Assessing the commitment of Chad Gasper to Florida

Friday morning began with a boom as the Florida Gators picked up a commitment from 3-star running back Chad Gasper of Fulshear (Texas) Katy Jordan.

Here are some things to know about this pledge …

-Two backs already on board for ’25: Four-star recruit Waltez Clark of Tampa (Fla.) Plant committed to the Gators last September and they’ve been searching high on low for a second running back in the class ever since. Gators Online was told last week the Florida staff had zeroed in on five or six prospects to fill that spot and Gasper obviously was in that group. The Gators now are in a strong spot at this position. Clark probably will visit other schools, but still seems to be locked in with Florida. Now, you have Clark in the fold. It’s very possible the Gators are done at running back. Now, the focus can be on other positions.

-He’s different than Clark: If you’ve seen Waltez Clark play, you know that speed and quick cuts are his game. And he’s tremendous at catching the ball out of the backfield. While they’re not all that different in size (Clark is listed at 6-foot, 196 pounds, Gasper at 5-11, 200), their play styles are a little different. Clark is the faster of the two. Gasper isn’t as speedy, but when you watch him on video it’s clear he will lower his shoulder and drive into a defender. He’s a tough, physical runner, the kind who isn’t easy to tackle with your arms. Clark and Gasper could possibly complement each other well. Gasper has the potential to wear down a defense some, which then might allow you to spring Clark’s speed on a drained opponent. By the way, we’re not suggesting Gasper is slow by any means. And on video, you do see a nice bit of acceleration.

-Low mileage: Gasper plays in a passing offense. Jordan High threw for 3,070 yards in 11 games last season and rushed for only 1,321 yards as a team. From that total, Gasper had 488 yards and 11 touchdowns on 99 carries. That 4.9 yards-per-carry average certainly doesn’t wow you. But as a team, Jordan averaged only 4.5 per rush. Basically, his team is built to pass block. All told, Gasper has carried the ball 302 times for 1,463 yards on the varsity squad in three seasons. That means, even if his carry total rises significantly this season, he’ll arrive in Gainesville with fairly low mileage. It also means he’s used to not having 25 carries a game and probably won’t complain about not getting the ball more in college.

-He can catch the ball out of the backfield: Gasper isn’t as dynamic as Clark as a pass catcher, but he’s more than serviceable in that area. He has 39 receptions for 457 yards in high school — and is fairly strong in the open field. We mentioned earlier that he’s a physical runner. But he also can be elusive in the open field due to his solid one-cut ability. That adds to his effectiveness catching the ball.

The post Assessing the commitment of Chad Gasper to Florida appeared first on On3 .