Big Recruiting Week

As the college football season winds down, official visits begin to heat up. The last two weeks have seen a flurry of activity on the recruiting trail. While the Florida Gators have struggled on the field, the coaching staff clearly used the off week to get work done their 2011 haul.

Ten days ago, the Gators landed Athlon Consensus 100 athlete A.C. Leonard. The Jacksonville (Fla.) University School product is a versatile player who, at 6-3, 220, can do a lot of things for Urban Meyer.

They followed that up with two more big commitments this week. Trey Burton's younger brother, Clay Burton, announced he would follow in his brother's footsteps and play in Gainesville. The Venice (Fla.) High product currently plays an undersized end position. He is listed at 6-4, 235. He, too, could end up in a lot of spots for Meyer.

The biggest news came yesterday, however. Bradenton (Fla.) Manatee tailback Mike Blakely picked the Gators over Auburn, Clemson, South Carolina and others. The 5-9, 190 pound dynamo is a perfect fit for the Gators scheme. He can be dangerous as a back or a receiver. He is rated as the No. 90 player in the Athlon Consensus 100.

Blakely makes 18 commitments for the 2011 Florida class.

Former Gator coach Dan Mullen is making his own waves on the recruiting trail. He landed the highest rated recruit of his tenure when he hauled in AC100 wide receiver Nickolas Brassell last week. The 6-1, 180 pound wideout is a tremendous deep threat and competes on every play. He hails from Magnolia powerhouse South Panola (Batesville, Miss.) so he knows how to win.

Brassell makes 20 commitments for MSU thus far in 2011.