Florida will be well represented in the Jan.7 All-American Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, which will feature 78 of the nation's top prep football prospects.
Leading the way are quarterback Tim Tebow of St. Augustine Nease and running back C.J. Spiller of Lake Butler Union County. Scout.com rates Tebow as the No.3 quarterback in the nation and Spiller the No.4 running back. Tackle Sam Young of Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas is the No.4 offensive line prospect, and teammate Dan Wenger is considered the top center prospect.
Florida commitment Corey Hobbs , a defensive tackle from Oviedo, also will play. Offensive tackle Carl Johnson of Durham, N.C., is headed to Gainesville, and safety Myron Rolle of Princeton, N.J., the nation's No.1 prospect, according to Scout.com, has committed to Florida State.
This will be the sixth All-American Bowl. MVPs have included quarterbacks Chris Leak of Florida and Vince Young of Texas and cornerback/wide receiver Ted Ginn of Ohio State. Alumni include running backs Reggie Bush (Southern California), Kevin Jones (Detroit Lions) and Adrian Peterson (Oklahoma), wide receiver Michael Clayton (Bucs) and defensive linemen Marcus Spears (Dallas Cowboys) and Tommie Harris (Chicago Bears).
UF LOSES QB: Florida commitment Jevan Snead of Stephenville, Texas, rated the nation's No.8 quarterback, is headed to Texas, Snead's father said.
Snead, 6 feet 21/2 and 198 pounds, made an official visit to Austin last weekend.
"Jevan told (Texas coach) Mack Brown that he made his decision and he wanted to be here," Jaylon Snead told scout.com. "Being close to home was probably not very important about six months ago, but then you can get cold feet sometimes when it's close to the time you're going to make a decision like this, and it's about the time you're going to have to leave. He probably won't admit it, but he probably would miss his family being close."
AROUND THE STATE: In the past month, Miami has received four commitments, bringing its total to 11: safety Tervaris Johnson of Miami, defensive tackle Chaz Washington of Destrahan, La., receiver Dominic Brown of Stone Mountain, Ga., and offensive tackle Jason Fox of Fort Worth, Texas.
This weekend, Josh Tatum of Oakland, the nation's No.4-rated linebacker, will make an official visit. Tatum, 6-11/2 and 225 pounds, has visited Tennessee and Michigan and lists the Hurricanes, Volunteers and Trojans as his favorites. He will visit USC next month.
USF has picked up three oral commitments over the past month: running back Dexter McCluster of Largo, QB/WR Alwan Lee of Miami and kicker Delbert Alvarado of Tampa. "I feel really comfortable there," McCluster told usfnation.com. "I went to the camp over the summer and I've been to all three home games. I also talk with the coaches; I know it's a place I will be happy and a place I will make an impact at." Look for the Bulls to make a big jump in recruiting, especially if they win the Big East.
FSU picked up another safety commitment. Anthony Leon of Miami Gulliver Prep, a prospect on the rise, is headed to Tallahassee.
The FSU-UF game in two weeks is a big draw for recruits for official and unofficial visits. Six prospects have scheduled official visits to Florida Nov. 26: tight ends Na Derris Ward of Oakland and Trent Pupello of Tampa Jefferson; linebackers Marcus Ball of Stone Mountain, Toryan Smith of Rome, Ga., and Jarrell Miller of Highland Springs, Va.; and defensive end Jermaine Cunningham of Stone Mountain.
Miami, which plays Virginia at home that weekend, will host three elite wide receiver prospects, including the nation's top two, Vidal Hazelton of Chatham, Va., and Percy Harvin of Virginia Beach. Miami is considered to have the inside track on Hazelton, who was in Blacksburg for its big win over Virginia Tech. Terrence Austin of Long Beach, Calif., the No.11 receiver, also will visit.
Jamie Newberg is a national recruiting analyst for scout.com.
