Austin looking to visit the Florida Gators this month

Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain and his staff have done a great job of restocking the receiver position since arriving in Gainesville, but the position still lacks height and depth.

McElwain and his staff are hitting the Class of 2018 hard to fill those needs and receiver Kevin Austin (6-3, 198, Pompano Beach, FL. North Broward Prep) is one of those names they’re targeting this year.

“I mainly talk to Coach [Kerry] Dixon and Coach JaJuan [Seider],” Austin said on which coaches he talks to from Florida. “We text back and forth about spring practices and when I can come up for a visit. We have a good relationship with each other.”

Receivers coach Kerry Dixon has been one of the main recruiters of Austin and he sends a big message to the receiver when they talk.

“Coach Dixon is mainly telling me that they need a big guy on the outside of the offense,” he said on Dixon’s message. “They need someone who has the ability to make plays and stretch the defense. He said that they need more guys at the position like that because [Antonio] Callaway is likely to enter the draft next year.”

Running backs coach JaJuan Seider has known Austin the longest of the coaches and he’s ready to see the receiver in Gainesville.

“He’s really just telling me that he wants to get me on campus so I can see the Florida facilities,” Austin said of Seider’s message. “He said that he wants me to meet the other coaches too.”

Austin has never visited Gainesville before but the Gators history means enough to the receiver that he has them in his top group of schools.

“I just know about the history of the program and the academics they have there,” he said on what he knows about Florida. “I’m really considering them right now because of that. I really like Florida, Ohio State, Kentucky, Tennessee, Notre Dame, and Duke.”

The Gators coaching staff will only have to wait a few more weeks until they get Austin on campus as he’s weighing his options on when to announce a decision.

“I’m planning on visiting Florida on March 24th,” Austin said on what’s next for him. “I have two options that I’m considering for a decision. One is that I will decide after I take my unofficial visits in the summer. Or the other option is to wait until after my senior year and take all five of my official visits then make a decision.”

 

INSIDERS TAKE: Austin is a big receiver who can make plays and is someone who is having a big spring. Austin seems very open in the process but he has a good relationship with JaJuan Seider. Austin was also invited to the Opening two weekends ago.

 

 

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.