Gators offer Hawaiian offensive lineman

The Florida Gators may only have one offensive lineman committed for the class of 2016 but it isn’t for the lack of trying and on Saturday the Gators handed out an offer to a lineman from Hawaii.

That lineman was Michael Eletise (6-4, 313, Honolulu, HI Kaiser) who said he heard the news from defensive line coach Chris Rumph.

“The offer was given to me by coach Rumph on Saturday,” Eletise said. “He’s a great guy and he told me that they would love to have me and that I could help make a difference for them. He also told me how they could help me grow in my career and have a really good education there.”

Since Eletise is from Hawaii he hasn’t seen a Gators game in person but he does know a few things about Florida and that makes the offer a special one to him.

“It means the world to get an offer from Florida, I’m honored,” he said. “I appreciate so much that they would look at me and since I’m far from them they must like me a lot. I don’t know a lot yet about Florida other than I like Tim Tebow. So I know that he went there and I know the stories about Gatorade but that’s really all I know. I plan to do some research soon.”

Eletise is the latest prospect to get an offer on the offensive line and while Rumph didn’t get into too many details with the lineman he did tell him about Florida’s need at the position.

“We didn’t get into all the details yet but he said they need linemen bad,” Eletise said. “I think they want me at guard but I have been playing mostly tackle but coach Rumph said we would talk more soon.”

The Gators have yet to visit Eletise, but the big offensive lineman hopes to be able to come to Gainesville for a visit soon.

“I have a lot of interest in Florida,” Eletise said. “I’m not sure when I will visit but there is a chance this summer that I may visit. I may come down to IMG Academy for some training and then would come for a visit. I’ll be in Florida for the All-American game so I may come before that.”

 

INSIDERS TAKE: Eletise  is a Under Armour All-American that will participate in the Opening this July in Oregon. Eletise was close to moving to IMG Academy for his senior year but decided to stay home to play for his high school but the offensive lineman is planning to head to IMG this summer for training and that’s likely when he will visit Florida.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.

2 COMMENTS

  1. ESPN has reported that the Gators have extended an offer to a DL from the Pacific Rim Island of Kiribati. His name and other specifics are not available at this time. But reportedly will be published later today.

  2. I’d like to be the coach that goes to make the pitch, I doubt Hawaii is someone’s territory, so McElwain has a nice plum to hand out. Who knows, Mariota is from Hawaii, so maybe this kid is a keeper.r