Florida fans have heard the name Matt Elam a lot the past few years, and now there is another Matt Elam.
Elizabethtown (Ky.) John Hardin defensive tackle Matt Elam, who has been a hot name in the recruiting world lately, recently talked with Florida but doesn’t have a Gators offer yet.
“I talked with coach (Joker) Phillips last week,” Elam said. “He was telling me that Florida is about to start recruiting me hard and asked me if I was interested in the Gators. I told him yes I’m very interested in the program and then he told me to come down for a visit soon.”
The 6-foot-6, 325-pound Elam plans to do just that as he says he will visit the first week of April to watch one of Florida’s spring practices. Elam hopes to land a Florida offer on his visit.
While Elam doesn’t know much about Florida yet, he still knows a few things about the team and the program.
“I know they are a SEC team and played in the Sugar Bowl even though they lost,” Elam said. “I have been a fan of Florida for a long time. I like the way the defense plays hard and that Florida and coach (Will) Muschamp is a defensive minded coach. I watched their defensive tackles a lot last year on TV and they were good. I liked the way Dominique Easley played and how they used him on the defensive line last year.”
With Elam being from Kentucky he knows a lot about the former Kentucky head coach now Florida receiver coach, Joker Phillips.
“I really like coach Phillips,” Elam said. “He was a good coach at Kentucky and he is a nice and genuine coach and person. Me and him have a pretty good relationship and it’s improving each time we talk on the phone.”
Elam plans to visit Tennessee this weekend before visiting Florida in April.