Muschamp already hitting recruiting trail hard

With the current Florida Gators coaching staff worrying about the 2011 Outback Bowl (and their jobs) and the Texas Longhorns out of bowl game contention, new Florida head coach Will Muschamp was able to focus on retaining the Gators’ 2011 recruiting class immediately after taking the position on Saturday. Making plenty of phone calls while traveling for in-home visits and to round out his staff, Muschamp has already made an impression on a number of prospects.

COMMIT – Five/four-star quarterback Jeff Driskel (Oviedo, FL): In Gainesville, FL, last weekend for an official visit, Driskel received a call from Muschamp and continues to be fully committed. He will enroll early in January.

COMMIT – Four-star cornerback Nick Waisome (Groveland, FL): Having made it a point to say that he remains “100 percent committed to Florida,” Waisome received calls from and decided to accept visits to Florida State, LSU and South Carolina after head coach Urban Meyer stepped down. He has since only visited FSU and plans to go back to UF this upcoming weekend to meet Muschamp. Also an early enrollee, Waisome will likely stick with the Gators unless something goes horribly wrong in the meeting.

RECRUIT – Four-star wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (Belle Glade, FL): After visiting Tallahassee, FL, during the weekend of the Florida State-Florida game, Benjamin turned his attention toward FSU, canceled his planned UF visit and decided to announce his commitment on Thursday. However, he spoke with Muschamp Monday evening and has decided to delay his announcement at least one full month so he can take his originally scheduled visit to Gainesville on Jan. 14. Benjamin will also pay another visit to Florida State and take a trip to Miami (FL) as well.

COMMIT – Four-star linebacker Ryan Shazier (Plantation, FL): Muschamp made it a point to immediately visit Shazier, who remains a verbal to UF but opened up his recruitment to LSU and Ohio State when Meyer resigned. OSU head coach Jim Tressel has already paid a visit to Shazier, and he will reciprocate on Thursday by heading to Columbus, OH. He plans to announce his decision on Friday but was impressed with Muschamp when he visited. “He talked about the type of staff he wants to put together, and the type of team he wants to put on the field at Florida,” Shazier told Scout. “He’s in the process of deciding who he is going to keep, and who he might bring in. It was the first time I’d ever met Coach Muschamp, and he has a lot of passion for the job. Coach Muschamp and Coach Meyer are the same in their approach, but they are different in coaching styles. Coach Muschamp is a defensive coach, and his specialty is the linebacker position, and I really like that. I liked Coach Meyer, but I believe I’m more in tune with Coach Muschamp. Tonight’s visit with Florida kind of clarified things for me, and it helped being able to speak to the head coach.”

Read who else Muschamp has already made an impression on…after the break!

COMMIT – Four-star defensive end Clay Burton (Venice, FL): Solidly committed to the Gators, Burton may not have needed any reassurance, but he got it over the weekend when he received a call from Muschamp while on the University of Florida campus. He will enroll in January. “I talked with him last night and he seemed really cool,” Burton said. “He’s a great college coach and I am glad he’s a defensive guy.”

COMMIT – Four-star safety Chris Johnson (Ocala, FL): Another solid commitment seemingly no matter what, Johnson was still impressed when he heard Muschamp was hired. “I just read the paper and got some good background on Coach Muschamp,” Johnson said. “He comes from a great coaching background and he has accomplished a lot. Hopefully we will win a national championship. I will learn, listen and support Coach Muschamp. Mr. [Jeremy] Foley made a great hire. I am solid, excited and happy.” Though it is not known if the two spoke, Johnson appears quite pleased.

COMMIT – Four-star defensive back Louchiez Purifoy (Pensacola, FL): Having planned other recruiting trips in order to see what else is out there prior to head coach Urban Meyer resigning, Purifoy will still take those visits but was happy with what Muschamp had to tell him on Sunday. “He said he’s still committed to me,” Purifoy said. “He seemed like a good person but I honestly don’t know too much about him. I haven’t done any research yet. He did say that he will be his own defensive coordinator. I just need to get to know him. Right now I would still say that I am committed to Florida.”

COMMIT – Four-star running back Mike Blakely (Bradenton, FL): One of the recruits Florida fans are most excited about aside from Driskel, Blakely is more concerned about who is position coach is at this point in time. “My initial reaction is that I see that he’s a good coach although I don’t know much about him yet,” Blakely said. “[RB coach Stan] Drayton said he’s cool. I am trying to speak with him soon or do an in-home visit. I am graduating this Friday so now I just want to get an in-home soon so I can try and get to know him a little.” Blakely plans to enroll in January as of press time; it is not known if he has spoken with Muschamp yet.

RECRUIT – Four-star defensive end Anthony Chickilo (Tampa, FL): Ever since Randy Shannon was fired at Miami, Florida has been hot after Chickilo. With Muschamp now in the fold, the team is expected to pursue him even harder. “I don’t know much about Coach Muschamp other than he was the Texas defensive coordinator,” Chickilo told ESPN. “I don’t know him as a person or how he will run the program. I look forward to meeting him and see if they are going to recruit me.”

COMMITS – Three-star offensive linemen Chase Hounshell (Kirtland, OH) and Tommy Jordan (Ridgefield, CT), two-star kicker Kyle Christy (Brownsburg, IN) and three-star fullback Hunter Joyer (Tampa, FL): All four players have expressed their commitment to the Gators is strong and have said they are excited about the Muschamp hire, at least two of the four have spoken to him.

Photo Credit: Thomas Bender/Sarasota Herald-Tribune