me to make sure I inform him on everything. But he knows I’m a Florida man, so he isn’t really worried.”

The Crescent City prospect is looking forward to traveling outside of the Sunshine State and taking all five of his official visits. However, he doesn’t expect to be flipped on those trips.

“I’ve never been out of the state, so I want to see what else is out there and what other schools can offer me,” said Brantley, who is considering Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Miami and USC. “But I don’t feel like it’s going to change how I feel about Florida. For me to decommit, it’s going to take a lot. On a scale of 1-10, it would be a 9.5.”

Photo by 247Sports

The Florida safety commit was evaluated Wednesday by UF running backs coach Brian White, who had a unique description of Neal’s skill-set after watching him practice.

Neal is the No. 7 safety in the ESPN150

“I called him and the first thing he said was ‘you’re a freakazoid,’ ” Neal recalled. “He said my ability to move is amazing because of my size. I’m a big, physical guy and I can play in the box, but I’m still pretty quick. So I like that name and I think it should stick with me.”

The compliments kept coming for the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder during a conversion with head coach Will Mushamp later that night.

“He said that coach White called him while he was at my practice,” Neal said, “and had nothing but good things to say about me. That really lightened my day and made me happy to hear that. Coach Muschamp can’t wait for me to get there and he told me I was going to get some playing time as a freshman.”

The four-star then received an invitation Thursday to The Opening, Nike’s annual invite-only camp in Beaverton, Ore. It’s no surprise that Neal, who said in March he performs well under pressure, is anxious to go against the nation’s top receivers and safeties.

“It was kind of shocking to get that call and invite, I didn’t really expect it,” Neal said. “But now that I know, I’m really excited because there’s going to be a lot of elite players up there. I’m going to compete with them and prove that I belong with the best of the best. I’ll try to show some of the safeties ranked higher than me that I can match up with them. And I’ll also pick out some receivers that I want to face from the ESPN150 and the Rivals250.”

Neal will play in the Under Armour All-American Game

Neal is the event’s fourth Gator invitee, joining running back Kelvin Taylor, wide receiver Ahmad Fulwood and linebacker Quinton Powell. The Bushnell South Sumter safety hopes he and his future teammates can increase their chemistry and dominate the competition in Oregon.

“It’s going to be a fun experience,” Neal said. “We’re going to showcase our talent and leave a mark there. It will be great bonding with those guys again. I already have good relationship with Quinton, so I’m looking forward getting to know Ahmad and Kelvin some more.”

Following The Opening and Friday Night Lights in July, Neal will embark on his final season with the Raiders as he tries to capture their first-ever state championship.

“Our goal is to win the state title,” he said. “Our school hasn’t gotten one yet and we’re working for it right now in the spring. It’s definitely going to be a test. I know I’m going to give everything I have this year and work hard for my team.”

Each time the four-star defensive end visits a school, there always comes a point when he considers making a commitment.

“Every place I visit,” Sherit said, “I do think about it.”

Saturday’s trip to Florida was no different, other than the fact that he thought about pulling the trigger more than he ever has before.

“Of course,” Sherit said when asked if he pondered picking the Gators. “It was a great day. This was like the pinnacle of all my Florida visits. So that did cross my mind a couple times, it really did.”

Sherit is ranked the nation's No. 6 defensive end by Rivals.com

This was the first time Sherit has been the lone recruit on a college campus, and the attention he received from the UF coaching staff made it his best visit thus far.

“The fact that I was singled out and the focus wasn’t on other guys like it is for games and Junior Day, that meant a lot,” Sherit said. “I had a great time talking to coach (Will) Muschamp and all the coaches. They could have been elsewhere. Coach Muschamp’s son was playing flag football, so he could have been out there all day. But he decided to spend some time with me too and show me around, and that’s a true blessing.”

The 6-foot-4, 238-pounder was shown a side of Gainesville that he hadn’t seen on his previous stops.

“Seeing all the sights down there was really fun,” he said. “It’s just a beautiful place. In my opinion, it’s one of the top universities in the country. Athletically and academically, there’s a great combination there. I talked to academic advisers and ambassadors of the school in the Honors College. I saw the O’Dome for the first time and I even got to see alligators. I thought I had done everything in Gainesville, but I was wrong. So as far as visits go, it’s one I’ll remember forever.”

What made it even more special was sharing the experience with both of his parents. Sherit’s father was with him when he attended Junior Day in February, but Saturday was his mother’s first trip to Florida.

“I thought it went very well for my mom,” he said. “One thing that I was stressing a lot is that it’s a true college environment. Some schools just have football and academics. So she was very excited about that facet of the visit. And it was just great for her to hear coach Muschamp talk about the program and the plans for the future. Having both of them with me to see a school I’m looking very serious into and getting their opinion, which is something I value very highly, was definitely important to me.”

Sherit poses with his parents at UF

The Tampa Hillsborough prospect said his parents were drawn to UF’s closeness to home, which could play a factor in his recruitment.

“They were really excited about how easy it is to get from Tampa to Gainesville and back in a day. That was a big thing for them. At the end of the day it’s my decision, and I’ll go wherever the game of football takes me. It could be Hawaii, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m looking for the best fit, but obviously having a school closer to home is a plus. I get to see my family a lot more often, so it’s definitely an advantage.”

Another advantage for the Gators is their need for defensive ends. Florida has none in the 2013 class and there aren’t many spots left, so Sherit is a high priority for Muschamp & Co. But they won’t push for a commitment until the Rivals100 member is prepared to decide.

“They have 15 commitments and coach Muschamp was saying they’re going to take 22,” Sherit said. “Right now they don’t have any defensive ends, so he was talking about how important me coming to Florida is for him. He said, ‘Our evaluation is done and we want you to be a Gator, now it’s time for you to evaluate us. But we want you to be a Gator when you’re ready. We won’t pressure you into making a decision.’ And that was huge to hear. I’ve been to other schools and they pressured me into committing while I was there. So I’m glad coach Muschamp put it that way, and that gave me an even better relationship with him and the staff.”

Sherit’s evaluation of UF is now complete with Saturday’s visit and there’s nothing left for the Gators to show him. His next step is checking out some other schools and developing a leaderboard. He is also considering Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Stanford.

“Florida’s going to win games this year and be competitive in the SEC,” Sherit said. “And their recruiting class this year is one of the best. It’s not a matter of me evaluating Florida anymore. Especially growing up with the Gators being the powerhouse that they were and I believe they will be again sometime real soon. I’ve seen what there is to see and I’ll definitely be back to watch some games. Now it’s just a matter of me going to other places, comparing and contrasting, and seeing if they can measure up to this visit. That’s something I’ll do in the summer and I might take some officials.”

Photos taken from Sherit’s twitter account.

UF assistant coaches Dan Quinn, Travaris Robinson and D.J. Durkin (GatorCountry)

While Florida coach Will Muschamp has been visiting the fan base at Gator Gatherings, his coaching staff has traveled across the country to evaluate out-of-state prospects on the recruiting board.

UF is now a quarter of the way through its Evaluation Period, a 47-day window (April 15-May 31) for assistant coaches to conduct two evaluations (one athletic, one academic) on prospective student athletes. For more info on the Evaluation Period, click HERE.

As of Thursday, Florida has evaluated 31 prospects from the 2013 class:

* — indicates UF offer
*QB Cooper Bateman, 6-3, 195, Salt Lake City, Utah/Cottonwood
QB Connor Mitch, 6-3, 210, Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield
QB Heys McMath, 6-4, 190, Woodberry Forest, Va./Woodberry Forest School
QB Kohl Stewart, 6-3, 185, Houston, Texas/St. Pius X (Texas A&M commit)
*QB Cody Thomas, 6-5, 220, Colleyville, Texas/Heritage
*RB Alvin Kamara, 5-10, 190, Norcross, Ga./Norcross
RB T.J. Logan, 5-9, 175, Greensboro, N.C./Northern Guilford
*WR Carlos Burse, 6-3, 205, Alpharetta, Ga./Alpharetta
WR Johnathan Howard, 6-4, 181, Rochelle, Ga./Wilcox County
*WR Francis Owusu, 6-3, 195, Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian
*WR Demarcus Robinson, 6-2, 200, Fort Valley, Ga./Peach County
*WR Demorea Stringfellow, 6-2, 185, Moreno Valley, Calif./Rancho Verde
*TE Josh McNeil, 6-5, 235, Durham, N.C./Hillside
*OL David Dawson, 6-5, 305, Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech (Michigan commit)
*OL Cameron Dillard, 6-3, 285, Canton, Mich./Canton (Florida commit)
*OL Ethan Pocic, 6-7, 285, Lemont, Ill./Lemont
*OL/DT Poet Thomas, 6-6, 295, Beverly Hills, Mich./Country Day
*DT Montravius Adams, 6-3, 290, Vienna, Ga./Dooly County
*DT Greg Gilmore, 6-4, 275, Hope Mills, N.C./South View
*DT Michael Hill, 6-3, 315, Pendleton, S.C./Pendleton
*DT Darius Latham, 6-5, 275, Indianapolis, Ind./North Central
*DT Jaylen Miller, 6-3, 265, Gaffney, S.C./Gaffney
*DE Jonathan Allen, 6-3, 225, Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge
*DE Elijah Daniel, 6-4, 253, Avon, Ind./Avon
DE Dane Rogers, 6-3, 235, Shelby, N.C./Crest
*DE Ebenezer Ogundeko, 6-4, 235, Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson
*DE Carl Lawson, 6-3, 245, Alpharetta, Ga./Milton (Auburn commit)
*LB Matt Rolin, 6-3, 210, Ashburn, Va./Briar Woods
*CB Tre Bell, 5-11, 170, Jersey City, N.J./St. Peter’s Prep (Florida commit)
*CB Brendan Langley, 6-1, 185, Marietta, Ga./Kell
*S Priest Willis, 6-2, 200, Tempe, Ariz./Marcos De Niza

The five quarterbacks seen thus far are all guys UF would take as the signal-caller in this class, with Cooper Bateman being priority No. 1. The Gators also just offered Rivals100 member Troy Williams (Harbor City, Calif./Narbonne), the nation’s No. 4 quarterback, and were quickly inserted into his top six (Arizona, Arizona State, Florida, Ole Miss, UCLA and Washington) on April 19.

Alvin Kamara is one of the candidates to be Florida’s third running back in 2013. Alabama, Georgia and USC are also in the mix for the ESPN150 member.

Other than Johnathan Howard, the receivers evaluated hold offers and have UF among their favorites. Carlos Burse and Demarcus Robinson are the ones to keep an eye on. The Gators lead for Burse and are believed to be in the drivers seat for Robinson, who will be in Gainesville for summer camp in June and Friday Night Lights in July. The biggest competition for Florida is Notre Dame and Georgia.

Linebackers coach D.J. Durkin, Rivals’ recruiter of the year in 2012, is trying to work his North Carolina magic once again with Josh McNeil. Durkin saw the coveted tight end on April 19, and they made plans for him to visit UF in June. Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Tennessee are some other schools he’s visiting before making a decision later in the month.

Of the linemen visited up north, Ethan Pocic is the one Florida wants the most. Rivals.com ranks him as the nation’s No. 27 overall prospect and third-best offensive tackle, and the Gators are in his top 10 along with Auburn, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC and Wisconsin. David Dawson is scheduled to visit Gainesville in June, and the Wolverine commit is good friends with fellow Michigan prospect and UF verbal Cameron Dillard.

The coaches checked in on five defensive tackles with offers, but the names that jump out are Montravius Adams and Greg Gilmore. Adams is the top-rated tackle on Rivals and says Florida is the best school he’s visited, but Clemson and Georgia are way out in front for him. The Gators are in much better shape with Gilmore. Florida is currently trailing his leader LSU, but the four-star DT has never taken a trip to Gainesville. Once he does next month, UF could compete with the Tigers for the top spot. On Tuesday, the Army All-American wrote on his twitter account that he will be ready to commit after two or three more visits.

Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Durkin watched Rivals100 DE Jonathan Allen Wednesday. He lists Alabama and Florida as his co-leaders. Defensive line coach Bryant Young saw top remaining Buck prospect Elijah Daniel, who will visit UF in May. Ebenezer Ogundeko was offered on April 19 following a visit from Quinn and defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson.

Linebacker LB Matt Rolin was offered Wednesday, and the Gators immediately jumped Florida State and Georgia to grab the No. 2 spot behind South Carolina.

Robinson’s first stop for the secondary was to see Priest Willis on April 16, and he has since gone by the schools of UF commit Tre Bell and Brendon Langley, who has a top two of Georgia and Alabama. The Gators offered cornerback Maurice Smith (Sugar Land, Texas/Dulles) Wednesday.

The assistant coaches will begin evaluating the Sunshine State next week, and I’ll provide another update at the halfway point of the Evaluation Period.

He left with an MVP medal around his neck.

A phone call prior to the event lit a fire under the Florida commit.

“I got a phone call from my 7-on-7 coach and he was telling me that I needed to ball out because there was going to be a lot of eyes on me,” Powell said. “So I went in there with a chip on my shoulder. I felt like I needed to prove to everybody that I could play in space.”

Powell poses with his MVP medal (CBSSports)

The Daytona Beach Mainland standout was confident going into the camp, but he didn’t  expect to walk away as the top linebacker.

“I never thought that I would have the opportunity to win the MVP of it,” Powell said. “It was an eye-opening experience. I didn’t expect to win the whole thing at my position. I knew I was going to do the best that I could. But that was something that didn’t even cross my mind.”

The eye-opening experience ended with an invitation to ‘The Opening’ — an annual invite-only Nike camp for the nation’s top prospects. It takes place in Beaverton, Ore., and will be held July 5-8 this year. UF commits Kelvin Taylor and Ahmad Fulwood have also been invited.

Powell is privileged to be part of the elite group this summer, but what he’s looking forward to the most is taking a trip to the ‘Beaver State.’

“It’s important to me simply because of the opportunity to go to Oregon,” Powell said. “Other than Florida, my finalists were Oregon and Miami. But Oregon never offered me, so I thought I wouldn’t be able to visit. So to have the opportunity to go and see a place I’ve never been to, it’s exciting.”

Powell is the Orlando Sentinel's No. 1 player in the Central Florida Super60 (ESPN)

Part of Powell’s success Sunday was a product of him being coachable.

“I have the ability to listen to what coaches say,” Powell said. “And that’s key when you’re trying to get better. At these camps, you’re there to learn what it takes to be great. So I took in as much information as I could from the coaches and did whatever they wanted me to do.”

The Nike camp coaches put Powell through various position drills, 1-on-1 battles and 7-on-7 competition. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder said none of the workouts were hard, but he was able to improve his foot work and speed.

“Nothing was a challenge,” he said, “but I did get something out of the running portion (of the camp). We learned proper technique and what we need to do to improve our speed. So that was something new to me, and it helped.”

That was evident during the pass rush drill between linebackers and running backs. Powell held his own against the likes of Oklahoma commit Greg Bryant and Ryan Green, the camp’s RB MVP.

“I’m not trying to boast or anything, but I did good in every matchup,” Powell said. “It got to the point where one of the coaches just kept calling me up every time somebody good got their turn (in the drill). All I heard was ‘go against him, go against him.’ He wanted me to face all the top players. By the time I finished my last rep, I knew that I had done well.”

ESPN ranks Powell as the nation's No. 9 outside linebacker (ESPN)

But the best part of Powell’s day wasn’t the invitation to The Opening, his dominance in drills or MVP honors.

It was an interception.

“The first pick I got,” Powell said, “that was the highlight of my day. As soon I got that pick, I felt like all the weight was off my shoulders because everybody noticed me. I play defensive end in high school, but playing in the dirt is not the only thing I can do. I can drop back in coverage and I showed that.”

Powell’s performance was nothing new to ESPN scouts covering the camp. The four-letter network ranked the four-star linebacker No. 109 in last week’s initial ESPN150, which is the highest ranking he’s received from a recruiting service.

Powell isn’t a member of the Rivals250 and is No. 299 in the Scout300. But those rankings don’t faze someone who grew up admiring ESPN.

“For them to have the most interest in me and rank me so high, it’s a big accomplishment,” Powell said. “That experience of seeing myself on the top 150, it was amazing. My dad came and told me ‘you’re on ESPN!’ So I got to watch it on TV. It was crazy because I’ve been watching ESPN since I was kid, and I never thought I would actually be on there. So that meant a lot. And as long ESPN recognizes me, the other (recruiting services) don’t matter to me.”

The four-letter network released the ESPN150 Tuesday, and the Gators were well represented in the rankings. Seven of UF’s 15 commitments made the initial list, which tied Texas for the second most (Michigan has 11).

Each one of Florida’s commits in the ESPN150 rank in the top 10 at their position:

No. 18 — Caleb Brantley (No. 4 defensive tackle)
No. 22 — Kelvin Taylor (No. 1 running back)
No. 38 — Daniel McMillian (No. 2 outside linebacker)
No. 44 — Ahmad Fulwood (No. 6 wide receiver)
No. 58 — Nick Washington (No. 4 safety)
No. 64 — Keanu Neal (No. 7 safety)
No. 109 — Quinton Powell (No. 9 outside linebacker)

UF has seven verbals in the Rivals250, but only five are in the top 150. Neal and Powell didn’t make the Rivals250, but linebacker James Hearns (No. 157 overall) and receiver Rodney Adams (No. 234 overall) did.

Florida has nine verbals in the Scout300, but only three fall within the top 200. And other than McMillian, none of the commits are rated higher at their positions on Rivals or Scout.

So at this stage, ESPN thinks very highly of the future Gators. Florida has more recruits (30) in the ESPN150 than any other state, and UF has commitments from seven of them. Corey Long, ESPN’s recruiting coordinator for the state of Florida, said Will Muschamp and his coaches have hit the ground running in 2013.

“They’ve done a good job of getting after things early,” Long said. “They’re doing great in the state of Florida. Right away, they went out there and got some very good defensive players to rebuild their defense. They also needed wide receivers and they got two very good ones. So I think they’ve hit on the spots of need early and they’ve gotten quality players.”

Despite landing the nation’s top running back and fourth-best defensive tackle, Long identified two other recruits as Florida’s most important thus far.

“The two that jump out the most to me are Rodney Adams and Ahmad Fulwood,” Long said. “Florida doesn’t have receivers right now. They’ve got a couple, but they don’t have any depth at the position at all. You can’t get a passing game going without receivers. That’s one of the issues with their offense, and this year they’re probably not going to be very explosive because they don’t any competition between several high-level players.

“So getting those two is a huge deal. Ahmad Fulwood is a big, possession receiver. He probably doesn’t have top-end speed, but he’s tall and he’s a big target that can catch. And Rodney Adams is just a big-play kid.”

The Gators lost out last year on five-star receivers Nelson Agholor and Stefon Diggs, who were both predicted to pick Florida for months. Muschamp put former offensive coordinator Charlie Weis in charge of their recruitment, hoping his NFL pedigree would win them over. They were being sold on Super Bowl rings more so than Florida’s football program. But once he left to become the head coach at Kansas, the talented wideouts decided to go elsewhere.

Long doesn’t see Muschamp making that mistake again.

“This is a class that has his fingerprints on it,” Long said. “I think he is starting to impose his philosophy on the program. Last year, a lot of the fans moped over the guys they didn’t get. But they did do a very good job of getting tougher and upgrading on both sides of the line of scrimmage. And that was very important to coach Muschamp. But he still missed on the two big receivers, Agholor and Diggs. They were very attached to Charlie Weis, who ended up leaving late (in the recruiting process).

“I think the reason Florida tailed off at the end last year was because coach Muschamp did not impose enough of his will on the class. He let Charlie Weis handle some things that he probably should not have let him handle. But now, this class is all him and I think he’s in complete control of their recruiting board. He’s the last line on any of the commits they accept. So I think he’s putting himself at the forefront of the program, and the players he’s bringing in are ones that he feels will help get him on the right side of the scoreboard.”

The Gators signed nine ESPN150 members in 2012, and they’re on pace to surpass that total this year with almost half of their commits in the new rankings and several other prospects with Florida at or near the top of their list.

Those include offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (No. 3), cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III (No. 4), cornerback Mackensie Alexander (No. 6), defensive end DeMarcus Walker (No. 24), wide receiver Stacy Coley (No. 30), safety Leon McQuay III (No. 34), quarterback Cooper Bateman (No. 61) and safety Marcell Harris (No. 66), among others.

When all is said and done, the Gators could have the top class in the country if they pick up some of the prospects deciding around National Signing Day.

“This year they’ve done a good job of identifying kids that want to commit early and get the process out of the way,” Long said. “They’ve still got some big (names) that I’m sure they’re going to have to wait up until signing day for. But you always want to open strong and close strong. They’ve opened strong, so now finishing is the key.”

Today is the start of the Evaluation Period, a 47-day window for assistants coaches to travel around the country and evaluate prospects. Head coaches cannot take part in these evaluations.

From Feb. 3 to April 14, the UF staff was under the Quiet Period, which only permits prospects to communicate with coaches by phone/mail or on unofficial visits to campus.

Now the coaches have until May 31 to visit high schools and watch practices, although they can’t have any in-person conversations with prospects or their parents during those two trips. Any communication still must be on Florida’s campus or by phone/mail.

With the 2013 class filling up fast, this is a crucial time for the coaches. It allows them to see how prospects are performing on the field and in the classroom. This will help them address the recruiting board and re-rank their targets based on the results they find.

From the NCAA recruiting calender:

An authorized off-campus recruiter may use one evaluation to assess the prospective student-athlete’s athletics ability and one evaluation to assess the prospective student-athlete’s academic qualifications during this evaluation period. If an institution’s coaching staff member conducts both an athletics and an academic evaluation of the prospective student-athlete on the same day during this evaluation period, the institution shall be charged with the use of an academics evaluation only and shall be permitted to conduct a second athletics evaluation of the prospective student-athlete on a separate day during this evaluation period.

Another Quiet Period begins on June 1 and lasts through July 31. Muschamp will hold his summer camps and Friday Night Lights during that two-month time frame.

With 15 commitments on board, the class is close to full and there are currently just two spots available. The Gators will have 13 seniors this upcoming season and 81 players on scholarship, four short of the 85 maximum.

So as it stands now, there are 17 openings for the 2013 class. Attrition will happen as it does every year, and each occurrence will free up another scholarship.

It’s hard to predict which players will transfer or which freshmen won’t pan out, so I’m not going to start naming names. But I’m anticipating three guys will not see the end of next season.

Underclassmen leaving early, however, is a much clearer picture. NFL Draft declarations could come from juniors Andre Debose, Dominique Easley, Matt Elam, Sharrif Floyd, Jon Halapio, Jelani Jenkins and Ronald Powell, although Powell’s injury will almost certainly make him stay for his senior year. I seeing Florida losing two out of Easley, Elam and Floyd.

That puts my expectations for the 2013 class size at 22, although some UF recruiting reporters feel there could be 23-25 signed in February. To fulfill their needs, the Gators have to finish with a quarterback, a third receiver, an offensive tackle, a second defensive tackle, two defensive ends and at least one more defensive back (seven total).

NOTE: The three walk-ons who have been awarded scholarships (DB Tim Clark, LS Drew Ferris, RB Scott Peek) were not included in the numbers because they won’t count against the 2013 class.