KISSIMMEE, Fla. — With the mid-July sun beating down on the two football fields at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex over the weekend, 64 of the nation’s top high school football players participated in an inter-regional battle for touch football supremacy.
Champion Gridiron Kings split rising high school juniors and seniors into four squads — Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West.
While North Marion High wide receiver Latroy Pittman was the only current UF commit in attendance, he was surrounded by a few undecided Florida targets.
The Gators’ primary prospect at the event was Tampa Berkeley Prep five-star athlete Nelson Agholor. The nation’s No. 9 overall player according to Rivals.com avoided media for much of the weekend but made it clear Saturday night that his college decision process remains stagnant.
Agholor has been working on forming a top five with his high school coaches but has been unsuccessful thus far.
“I’m sorry that we haven’t gotten anywhere,“ he said. “It’s just that we’re building such good relationships with these programs. It has to take a way more in-depth thought before I tell anyone no.”
He said he hopes to start narrowing his list after Sept. 1.
Agholor led a Southeast squad that was hampered by shoddy quarterback play from 2013 Butler High (N.C.) prospect Riley Ferguson. Agholor’s playmaking ability couldn’t save the Southeast enough to move past the semifinals, losing to a previously winless Midwest team 18-14.
The Southeast had won the only two previous titles in Gridiron Kings history.
“I can’t explain it,” a dejected Pittman said. “I’m upset, but you’ve got to move on and get ready to start the season. I’m not sure, just a team that was 0-3 and hungry, not saying that we weren’t hungry, but we hadn’t tasted defeat yet.”
Pittman and Agholor were joined on the team by USF commit and Gainesville High School star Chris Bivins and wide receiver Jaime Wilson.
The 2011 rendition of Gridiron Kings was won by a Southwest squad that featured no players with any connection to the Gators, with 10 of the team’s 14 players already orally committed to multiple Big 12 programs.
However, the runner-ups from the Midwest featured a dynamic athlete who could easily become a back-up plan in lieu of Agholor.
Cyrus Jones holds 28 offers and hails from Baltimore, Md.
“I’m just a playmaker, man,” he said. “I go into a different mode mentally when I step on the field. I’m not a talkative guy. I try to just lead by example with my teammates and just do me at all times.”
Jones is the latest UF target to be told he will be utilized similarly to Percy Harvin in Gainesville.
The four-star athlete is fond of his relationship with running backs coach Brian White and would like to visit Florida before his high school season begins.
But Jones also doesn’t plan on narrowing his list of colleges until at least November.
Etc: Agholor has previously said he will not go to a school that limits him to one position. However, he admitted on Saturday that he does expect to start out as a receiver in college. … Four-star Timber Creek High (N.J.) inside linebacker Quanzell Lambert said he couldn’t make it to Friday Night Lights because of confusion with his dad’s flight and didn’t participate at Gridiron Kings because of leg tightness. He said he likes Florida because of its tradition and interest in moving players on to the NFL. … Inglewood High (Ca.) four-star receiver Derrick Woods is interested in the Gators and has family in Florida, but said he hasn’t heard from UF coaches in weeks. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound receiver said Southern California and Washington have the most interest in him lately.
Tampa Berkeley Prep Nelson Agholor is the nation’s No. 9 overall prospect according to Rivals.com. The athlete is one of Florida’s main targets, but the five-star recruit still hasn’t narrowed 24 offers into a top five.
