Several prospects around the country made their first visit to the Swamp last Saturday to see the Florida Gators take on LSU on homecoming.
2019 running back Noah Cain (5-11, 207, Bradenton, FL. IMG) was one of those and he left impressed by the Gators running game.
“It was a great environment,” Cain said of his visit to Florida on Saturday. “It was my first time getting up to Florida, so my first time meeting the running backs coach and just getting used to that environment and the offense they run. They did a great job running the ball. I know they didn’t get the ball in the end zone as much as they would like, but I was definitely impressed with the offensive line play and they way the backs are running, so it definitely opened my eyes.”
Some people may say playing young guys is a negative to recruits because they have competition ahead of them but Cain doesn’t see that way.
“Yeah, but at the same time, looking at the way the backs were running today, I was very impressed,” he said on the young backs at Florida. “ I’ll probably just get back up here later in the spring to see how he coaches the running backs.”
Cain didn’t know what to expect out of the Gators offense on Saturday but he left knowing the identity of the Gators and he liked that.
“That’s the offensive line play. The backs were moving,” Cain said of his impressions of Florida’s offense. “They had holes to run through today, and all I ask for from the offensive line is just for the opportunity for me to make a crease. They gave that to the running backs today.”
Saturday was the first time for Cain to meet running backs coach JaJuan Seider and it was a good first impression for the running back.
“Man, it was great. He was definitely glad I got up here,” Cain said of Seider. “ He was excited. He was telling me how he doesn’t have a running back yet from the ’19 class and he’s recruiting me and Trey [Sanders] hard. It was great.
Seider wasn’t the only coach that Cain got to talk to on Saturday as several other coaches spoke with him including Jim McElwain.
“I got to talk to Coach McElwain and some of the offensive coaching staff,” he said on who else he talked too. “And I met some of the players, the offensive linemen, defensive linemen. They was just telling me it’s a great environment. I definitely saw it with my own eyes today. They atmosphere here is awesome. The game started really coming on in the second half, so it was a good deal.”
The Gators are one of many teams recruiting Cain hard and just offered on Wednesday but the running back says he’s taking this process slowly.
“Some leaders who have jumped out in front are Ohio State, LSU, Texas, Miami, Florida State, UCLA are some schools in the mix in there,” he said on schools standing out. “It’s a long process right now. So many things can change—coaches, firings. So that’s why I’m taking it slow. I’m not trying to commit and decommit.”
Taking the process is something that Cain is committed to because he wants to take more visits and he has a timeline for a decision.
“I plan on committing after December 2018 before I early enroll. So after my senior season,” Cain said on when he wants to make a decision. “I’d rather if it’s in December after all my official visits. A lot of schools say you have a certain amount of time to commit and all that stuff, but I look at it as if that’s the way you want to go, that’s your deal. I’m taking my time, because I need to make sure that’s the right decision.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Cain is one of the top running backs in the 2019 class and most believe Texas is the school in the best shape but several other schools are getting in the mix. Florida offered him on Wednesday and the Gators are a team to watch after Saturday’s visit.