Burton will be a freshman this year, Driskel will most likely redshirt in 2011, giving them 2 years separation. Perfect.
_____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 6:49 AM To: gatortalk googlegroups Subject: [gatortalk] RE: [gatornews] [OrlSentinel] Jeff Driskel commits to Florida Gators' 2011 recruiting class, will enroll early Assuming Brantley stays next year, Burton keeps progressing like he did over the spring, Burton concentrates only on football, and Driskel splits time between football and baseball, but Driskel is a better QB than Burton coming out of high school hard to predict who will have the advantage when Brantley leaves -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [gatornews] [OrlSentinel] Jeff Driskel commits to Florida Gators' 2011 recruiting class, will enroll early From: Badrish <[email protected]> Date: Tue, April 20, 2010 7:29 am To: [email protected] Jeff Driskel commits to Florida Gators' 2011 recruiting class, will enroll early Oviedo Hagerty QB Jeff Driskel, shown above at the Elite 11 QB camp in February, has made official his commitment to the Florida Gators. He will enroll at UF in January. (Photo by Chris Hays/Orlando Sentinel / February 14, 2010) By Chris Hays | Orlando Sentinel 12:29 a.m. EDT, April 20, 2010 Oviedo Hagerty QB Jeff Driskel <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-recruiting-jeff-driskel-photo-bio, 0,7862483.photo> says he knew he wanted to be a Florida Gator. And even after sitting on it for a week, he still said he was sure enough to announce his decision to commit to the University of Florida on Monday. Driskel made a trip to Gainesville on Thursday to tell Florida coaches Urban Meyer, Scot Loeffler and Steve Addazio that he had made his decision. "I told them what I was thinking," Driskel said, "and then I went back home and kind of re-evaluated everything and talked to my parents and I knew I wanted to be a Gator, so I let it go public today. "(Meyer) was just happy to have me and he wanted me to go back and work with my high school team get some more wins," Driskel added. "He said he was happy to have me as part of the Gators." News started to circulate around the internet recruiting Web sites Monday afternoon that Driskel, the No. 12 quarterback in the nation for 2011 according to Scout.com, had picked Florida. Driskel, who also plays baseball at Hagerty and plans to play both sports at UF, sent a text after baseball practice Monday that read, "Yea, I committed." Hagerty football coach Nate Gierke was happy to see Driskel comfortable with his decision and was assured by Driskel that he wouldn't be changing his mind. "Yes that's confirmed, he actually did that last week but he wanted to make sure and Urban (Meyer) and the coaching staff up there wanted him to make sure that's what he wanted to do," Gierke said. "So he talked to his parents and went over it with them and re-evaluated the situation and that's when he decided to go ahead and make it official. "When he first told me about it today, he said, 'Yes, that's what I want to do. Why wait?' " Driskel (6-4, 220), the No. 5-ranked player in the Sentinel's 2011 Central Florida Super60 and top Orlando-area QB, has pretty much been the only quarterback Hagerty fans have ever known. The fifth-year school has played varsity football only three seasons and Driskel has started as QB in 28 of the 30 games. The Huskies have won five games in those three seasons, but Gierke said people read too much into those numbers. "We're such a young program here that it's really hard to evaluate someone on just the victories," Gierke said. "But this is a big deal for us, pretty special. He's the first D-I prospect from the program and it couldn't happen to a better kid. He's a special player and I am certainly happy for him." Driskel threw for 1,427 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, completing exactly 50 percent of his passes (105-210). He also rushed for six TDs and his ability to run can be very deceiving for the big-framed quarterback. He's clocked a 4.5 40-yard dash and doesn't mind tucking the ball up the field if a play breaks down. For his career at Hagerty, Driskel has thrown for 3,021 passsing yards and 34 total touchdowns (21 passing, 13 rushing). "I'm glad I got it over with," Driskel said. "I'm really excited. It's one of the best programs in the nation if not the best." Even though it's early and National Signing Day is still 10 months away (Feb. 2, 2010), the constant recruiting process was beginning to wear on him. "It was hectic," he said." There was a period there where I was talking to guys every night and offers were just pouring in. It was crazy and fun at the same time, but I'm happy to say it's over." Now he can focus on his senior season. Spring football across Florida starts May 1. "It's going to be a little bit easier in spring practice now to be able to focus on my high school team give those guys the best senior year they can have," Driskel said. "I can go out there and work hard with those guys and not have to worry about any of this." Driskel is the fourth commitment to the Gators' 2011 class, joining DeLand ATH Pop Saunders, Interlachen ATH A.C. Leonard and DE Jeoffrey Pagan, of Asheville, N.C. He even got congratulatory phone calls from his future teammates. "Yeah I've talked to a couple of guys . A.C Leonard and Pop Saunders today," Driskel said, but then he also had to tell a few coaches he was not going to be coming to their school. "That was the hard part," said Driskel, who had built a strong relationship with Auburn offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Gus Malzahn. "After building a relationship I figured I didn't want them to find out through Rivals or any of those, so I called to let him know last night." Driskel is thought to be the first Orlando-area quarterback offered a scholarship by the Gators since 1984 when Rodney Brewer of Apopka signed with UF. Brewer, also a baseball player, played three tumultuous years in Gainesville as generally a backup to Kerwin Bell, before heading off to a short career in professional baseball that ended with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1993. "I'm sure it will (sink in) in a couple of days," Driskel said. "It's a dream come true. I've dreamt about being a college quarterback since I was a little kid." Chris Hays is the Sentinel's recruiting coordinator and can be reached at [email protected]. Copyright C 2010, Orlando Sentinel <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/> -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us Subscription settings: http://groups.google.com/group/gatortalk/subscribe?hl=en -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
