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Florida Spotlight: Who is the next great …… ?
Rivals national recruiting analyst John Garcia, Jr. looks at five Sunshine State prospects who are going to be the next big thing in college football.
THIS SERIES – THE NEXT GREAT …. Midwest | Southeast | Mid-South
DJ PICKETT: The next great two-way standout
An unprecedented venture before Floridian Deion Sanders became Prime Time at Florida State by excelling in all three phases in addition to two other sports, we didn’t see him get chances at wide receiver until his NFL days. Travis Hunter, another native Floridian under the tutelage of Sanders at Colorado, is surely next in line. Will Pickett continue the trend going for Sunshine State natives? The 6-foot-4 talent is being courted on both sides of the ball late in his recruitment.
Pickett isn’t a recruit to be projected like a gadget player at the next level. He is a towering presence with legitimate WR1 size and a skill set that allows him to excel down the field and at the catch point with his combination of speed, explosiveness and ball skills to the tune of scoring 30 receiving touchdowns in his last 30 varsity games. Pickett has been a doesn’t-come-off-the-field guy since he was a sophomore and he has only looked more lethal since.
Oregon and Miami have long courted him as a potential two-way star and he says it’s become more of a priority for him, which could make his current LSU commitment status that much more interesting down the stretch of the cycle.
MICHAEL CARROLL: The next great IMG Academy OL star
IMG Academy has plenty of detractors in the high school space, something the roster experiences against about every opponent, but some of the production the boarding school has to its name is unmatched over the last decade or so. The safest position to project may be along the offensive line, too, as a blocker has been picked in the first round in three of the last four drafts. Having seen IMG work well in 2024, there’s little doubt that Carroll is the most intriguing talent on the current roster.
On the verge of five-star status, Carroll made the move down from his native Pennsylvania and he has become arguably the nation’s top run blocker since, flashing dominance while working at guard. There is still a positional question to be had with Carroll the rest of this fall and certainly at the next level, but even if he is to play inside down the line, his immense size, athleticism and mentality could translate as a swing prospect similarly to most recent IMG first round pick JC Latham.
Like Latham, Carroll is committed to Alabama although many programs are working for a flip.
TAE’SHAUN GELSEY: The next great hybrid pass-catcher
Pass catchers from the state are not sneaking up on anybody, especially following a cycle with Jeremiah Smith as the top-ranked overall prospect, but as the position increases in priority and elite athletes emerge at all shapes and sizes – consider the hybrid. These are talents who can move around an offense and in this case, work at wide receiver, slot and/or traditional tight end spaces alike. Gelsey has improved year over year both in his game and his production at Jacksonville (Fla.) Riverside.
What makes Gelsey intriguing is his comfort on the outside. The Florida commit is a big wide receiver who not only uses his size to overwhelm secondary defenders, but his competitiveness at the catch point and improved ability after the catch has his offense getting him the ball near the line of scrimmage at times. Since his sophomore season, Gelsey has amassed about 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns, with a dozen and counting to his name in 2024. At a legitimate 6-foot-4, north of 200 pounds, he can be utilized as a true mismatch as a big wideout or spread tight end – the type of skill set not currently present on many top programs’ roster.
GRACESON LITTLETON: Clemson’s next great find in Florida
As Clemson heats up on the field it has relied on younger athletes at certain positions, often a product of early identification and strong closes by Dabo Swinney and company on the recruiting trail. There’s often a Sunshine State find near the top of a given recruiting class, with wide receiver TJ Moore looking like the key pickup among the current freshman group. Fellow Tampa native Graceson Littleton may be next up after what we have seen from him in the offseason and as a senior.
Littleton moved from the Midwest down to Florida in 2023 and quickly established himself as an instinctive and speedy cornerback recruit through the winter, where his recruitment exploded beyond three dozen offers. Since, he has shown more versatility in potentially projecting as a nickel with great feel to play near the box, too. Littleton has also shined on offense and especially special teams early on as a senior, taking multiple kicks and punts back for scores against rock solid competition.
LADARIAN CLARDY: The next great Panhandle product
It seems like every cycle, Florida’s panhandle is underrecruited relative to the talent in the area. It can happen for various reasons, with recent first-rounder Devon Witherspoon as a great example of an overlooked recruit making good. Others, such as 2024 first-rounder Terrion Arnold, were more streamlined toward the top since their prep days. The pair of elite defensive backs share similarities dating back to their high school days, competitiveness and playing on both sides of the ball. Will Clardy be next in line with that skill set?
The Escambia High School standout has been another three-phase weapon on Friday nights as a senior, showing off legitimate instincts and ball skills regardless of where he is aligned. The sheer playmaking ability pairs well as a move secondary prospect we may see line up at safety or cornerback at the next level. Clardy is committed to Ole Miss despite his dream school, LSU, jumping in the race a week before his long-planned decision date.
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