The Florida Gators recruiting visitors list had a surprise name on the list when Alabama Crimson Tide kicker commit Eddy Pineiro (6-1, 180, Miami, FL. ASA Miami) showed up in Gainesville on Saturday.
Pineiro, who committed to Alabama over the summer, has had a Florida Gators offer since this summer and that’s why he decided to check out Florida on Saturday.
“It was the best college atmosphere that I have ever been in,” Pineiro said. “Since it’s not far from me, I wanted to see what type of environment the Swamp had and what it was about.”
While Pineiro admits that he talks to Florida head coach Jim McElwain some, the kicker says that the Florida Gators recruiting pitch has been coming from quality control coach Marc Nuddleberg.
“Coach McElwain is a great person and he has a good program,” he said. “I talk to Coach Nuddleberg a lot and we just talk about how I’m doing in school and that they need a kicker as well at Florida.”
After the game was over the Alabama Crimson Tide commit got the chance to talk to Nuddleberg in person.
“I talked to Nuddleberg for a little bit after the game,” Pineiro said. “He said that something good is happening at Florida and that they want me to be apart of it and the program.”
Pineiro, who was able to work with Nuddleberg this summer, sees a lot of positive at Florida with Nuddleberg and the kicking situation.
“Coach Nuddleberg is a great coach and a hard worker,” he said. “I think if I go to Florida then I can help out a lot in the kicking game without a doubt.”
After the visit was over Pineiro didn’t address his situation at Alabama but rather had this to say when asked about his commitment to Alabama.
“I mean Florida after today has definitely gone up in my recruiting process,” Pineiro said. “So let’s see what happens this season.”
Pineiro says that he plans to take visits to Florida and Alabama but he isn’t sure when those visits will happen.
INSIDERS TAKE: Pineiro is an early enrollee so he will have to make a decision fairly quick so that he’s able to enroll in January. Right now I think Florida has a great shot at Pineiro as he sees a golden opportunity to play at Florida.
we definitely need a great and consistent field goal kicker. I was thinking about how our special teams need to really improve. You cant win the SEC with out it. thank you for the article. since the game ended I have been hoping that some elite prospects would commit to us or speed up their decision making. our class is almost filled and we need 5 stars or 4 stars.