One of the big needs for the Florida Gators in the class of 2019 is defensive line and on Saturday the coaching staff hosted one of their targets.
Defensive end Terrell Dawkins (6-4, 246, Concord, NC. Cox Mill) was on campus for his visit on Saturday and he got to see a lot of things and speak to a lot of coaches.
“The visit was good,” Dawkins said of his visit to Florida on Saturday. “I got to talk to Coach [Dan] Mullen and just got an idea of Florida. I got to talk and sit down with all of the coaches to talk about the positions they want me to play and how I would fit in. I got to see the academic building, their academic building is off the charts.”
Head coach Dan Mullen spoke to Dawkins about where the Gators see him playing at on their defense if he chooses the Orange and Blue.
“They see me as a BUCK in their defense,” he said of where Florida wants him to play. “Coach Mullen said he would have me there because of how athletic I am. He said I would transition from defensive end to outside linebacker. I think that’s pretty cool because I can drop back into coverage and stand up and rush the passer off the edge.”
Two other defensive coaches spoke at length with Dawkins about the Gators defense and the BUCK position.
“I talked to the linebackers coach [Christian Robinson] and the defensive coordinator [Todd Grantham] mostly,” Dawkins said. “Coach Grantham said that I fit the position they want me at perfectly. He said that the BUCK is one of the top dogs on the defense and it shows that they trust me to work at the position.”
Mullen also spoke with Dawkins about what all the Gators can offer as a university to a student-athlete.
“He talked about all the general stuff about Florida and what they have to offer,” he said of Mullen’s message to him. “He said that they can’t promise me all the extra stuff but he can promise to get me to max potential and that he would love for me to come down here.”
Heading into the visit, Dawkins wasn’t sure what to expect out of the visit but several things caught his attention on Saturday.
“Yeah it did, it was an eye opener to me,” Dawkins said on if the visit caught his attention. “The highlight was the position that they want me at, I think that’s what caught my attention the most. And they said they’re getting a new facility in the 2020 season so that caught my eye too.”
After the good visit to Gainesville, Dawkins wasn’t ready to name a leader but he did stick with his top three schools.
“Right now it’s the same three schools,” he said on schools standing out to him. “Florida, NC State and Tennessee. I might graduate early so I might make my decision a little earlier maybe sometime in the summer time.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Dawkins said he plans on coming back down for another visit after his good visit on Saturday. Dawkins really liked the BUCK position that Florida wants him at.