[Buckskin86]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/highsch...ecol_1223.html

University of Florida recruiters lately have not been knocking down construction barriers on I-95 in an effort to sign this area's best football talent. The Gators have signed only one marquee player — redshirt sophomore Ray McDonald Jr. of Glades Central — directly out of high school in the past four years.

That trend might reverse, at least to some extent, with the arrival of assistant coach John "Doc" Holliday, who last week was hired by new UF coach Urban Meyer. Holliday has been a familiar face at area schools in the past several years. He recruited and signed several area players when he was an assistant at West Virginia and most recently at N.C. State, including Da'Juan Morgan of Suncoast and Willie Young of Palm Beach Gardens last year.

Don't be surprised if Young is one of the first players Holliday tries to sign with the Gators in February. Young, The Palm Beach Post big schools Defensive Player of the Year last season, chose N.C. State over UF in February but did not qualify for entrance and spent this past season at Hargrave Military Academy prep school in Virginia. Young, who had 61 tackles and nine sacks for Hargrave this season, now has qualified and can recommit to N.C. State or reopen the recruiting battle.

Palm Beach Gardens coach Tim Tharp said he recently spoke with Young, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound defensive end, who told his high school coach that he plans to visit N.C. State again next month. However, Young recently told Floridakids.us that he also might consider signing with UF, Tennessee, Oklahoma or Alabama.

One advantage Young has over this year's area seniors is that he's already experienced the craziness that accompanies the football recruiting season.

Coach Larry Coffey of Glades Central, which annually used to send at least one player to Gainesville, said Holliday called him Monday "to let me know he's there."