Clayton excited to visit Florida

The Florida Gators are set to hit the road on Thursday for the spring evaluation period but on Tuesday night they handed out an offer over the phone to a rising prospect.

Defensive end Antonneous Clayton (6-4, 218, Vienna, GA Dooly County) was the prospect that received the big news from defensive coordinator Geoff Collins.

“I spoke to coach Collins on Tuesday and he offered me then,” Clayton said. “He was telling me that he was really hoping to get me down there to Florida for a visit so that could see everything. It was my first time to talk to him but it went good.”

Clayton who has received big offer after big offer as of late said that he was happy to receive an offer from the Florida Gators because of his childhood.

“It’s exciting to get the offer because I grew up watching them a lot,” Clayton said. “They have pretty good defense and I grew up liking Florida so it means a lot. I’m excited to get another opportunity at a school.”

When Collins was speaking to Clayton on Tuesday the Gators coach made sure to explain how Clayton could impact Florida on the defensive line.

“He said that I can make an impact on the defense because of the way I play the game,” Clayton said. “He said that he needs more guys like me on the defensive line to help them win games. He was saying that he sees me as more of a pass rusher and coming off the weak side.”

Last week Clayton visited Alabama but that has been about the only visit he’s taken this spring, but that will change soon as he wants to see the Gators in person soon.

“I’m planning on going down for a visit to Florida,” Clayton said. “I’m going to schedule an unofficial visit with my uncle and get down there. It will probably be before the summer but honestly I’m just ready to get down there for a visit. I want to see the facilities and meet some of the players and starting building a relationship with the coaches.”

Clayton is making sure to take his recruiting process slow and he plans to keep that mindset for several more months now.

“I’m very open to everyone because I’m not going to decide for awhile,” Clayton said. “I’m probably going to take my recruitment to signing day or into next year sometime.”

 

INSIDERS TAKE: Clayton is very open to all schools and hasn’t taken many visits yet but Auburn is a school to watch. The Gators seem to have his attention at this time and there is still a long time to go in his recruitment.

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.