Florida Gators flip McPherson from Mississippi State after visit

It was a successful first official weekend for new Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen as he flipped kicker Evan McPherson (6-0, 165, Fort Payne, AL. High) from Mississippi State to Florida.

McPherson who was the first prospect to get offered by Mullen when he arrived in Gainesville explained why the Gators were the choice for him.

“Just knowing Coach Mullen and getting to know the rest of the coaching staff and getting to see all the facilities,” McPherson said on why he flipped to Florida. “Florida has a bunch to offer and they’re going to be on top soon so that was a big thing for me.”

This was the first time for McPherson to ever step foot on Florida’s campus and he was amazed by what the Gators have to offer.

“It was awesome,” he said. “They said this was the worst weather they’ve seen because it was raining and cold on Friday but we still had a good time. Then on Saturday we got to do a little more since it was raining. We saw all of the campus and the facilities and everything.”

McPherson who is really close with Mullen didn’t see much different from the Gators head coach except for his excitement level.

“To me it’s the same Coach Mullen,” McPherson said. “He’s just really excited to get to next year and see what he can do with Florida.”

Several other Florida coaches including Mullen made sure to deliver a message to McPherson about the Gators needing him in Gainesville.

“They were telling me how excited they were to get me to Florida,” he said on the message from the staff. “They’re just ready to get everything going and see what happens with everyone.”

What happens next year for McPherson is still up in the air but Mullen did explain to the kicker what will happen if Eddy Pineiro decides to return to school.

“Yeah they talked to me about a little bit,” McPherson said on Eddy Pineiro. “They said if he stays than I’ll redshirt and learn from him and get stronger and everything like that. But if he leaves than they said it’s my job to lose.”

This weekend was also the first time for McPherson to meet the rest of the commits and they got off to a good start.

“Even though we didn’t really know each other they came up and say hi and shook my hand, they were cool,” he said on the other commits. “It was cool getting to know them and it just made me ready to be in the locker room with them.”

Now that McPherson has made the flip to Florida, the kicker says he’s shutting down his recruitment.

“This is it, I’m done now,” McPherson said. “The future is going to be big for us.”

INSIDERS TAKE: McPherson plans to sign with Florida on December 20th but he won’t enroll until June.

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.