Rashad Torrence II has been committed to the Florida Gators since December of 2018. But one of Florida’s biggest rivals could be trying to steal him away.
Torrence, a 6-foot, 195-pound safety prospect who plays for Marietta High School in Marietta, Georgia, is participating in the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge this week. During registration day, both Chad Simmons and Rob Cassidy of Rivals caught up with several of the prospects in attendance who are already committed to schools. They spoke with Torrence about his commitment to the Gators, and despite his assertion that he’s bought in to Florida, the Rivals guys aren’t quite as sure.
“Fans should believe that I will stay committed because Florida is a great place,” Torrence told Rivals. “Where else would you want to be?”
But according to both Simmons and Cassidy, Tennessee is the main team to keep an eye on when it comes to flipping the long-time Gator commit.
“It seems like Torrence is locked in with Florida. Yes, he still may take a visit or two, and Tennessee could be one to watch, but the Gators look to be in a good spot right now,” writes Simmons and Cassidy.
Torrence visited Tennessee twice during the 2018 football season and also took an unofficial visit to UT’s campus in April of 2018. Aside from Florida, Tennessee is the place Torrence has visited most. He made his first trip to campus since September of last year when he came to Knoxville this past weekend.
Another reason why the Vols are in so good with Torrence? He’s teammates with one of UT’s biggest commits and several of their top targets.
Torrence plays for Marietta, which is the same school four-star quarterback and Tennessee commit Harrison Bailey plays. Marietta is also the school where four-star linebacker BJ Ojulari and five-star tight end Arik Gilbert play, two priority targets for the Vols in the 2020 class.
Bailey has been a strong peer recruiter for the Vols since committing back in November, and he’s been pushing his teammates to come with him on visits and give UT a chance. Torrence may be solidly committed to the Gators right now, but there’s still plenty of time for Bailey and UT’s coaching staff to change things.
According to Rivals, Torrence is a four-star prospect with a 5.8 overall rating and the No. 19 safety in the 2020 class. In the 247Sports Composite rankings, Torrence is a three-star and is the No. 408 overall player and No. 29 safety in this cycle.
Torrence was deemed ineligible for his junior season at Marietta this past year according to MDJOnline.com. The Georgia High School Association ruled that both Torrence and Dawson Ellington of Marietta couldn’t compete on any GHSA-affiliated sports teams in the 2018-19 school year because “their families did not make a bona fide move into the Marietta district.” Torrence transferred from Carrollton, Georgia, and Marietta self-reported that a clerical error had been made that allowed both student athletes to participate in the 2017 season.
As a sophomore in 2017, Torrence totaled 89 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, and five passes defended according to MaxPreps.
Our Take:
With Tennessee taking commitments from two four-star safeties already in the 2020 class, it seems like Torrence may not see the potential for early playing time at Tennessee. Florida also has two safety commits including Torrence, with the other coming from three-star Tre’Vez Johnson out of Jacksonville.
The Vols will be getting an official visit at some point from Torrence, and UT’s staff will continue to pursue him. Tennessee is trying to set up shop down in Marietta, and Torrence is a big target for them. Ultimately, it will take a lot for Torrence to back off his pledge from the Gators, but the Vols have been involved with him for a long time. If there’s a team to flip him, it’s likely Tennessee.
