Deonte Thompson
Belle Glade, FL (Glade Central)
5-11, 186 - 4.28 40
Scout Ranking: 5* Rivals Ranking: 4*
Gatorzone:
An explosive wide receiver who helped lead Glades Central to a Class 3A state championship in 2006 with 30 receptions for 504 yards and eight touchdowns...Rushed for 82 yards and two touchdowns, including a 22-yard run, in the state title game...Sat out five games during his senior season due to a foot injury...Was selected as a U.S. Army All-American...Rated the third-best wide receiver prospect by Scout.com...Named the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's High School Athlete of the Year...Was a Class 3A all-state selection...Had 35 receptions for 767 yards, averaging 21.9 yards per catch, as a junior...Also had 12 kick returns for 515 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 42.9 yards per return...Caught 21 passes for 375 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore
Paul Wilson
Lakeland, FL (Lakeland Senior)
6-1, 175 - 4.45 40
Scout Ranking: 3* Rivals Ranking: 3*
Gatorzone:
senior with 13 receptions for 268 yards (20.7 average) and two touchdowns in a run-oriented offense...Caught 36 passes for 489 yards and four TDs as a junior...During his sophomore season, Wilson pulled in 42 catches for 629 yards...At the Army Combine held in January 2006, he finished second out of 600 athletes in the 40-yard dash
Joe Haden***
Fort Washington, MD (Friendly)
5-11, 195 - 4.4 40
Scout Ranking: 4* Rivals Ranking: 4*
Gatorzone:
A high school quarterback who is rated third among athletes by Rivals.com...Set Maryland public school record with 7,371 career passing yards and tied the career mark for touchdown passes with 80...Passed for 2,783 yards and 38 touchdowns as a senior and rushed for 899 yards and 13 TDs...Had a chance to play receiver for the first quarter of a game as a senior, making five catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns...Later moved back to quarterback for the remainder of the game, he threw for 117 yards and three scores and also ran for a TD...Chipped in defensively in that contest with an interception playing safety
Aaron Hernandez
Bristol, CT (Bristol Central)
6-4, 235 - 4.57 40
Scout Ranking: 5* Rivals Ranking: 4*
Rated the No. 1 recruit at the tight end position by both Scout.com and Rivals.com...Earned a spot to play on the East team in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl after collecting 67 receptions for 1,807 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior...Also recorded 72 tackles, including 42 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four blocked kicks as a member of the defense
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The WR class was an up and down one rumors-wise this recruiting season, as much speculation had the likes of Terrance Toliver and Ahmad Paige committing to UF. As it turns out, those two things did not happen, but overall everything was fine in the end. Late in the day on NSD Deonte Thompson faxed in his LOI, announcing that he was attending UF -- a move that just put the icing on the cake for this season recruiting class.
The Gators will be adding even more explosiveness to their WR core with this group, as Haden, Thompson, Wilson and Hernandez (TE) use a combination of speed and agility to make things happen on the field. Also, as you can see, Haden can be lined up at QB and not miss a beat -- similar to what we see from Jarred Fayson and maybe Cameron Newton in the future.
***: Rivals.com has Haden listed as an ATH, as opposed to a pure WR.
