2012 Recruiting Rundown: Latroy Pittman

Over the next two weeks, we at Ode will be documenting the 2012 Gator football recruiting class beginning with the first recruit signed, Latroy Pittman. Following that, we will talk about which of the top players being recruited have Florida high on their list.
Here we go, enjoy!

Latroy Pittman
Wide receiver
North Marion High School (Citra, Fla)
6'0", 195 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.64 seconds
Vertical jump: 30.5 inches


Position Rankings
ESPN: #15
Rivals: #37
Scout: #47

The Skinny
The upside on Pittman is his size, strength and quickness. His tapes show the ability to overpower DBs, catch the ball in traffic and make plays on the ball while it is in the air. He uses his hands well to go get the ball. He has played safety and returned kicks so he is not afraid to mix it up. As a sophomore, Pittman had 35 catches for 612 yards and seven touchdowns. He also plays safety and returns kicks.
The knock on Pittman is he doesn’t have great speed and has a tendency to run imprecise routes, rounding them off and using his muscle to get position. He will have to clean that up in the SEC as the competition will be able to shut that down.
Look for Pittman to be more of a possession receiver with abilities similar to Carl Moore or Omarius Hines.

Jenkins lands at North Alabama

Former Gator cornerback Janoris Jenkins has signed with Division II North Alabama. Former Auburn coach Terry Bowden is the coach at North Alabama.

No. 1 High School kicker commits to Florida

The Gators received a verbal committment Wednesday from the No. 1 rated kicker in the nation. Austin Hardin had offers from Georgia and Tennessee. Hardin will immediatelt be installed as the kickoff specialist. At the gator camp on Wednesday he averaged 75 yards per kickoff with a 4.1 hang time. He made every PAT his senior season and kicked a 59-yarder with three seconds to play to win one game.

Recruiting update

The Gators are working on three top recruits that can bring some excitement to the 2012 class and make it a potential No. 1 class.

1. The Gators had Alabama native Beniquez Brown (ATH) in for a visit and he came in very impressed with what he saw.
Here is Brown's 2010 highlights:



2. The Gators got an up-close glimpse of Alton "Pig" Howard (ATH) at a recent camp and they liked what they saw. He has great speed, moves, hands and an instinct for going after the ball while its in the air.
Here is a video of Howard's highlights:



3. The Gators have set their sites on the No. 11 Rivals rated player, Dante Fowler, an LB/DE prospect, who is currently committed to the Seminoles. Fowler was impressed with what he saw and is coming back for more visits.
Here is his highlight reel: