More Weekend Visitors For McElwain as National Signing Day Approaches

Official visits are in full swing as recruits travel to different campuses with National Signing Day in less than two weeks. After hosting numerous recruits last weekend, Gainesville will welcome another group of potential Gators this weekend.

Recruits

Florida has a big need at the linebacker position despite already having two commits, including an early enrollee, and they’ll have a chance to fill that need with the visit of Nick Smith, a linebacker from Orlando. He recently de-committed from NC State, and according to Blake Alderman from Inside the Gators, other teams such as LSU and Michigan State are pursuing him, but Florida hopes to get his commitment this weekend.

Also on the defensive side of the ball, Southern Cal commit Juwan Burgess from Plant High in Tampa is scheduled to be on campus this weekend. Burgess is an athlete that plays wide receiver and defensive back, and Florida wants him to play in the secondary, according to Alderman, who said he expects Burgess to de-commit from USC. Alderman also noted that Burgess is friends with a lot of Gator commits from the Tampa area.

Another big target at defensive back that is planning a visit is C.J. Henderson, a defensive back from South Florida. Alderman said that Florida is his leader, but other teams are pursuing him hard such as Alabama. 24/7 Sports has him as a four-star prospect and as the 15th ranked cornerback in the state.

https://twitter.com/HendersonChris_/status/822238749019045891

Defensive Line Help

Looking to replenish talent on the defensive line after the departures of Joey Ivie and Caleb Brantley to the NFL, Gator target Tedarrell Slaton will also be in for his official visit. What’s interesting to note about Slaton is that he is listed as a four-star and top-five offensive guard in the class, but the Gators are pursuing him as a defensive tackle. Alderman says that they are drawing Slaton to Florida, and that it will likely come down to UF and Georgia for his signing.

In addition to Slaton, Elijah Conliffe is another defensive lineman who will be visiting. Conliffe, a defensive tackle from Hampton, VA, had McElwain visit him in his home this week, and this weekend will be his first trip to Florida, according to Alderman.

Commits Also Visiting

Also visiting this weekend are a number of Gator commits, which could come in handy as they try to help convince some of their fellow visitors to commit to Florida.

Daquon Green-WR

Malik Davis-RB

Jake Allen-QB

Zach Carter-DE

Zech Byrd-TE

TJ Moore-OL

Marco Wilson-DB