Football recruiting: Players who are on the rise across the state this spring
For a lot of players in Florida, spring football serves as a monthlong audition for the dozens of college coaches who crisscross the state.
Several players were impressive and saw their recruitment take off during late April and May.
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As we head into summer visits and camps, here's a look at some of the recruits who received a lot of interest this spring.
EJ Archield Jr. (Robinson 2025 QB)
6-foot-3, 200 pounds
Archield’s recruitment is just beginning, but it’s off to a strong start with offers from Arizona and Ole Miss in the past two weeks. When Power Fives start offering, other programs take notice.
Jarquez Carter (Newberry 2025 DL)
6-foot-3, 270 pounds
Carter started the spring with offers from USF, Western Kentucky, Temple and others. He wrapped up the spring with two major Power Five offers — Penn State and Notre Dame.
More: Spring football: Newberry Panthers get the best of rebuilding Gainesville Hurricanes
Mason Carter (Baldwin 2024 EDGE)
6-foot-5, 210 pounds
Few people have enjoyed the kind of spring that Carter did. Missouri, Duke, Virginia, Rutgers, Boston College, Minnesota and Vanderbilt offered. And those are just the Power Five programs. Considering his length and athleticism, Carter’s recruiting could continue to rise during the summer and fall.
More: First Coast Varsity Weekly: Bartram Trail shines with half-a-hundred in spring football
Dahkari Gilley (University Christian 2024 S)
6-foot-2, 190 pounds
Gilley had a breakout season in 2022 with 69 tackles and 24.5 tackles for loss to help UC reach the final four. Georgia Tech, UCF, Rutgers, Pitt, FAU, USF and Georgia Southern were among the schools to offer this spring.
Cameron Gooden (Fort Pierce Westwood 2025 DL)
6-foot-4, 245 pounds
Westwood has several candidates, including rising sophomore athlete Jordan Crutchfield, but Gooden’s rise after just one year of football is impressive. He picked up his first two Power Five offers — West Virginia and Indiana — as well as a handful of Group of Five offers.
More: Football: Westwood DL Cameron Gooden emerging as big-time recruit
George Haseotes (Community School of Naples 2026 OL/DL)
6-foot-3, 270 pounds
Haseotes had the kind of spring that definitely turned heads and makes him a player to watch for the next few years. Stanford, Kentucky, Michigan State, Arizona, Western Michigan and Penn offered in May.
Chris Henry (Dunnellon 2024 ATH)
6-foot, 185 pounds
Henry has continued to build off his 2022 season when he recorded 45 tackles, two tackles for loss and two interceptions. Since the start of spring football, Henry has picked up offers from Oregon State, West Virginia, Kansas, FAU and Buffalo.
Javion Hilson (Cocoa 2025 EDGE)
6-foot-4, 225 pounds
Cocoa had a handful of breakout recruits, including rising junior wide receiver Jayvan Boggs and rising sophomore quarterback Brady Hart, but it's Hilson who is rushing to the top of recruiting lists. His spring offers include Arkansas, LSU, Ohio State, Kentucky, Penn State and several others.
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Carl Jenkins Jr. (St. Augustine 2025 WR)
6-foot-3, 165 pounds
Jenkins, one of several standout skill position players for the Yellow Jackets, picked up Power Five offers from Indiana, Texas A&M, UCF, Wake Forest and Iowa State this spring. Playing with highly recruited rising junior quarterback Locklan Hewlett will only help Jenkins and his teammates.
More: Recruiting: QBs Locklan Hewlett and Tramell Jones Jr. impress in spring jamboree
Lawrence Johnson (Miami Palmetto 2024 CB)
6-foot-1, 176 pounds
Several Panthers defenders saw their recruitment pick up in the spring. Johnson added offers from Indiana, Oregon State, Maryland, Western Michigan and a handful of FCS programs and backed it up with a strong performance in the spring jamboree.
Bradley Martino (Golden Gate 2025 ATH)
6-foot-3, 175 pounds
Martino picked up his first Division I offer, from FAU, on April 26. By the end of the spring, UMass, Pitt, N.C. State, Illinois and Bethune-Cookman also made offers. Martino had five interceptions, eight passes broken up and three forced fumbles in 2022.
More: Introducing the 2022 Naples Daily News All-Area Football Defense Team
Shamar Meikle (Miramar 2024 EDGE)
6-foot-5, 220 pounds
Meikle had a handful of offers coming into the spring, but he added offers from Georgia State, Ohio, Kent, UNC-Charlotte, Western Kentucky, Appalachian State and others. Indiana was the first Power Five program to offer after his dominant performance in Miramar’s spring jamboree.
More: Football: 10 recruits who impressed at the Palm Beach Gardens spring jamboree
Elijah Melendez (Osceola 2025 LB)
6-foot-2, 225 pounds
Melendez was on just about everyone’s radar going into the spring. Now, he has offers that put him in elite company. LSU, UCF, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Georgia, Mississippi State and Tennessee offered in May.
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Julian Mendez (Western 2025 LB)
6-foot-1, 195 pounds
Minnesota, Missouri, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Akron, Bowling Green, Arkansas State and Western Michigan offered Mendez in May. Mendez had 56 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 10 sacks as a sophomore in 2022.
Guiseann Mirtil (Winter Haven 2024 ATH)
6-foot-2, 210 pounds
Mirtil had a busy spring as he added more than a dozen Division I offers. The list of suitors for the tight end/linebacker includes FIU, Liberty, Georgia Southern, UNC-Charlotte, Western Kentucky, Troy and UAB.
Derry Norris (Spruce Creek 2025 DL)
6-foot-4, 250 pounds
This is still the beginning for Norris’ recruitment, but the early offers — Georgia Tech, Purdue, UMass, Western Michigan and USF this spring — certainly are promising. He lined up both as an edge rusher and defensive tackle during the spring jamboree.
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Deylen Platt (Venice 2024 CB)
6-foot-3, 175 pounds
Platt, the younger brother of FAU wide receiver Jayshon Platt, capped a strong spring with an outstanding spring game performance that saw him score on offense and special teams. Louisville, Iowa State, Indiana, Wisconsin, Appalachian State and Bethune-Cookman have offered.
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Samari Reed (Monarch 2025 ATH)
6-foot-2, 180 pounds
Reed and Monarch teammate Jabari Brady both impressed during spring practices. Texas A&M, Auburn, Penn State, Coastal Carolina, Liberty and Western Kentucky were among the schools to offer Reed.
Ezaiah Shine (Mainland 2024 CB)
6-foot-2, 180 pounds
Shine’s recruiting started to pick up before the spring, but things may have hit another level when Florida offered on May 12. Oregon State, UConn, Troy, FAU and FIU also offered in May.
Tyler Simmons (Windermere Prep 2024 EDGE)
6-foot-4, 260 pounds
Simmons, the son of former NFL linebacker Brian Simmons, had a handful of offers coming into the spring but his trajectory is completely different now. South Carolina, Indiana, N.C. State, Miami, Kansas, Virginia and many others offered in May.
JT Taggart (Delray Beach-American Heritage 2025 ATH)
6-foot-5, 220 pounds
Taggart, the son of Baltimore Ravens running backs coach Willie Taggart, is a long athlete who plays tight end and is an edge rusher for the Stallions. Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Pitt, Indiana, Purdue and Colorado offered this spring.
More: The year of the wide receiver: Names to know from the Class of 2025 as spring ball begins
Xavier Thompson (Pensacola Catholic 2025 CB)
6-foot-1, 170 pounds
Pensacola Catholic has a couple of players who could be on this list, including rising junior quarterback Ryan Huff. Thompson picked up offers from Kentucky, USF, UMass, Troy, Arkansas State and Florida A&M in May.
Sr’Londo Whiley (Leesburg 2026 EDGE/LB)
6-foot-2, 235 pounds
Whiley picked up his first Division I offers from Louisville and Liberty this spring. Whiley and fellow rising sophomore outside linebacker Izayia Williams (who also has a Louisville offer) could be an impact duo for Leesburg.
Jalen Wiggins (Rickards 2025 DL)
6-foot-5, 250 pounds
Wiggins is one of the nation’s top prospects in the Class of 2025. So why does he crack this list? Because he picked up some big-time offers in May, including Miami, Florida State, Louisville, LSU, Kentucky, Stanford and Syracuse.
More: Youth not an issue for Rickards' football entering spring campaign
Amaree Williams (Benjamin 2025 ATH)
6-foot-5, 210 pounds
Despite being a limited practice participant because of his responsibilities with the Buccaneers’ state-champion track team, Williams still had the type of spring many expected he would. Ole Miss, USC, Auburn, Michigan, West Virginia and Iowa offered in May.
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Dallas Wilson (Tampa Bay Tech 2025 WR)
6-foot-3, 180 pounds
Wilson, an Oregon commit, already was one of the nation’s top recruits in the Class of 2025. Still, it’s impossible to ignore that he also picked up offers from Michigan State, Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Ole Miss.
Grant Wise (Pace 2026 OL)
6-foot-3, 301 pounds
Wise, the son of former University of Miami center Ty Wise, picked up offers from Miami and Troy in May. Many of the top programs in the nation want Wise on campus to see him in person. His offer list could change significantly by the time the season starts.
Keon Young (Lakeland 2025 CB)
6-foot, 171 pounds
Young added offers from South Carolina, FAU, FIU, Western Michigan and Western Kentucky during the spring. He also had an interception in the spring game win against Lake Minneola.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida football recruiting: Players on the rise this spring
