Signing a quarterback every year is a goal of the Florida coaches and typically every school in the country. It guards against depth problems and prevents having to thrust a freshman QB into action way before he's ready. You know, something Florida experienced first-hand last season.
Florida got its man for 2013 in three-star signal caller Max Staver out of Brentwood, Tenn. He's a pro-style quarterback and a big body at 6'5", 235. He needs a little work, though. He's got the frame and build, obviously, but he needs help on his footwork. His accuracy is pretty good, and he has tremendous velocity on his throws.
Staver had a top two of Florida and Mississippi State, until the Bulldogs landed a commitment from Cord Sandberg. Staver camped at UF on June 9 and impressed the coaches with his performance. He spoke with Will Muschamp and Brent Pease following his workout, and they expressed their interest in him. However, he left without an offer.
That offer came Monday, and Staver made his commitment.
Florida's quarterback search was all over the place from the beginning. With Charlie Weis as offensive coordinator, Brice Ramsey was the top QB on the board, even after his commitment to Georgia. Weis and Ramsey remained in contact, UF likely stopped all communication with Ramsey when Weis took the Kansas job.
Cooper Bateman took over the top spot with the arrival of Brent Pease from Boise State. Pease had been recruiting Bateman to play for the Broncos, so there was an established relationship. However, Bateman eventually committed to Alabama.
Other names popped up on the board but committed elsewhere: Christian Hackenberg committed to Penn State, Cody Thomas to Oklahoma, Kohl Stewart remained committed to Texas A&M and Connor Mitch to South Carolina.
It looked like Florida wouldn't make it past May 26 without having a quarterback. Ryan Buchanan and Tim Boyle were both coming in to visit, and it seemed inevitable one would end committing. Buchanan was considered an Ole Miss lean, but the visit went great, and it gave UF a decent chance. Boyle, on the other hand, was the second option of the two. Once he left without committing, it seemed the coaches were waiting to see what Buchanan did. Buchanan pledged to Ole Miss, as expected, so attention turned to Boyle. Shortly after, he committed to Boston College.
Asiantii Woulard's name was thrown around a few times. He was supposed to camp at Florida but failed to show up on two separate occasions. He re-committed to South Florida on Saturday. (More on him tomorrow.)