September first was the first day that college coaches around the country could contact 2019 prospects and the Florida Gators coaching staff took full advantage of that.
One of the guys that they reached out to was 2019 defensive back Kaiir Elam (6-1, 177, North Palm Beach, FL. The Benjamin School) who heard from two coaches including Jim McElwain on Saturday.
“Yes. Coach McElwain even sent me a text before the game,” Elam said of his conversations with Florida since September first. “Coach McElwain and JuJuan Seider have been talking to me a lot since they could actually start to talking to me.
If the name rings a bell to Gators fan it’s because Elam is the nephew of former Gators safety Matt Elam. Elam has been to many Florida games in his life to see his uncle play in the Swamp.
“I mean, I’ve been going to Florida games since I was a little kid going to see my uncle play,” he said on what he likes about Florida. “I always loved the tradition.”
Those experiences alone has Elam interested in the Gators but running backs coach JaJuan Seider is also making him feel wanted by Florida.
“He just told me I was one of their top priorities,” Elam said of Seider’s message to him. “ And he’s excited to get me down on campus to go to a game.”
Head coach Jim McElwain went an extra step by showing Elam how much he was wanted by talking to the defensive back on Florida’s gameday.
“Coach Mac, probably the same thing,” he said of McElwain’s message. “Before he was heading down to the Michigan game, he sent me a text saying the same things Coach Seider was telling me.”
Elam hasn’t visited Florida since last spring but he says that he will change that but he doesn’t have an exact date yet.
“Oh yeah, for sure,” Elam said on if he plans to visit Florida. “I’m gonna take a visit during the season or after the season, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
Even though Elam wasn’t in Dallas to watch Florida play on Saturday, the defensive back was able to watch the game and he was impressed by the defense.
“I thought that was pretty cool, all the defensive backs getting learning experience,” he said of Florida’s defense on Saturday. “That’s kind of something I wanna do, definitely, make an impact anywhere I go, to play right away. That was pretty cool.”
Florida isn’t the only school that is pushing hard for Elam as the 2019 prospect says many top schools are staying in touch with him.
“Stanford, Miami, Virginia Tech, Penn State, definitely Coach Meyer and his recruiting staff at Ohio State,” Elam said of other schools recruiting him. “They text me all the time. And Florida State. That’s it.”
The Gators and the other schools still have plenty of time to get the momentum with Elam as he doesn’t plan to rush a decision.
“I’m not sure. I probably don’t want to rush it,” he said on when he wants to decide. “Probably after my junior year, maybe.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Elam is one of Florida’s top targets in the 2019 class and right the Gators are in good shape with him. Ohio State and Urban Meyer are going to be a threat to Florida though because of the relationship with Meyer and his coaching staff.