Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain and his coaching staff has been very successful on the recruiting trail since arriving in Gainesville but there’s still a few holes on the roster that they’re trying to fill.
One of those is at defensive tackle and the Gators are recruiting Dante Stills (6-4, 265, Fairmont, WV. High) for that position in 2018.
“I’m hearing from them a lot,” Stills said of his talks with Florida. “I talk to them everyday and I usually talk to either Coach [JaJuan] Seider or to Coach [Chris] Rumph.”
Running backs coach JaJaun Seider is one of those recruiting Stills and he simply is trying to get that defensive tackle on campus.
“Coach Seider says that they really want me and stuff like that,” he said of his talks with Seider. “He tells me that he really wants me to come down and visit them to see everything for myself.”
Getting him on campus is something that shouldn’t be a problem for Seider since he has been recruiting Stills for several years now.
“We had a great connection while he was with West Virginia and he moved to Florida so we always had a good relationship,” Stills said of his relationship with Seider. “I don’t feel awkward having a conversation with him and it always goes smooth. My dad also knows him from the past.”
Defensive line coach Chris Rumph is assisting Seider in recruiting Stills and he has shared that the Gators need players like him in Gainesville.
“He says that he wants me down there to visit and to actually come there,” he said of what Rumph tells him. “He says that he likes my style of play a lot and that they have a big need for defensive linemen and that I would be a good interior defensive lineman.”
Stills hasn’t visited Gainesville yet but he says he plans to do that soon because of his interest in the Gators.
“I’m really high on them, I like them a lot,” Stills said of his interest in Florida. “I mean, it’s the Swamp. It’s in the SEC and it’s a good school. I’m planning on visiting them soon.”
Florida is just one of many schools that Stills is high on heading into a fall decision.
“I’ll decide probably during the season,” he said of his decision. “Florida, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Miami, Penn State and Virginia Tech are schools that I like.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Seider’s relationship with Stills from West Virginia has really helped Florida out here. With a visit to likely happen during the summer, the Gators will have a chance to position themselves in a good place.