The tight end position has been one that has under performed for the Florida Gators since Jordan Reed left to go to the NFL two years ago.
On Thursday head coach Jim McElwain and the Gators handed out an offer to tight end Jared Pinkney (6-4, 220, Norcross, GA High) as the Gators look to build the position back up.
“Coach McElwain came by my school [Monday afternoon] and he offered me a scholarship to Florida,” Pinkney said. “He told me that he had actually offered me a few weeks ago but that he wanted to make sure I knew because I’m real high on their recruiting board at Florida.”
Pinkney plays more receiver in high school than tight end but McElwain made sure to explain how he uses the tight end in his offense.
“Coach McElwain said that he sees me as a flex tight end,” Pinkney said. “I don’t have a problem with that at all because Florida says that it’s almost exactly the same way that I’ve been used in high school. Coach McElwain says that I have the skill set to play the position and that he wants to me also working on my blocking skills too.”
The Gators are coming in to the late party on Pinkney but he says he has developed a good relationship with the two coaches that visited him on Thursday.
“I like Coach McElwain a lot, he’s a coach that I can see myself playing for,” Pinkney said. “He’s a good guy and Coach Nord was also with him and he’s a great person too. I like him a lot and considering that Coach [Greg] Nord would be my position coach it’s very important that I like him.”
Nord has been recruiting Pinkney for the last few weeks and over that period of time he has delivered a powerful message to the prospect on the importance of the class of 2015.
“Coach Nord says that nothing is going to be given to me but that if I come in and work I can earn a spot on the field,” Pinkney said. “He said that this class that I’m coming in as will be very important and is going to be the class that this staff leans on the next few years. He said that this class will be the class that will get things rolling again at Florida.”
McElwain and Nord made such a good impression on Pinkney that he has now moved up his Florida official and eliminated another SEC east team.
“I’m going to Vanderbilt this weekend and I was suppose go to Missouri after that but I’m probably not going to go up there anymore,” Pinkney said. “I’m probably going to put Florida on the 23rd instead of the 30th. I would like to make a decision shortly after that visit is over.”
INSIDERS TAKE: I believe the Gators have a great chance here with Pinkney as McElwain really took the time to explain the position to Pinkney as showed him how his body is fit for playing the tight end position at the next level.