The Florida Gators recruiting visitors list have been flooded with underclassmen the last few years and that trend has continued into this year and is a big reason why Florida’s 2019 class already sits at the top for next year.
2019 defensive back Brendan Gant (6-2, 195, Lakeland, FL. Kathleen) made a visit to Gainesville three weeks ago when Florida hosted Tennessee in the Swamp.
“It was good. I met some more players I didn’t meet before,” Gant said about his visit to Florida for the Tennessee game. “ I met with Coach [Corey] Bell a little bit more. The game was just exciting. It was a good game.”
This wasn’t the first game for Gant to see in the Swamp but it was an atmosphere he enjoyed a lot.
“It was crazy,” he said of the atmosphere at Florida for that game. “I don’t think anyone would not ever wanna be in that kind of atmosphere.”
Gant has been a frequent visitor to Florida for the past few years and he explained why he wanted to visit Gainesville again last month.
“Because I knew it was going to be a good game and good competition,” Gant said on why he visited. “And I knew the Gators wanted to bounce back after that loss they took to Michigan, so I knew it was gonna be a good game.”
The 2019 defensive back much like everyone else in attendance was shocked by the last play of the game to win the game but he says he has been in spots like that in the past.
“I’ve been in situations like that just in high school, so it was kinda good. I liked it,” he said of the feeling of the game. “They [players] didn’t stop. They didn’t give up. They just kept playing all four quarters. They didn’t give up. Feleipe Franks, sometimes they couldn’t accomplish stuff on offense, but he didn’t give up and he made the winning play at the end of the game.”
Gant of course paid attention to the defense and more importantly to the defensive backs and he liked the freshmen that played.
“They played great to me with some key players being out,” Gant said of the play of the defensive backs. “Then another key player going out. The young guys, they stepped up a lot.”
After visiting Florida, Gant admits that the Gators have caught his attention he explained what he likes about Florida.
“I just like coming to Florida. I just like spending time here. I enjoy it,” he said on what he likes about Florida. “It’s a great program. They have a great educational program and they produce a lot of players to the league. I like that.”
After the game Gant had the chance to talk to multiple Gators coaches and they all made sure to make him feel welcomed and wanted in Gainesville.
“They tell me every time they get a chance to talk to me,” Gant said on if the staff tells him they want him in Gainesville. “Other commits, they’ll tell me ‘We’re waiting on you. You playing,’ and stuff.”
There was some talk that Gant may make an early decision but now he’s taking a step back on his recruitment.
“I thought about it a little bit last year, but I haven’t been really focusing on that, so I haven’t been worrying about it,” he said on if he’s thinking about making a decision. “I think it’s going to end up being sometime during my senior year.”
When Gant does make that decision whichever team receives his word will be the team he signs with as the defensive back only wants to make one decision.
“When I commit, I want to be able to say I’m 100 percent committed,” Gant said on what he’s looking for when he commits. “And not look at nobody else at all and be able to have a good relationship with coaches and know my education is going to be great.”
The Gators aren’t the only team pushing hard for Gant as several other big teams are making him feel wanted.
“I’m liking Ohio State a lot because they stay in contact,” he said on other schools in the mix. “They send me stuff and talk to me on the daily. And Oregon, I always had a strong relationship with Coach Taggart and Coach Kelly when they were at USF and we’ve still got that relationship. And I like Tennessee because they stay in contact a lot.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Gant is one of the best defensive backs in the country for 2019 and the Gators are in a good spot for him early on. Continuing to get him on campus is a big key for Florida.