August 28, 2007
Adam Gorney
GatorBait.net Assistant Editor
Rivals.com wrote after Friday Night Lights camp last month that T.J. Lawrence runs brilliant routes, has excellent hands and possesses good speed. The evaluators also said he has great size and is physically ready to play in his first year of college.
Lawrence was impressive at Friday Night Lights.
Lawrence is a 6-foot, 185-pound wide receiver from Lakeland Kathleen who said Florida, Virginia Tech, Boise State and South Carolina are his top four. LSU and others have offered as well. With his speed and athleticism, he said Florida's offense would be a fantastic fit although he has no leader.
"It was exciting at Friday Night Lights," Lawrence said. "I'd never been to a camp at night. It was cool playing in The Swamp. I got to meet coach (Urban) Meyer and (wide receivers) coach (Billy) Gonzales. I felt I did well.
"They did text me and said I did a good job and I'll be going up there for an official visit. I like the fact that they spread the ball around and the wide receivers get to play all over the field. That's a big plus."
Lawrence's abilities seem tailor-made for Florida's spread attack. Last season, he finished with 70 receptions for 1,245 yards and 13 touchdowns. He rushed for two scores and had 40 tackles, five interceptions and two sacks on defense. As a sophomore, Lawrence returned two punts for touchdowns, rushed for three TDs and totaled 60 tackles and four picks.
Rivals.com rates him as the 28th best wide receiver nationally and the No. 21 prospect in the Florida top 100 of 2008. He's also a member of the Rivals250. He's rated as the third-best wide receiver in the state behind Miami Northwestern's Aldarius Johnson, a Miami commit, and North Florida Christian's Melvin Ray, who picked Alabama in a surprise move last month.
Lawrence proved he was one of the state's best players at Friday Night Lights. Rivals.com recruiting analyst Mike Farrell called him one of the biggest surprises, one of the most competitive players and one of the recruits whose stock has risen because of his performance at the event.
Rivals.com included him in its top 11 prospects that attended Friday Night Lights. The only other receivers on the list were Ray and Travis Benjamin, who is also showing interest in the Gators.
Lawrence said he's looking forward to a productive senior season. It would be no surprise if he put up big numbers, even bigger than the last two years. Kathleen visits Lakeland Lake Gibson on Friday. Lake Gibson is led by three-star offensive guard Ricky Barnum, who is also hearing from Florida.
"I am more comfortable in the offense because I've been there another year," Lawrence said. "I know the whole offense and where everybody is going to be. I'm the captain of the team so I have to lead by example but I'm not one of those rah-rah leaders."