Florida Gators offer running back Mark Walton

Florida Gators coach Jim McElwain didn’t waste much time before he handed out his first scholarship offer and that the lucky prospect was Miami running back commit Mark Walton (5-10, 180, Miami, FL Booker T. Washington) who received the news on Monday.

“Coach [Jim] McElwain offered me on Monday morning, he said I was the first guy he offered, Walton said. “Coach T-Rob was down at my school and he said that the new coaching staff watched my film and my highlights and that they liked my film and that’s why they offered me.”

Walton, who just moved into the Class of 2015 and has been on the Gators radar for sometime, was surprised to finally receive the offer from the Gators.

“It feels good to know that they new coach wanted to offer me so soon,” Walton said. “Florida was one of the offers that I really wanted so it’s a special one. Coach McElwain said that he’s going to come down soon to meet with me so that we can get to know each other.”

Right after Walton received the news from McElwain the Gators defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson spoke to Walton and told him McElwain’s history with running backs.

“Coach T-Rob has been watching me for a long time and he has been pushing for me to get that offer from Florida,” Walton said. “He said that he wasn’t going to pressure me but that I should watch some film on Colorado State and some old film on Alabama to see how Coach McElwain uses his running backs.”

Walton heard that message from Robinson but he had already done his homework on McElwain and he was impressed with some of the guys he has coached in the past.

“I did some research on Coach McElwain and I know that he coached Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson,” Walton said. “I know he uses his running backs a lot and he has a track record of developing running backs and getting them into the league.”

The Gators may have a good coach but getting Walton away from Miami will be tough. However, the door isn’t shut according to Walton.

“I’m solid to Miami but my options are open and I’m looking at other schools,” Walton said. “Georgia, West Virginia, Florida and Louisville are all recruiting me pretty hard and Miami is too.”

In January McElwain will have his shot with Walton when the star running back comes to Gainesville for a visit.

“I’m definitely going to take an official up to Florida,” Walton said. “It will be sometime in January but I’m not sure of what date or anything like that. I also plan to take an official to Louisville and West Virginia.”

When Walton is in Gainesville for his official you can bet that quarterback Treon Harris will be my his side as the two are good friends and played together at Booker T. Washington high school.

“Me and Treon are real close and it would be awesome to play with him in college,” Walton said. “We played ball together for a long time and he’s been telling me that Coach McElwain’s offense is a lot like the offense we run at Booker T and that I should keep all of my options open.

 

INSIDERS TAKE: Walton has long been waiting for this Florida offer but he’s very close to the staff at Miami and at the end of the day I think it will be tough for him to turn down the Canes but the Gators are preparing for a fight here. Walton is a back that you build your program around and that’s something that Florida needs.

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.

5 COMMENTS

  1. Who’s this new coaching staff that Walton refers to? Is there a clandestine staff lurking around Gainesville? Walton has never been a hidden gem, he’s been considered a highly ranked back for a long time and for UF to offer this late when they desperately need a back is amazing to me.

    • It’s called a new coach with a new offense and a new plan….give them a chance before you tell all of us how they don’t have a clue what they are doing and how florida is doomed for years to come….we’ve heard it already and I’m pretty sure we are all sick of your pessimistic comments

    • They’re not late to offer him really, he’s late to the ’15 class. He was originally a ’16 prospect but moved up because he was able to take some expedited classes to cover enough credits to graduate on time. He’s only been in the ’15 class for just a little over 2 months. Snownole being a the all knowing as he is, should have known