Dawgs and Gators Land Three Commits

By Matthew Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com

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Florida and Georgia each secured three verbal commitments over the weekend.

The Easter Weekend was more than generous to both the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs on the recruiting trail, as each program reeled in three 2013 recruits over the weekend.

WR Kyrin Priester out of Snellville, Georgia got the string of commitments kicked off when he informed the Georgia coaching staff that he was pledging to the Bulldogs on Friday afternoon. Priester, who just recently moved to the Atlanta area from Florida, caught 31 passes for 565 yards and five touchdowns as a junior. He says that he chose Georgia over offers from TCU and Vanderbilt due to the fact that the Bulldogs are in need of playmakers at receiver.

East River (FL) LB Ryne Rankin was the second prospect to pledge to the Dawgs on Friday, announcing his decision via Twitter later in the afternoon. An All-State performer last season, Rankin is known for his tremendous football IQ. He used his natural football instincts to register 189 tackles and seven sacks a year ago. Rankin held over 20 scholarship offers prior to committing to Georgia.

The final 2013 prospect to make the call for the Bulldogs on Friday afternoon was OT Aulden Bynum out of Valdosta, Georgia. The Georgia coaching staff was particularly enthused about his pledge, as Bynum is the first offensive line commit in this class for the Dawgs.

With Friday’s trio of commitments, Georgia now stands at 11 verbal commitments for the 2013 class. According to 24-7 Sports, the Bulldog’s 2013 class is currently ranked No. 5 in the nation.

For the Florida, the flurry of commits came a day later, as three 2013 prospects committed to the Gators following the Orange and Blue Debut.

The first Gator recruit to pull the trigger was OL Joshua Outlaw out of MLK High School in Lithonia, Georgia. Outlaw plays tackle for his high school program, but projects better as a guard at the collegiate level. Despite growing up a Miami fan, Outlaw chose Florida because of the combination of academics and competitive football that exists in Gainesville.

The Gators kept that positive momentum rolling with the addition of WR Ahmad Fulwood a little later in the afternoon. The highest-ranked of Florida’s three Saturday commit, Fulwood chose the Gators over the more than 20 other scholarship offers which he accrued during the recruiting process. Although Fulwood initially stated that he wanted to go out of Florida to play his college ball, the opportunity to play for a big-time SEC program that is just an hour and a half away from where he grew up was too much to pass up.

Florida’s final commit of the day, CB Tre Bell, also chose the Gators over more than 20 other scholarship offers. A native of New Jersey, Bell actually informed the Gator coaching staff of his decision prior to the start of the spring game. Bell said that originally intended not to make a decision on his visit, but said that the opportunity to play his college football at Florida was ultimately something he didn’t want to miss out on.

Florida now stands at 14 commitments in their 2013 class, which is currently ranked No. 3 in the country.

The Gators and Bulldogs have obviously gotten off to quick starts in recruiting, and is safe to expect that both programs will continue with their exceptional recruiting for the remainder of this recruiting cycle.