Georgia lineman sees an opportunity at Florida

Offensive linemen are needed in Gainesville for the Florida Gators and on Saturday the Gators hosted several 2016 offensive line prospects.

One of those prospects was offensive lineman Luke Elder (6-5, 285, LaGrange, GA La Grange) who visited for the first time ever after being invited down by offensive line coach Mike Summers.

“It was great, I really liked the school itself,” Elder said. “I liked getting to meet the coaches and see everything. I liked getting to see Gainesville and Florida during my visit.”

Elder spent most of the afternoon focusing on Jim McElwain’s offense and the offensive line. He liked what he saw but also saw some holes and opportunity.

“I thought they played well for the amount of players they have,” Elder said. “They looked liked they would benefit by having more depth but I liked how they played and looked. I really see an opportunity at Florida for linemen.”

Florida has yet to offer Elder but offensive line coach Mike Summers made sure to explain what was next between Florida and Elder.

“Coach Summers told me he was really excited that I came down to check them out,” Elder said. “He said that’s he coming to watch me in spring training and he wants to get to know me more than just a couple days so they we can build a stronger relationship and get to know each other before they offer me.”

If Florida was to offer Elder the offensive linemen says it would be a big deal due to the academics at Florida, plus he likes Summers a lot.

“I haven’t known him for long but I liked him and he seems like a good coach,” Elder said. “Since the school was a big interest to me and I liked what they have going on in the football side, it would mean a lot to have them as a choice since they already interest me without one. I really liked Florida as a whole especially that the academics are so high that’s something that I’m looking at.”

 

INSIDERS TAKE: Elder is a prospect that I expect to get an offer once Summers is able to watch and evaluate him in person this spring. If Florida offers him then I expect Florida to be in major contention for his signature.

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.

1 COMMENT

  1. Our program is one of the best in the country, the scores and educational achievements are extremely high as basic entry level requirements for incoming freshmen. Is there a loop hole to allow lower scored athletes into Florida. In 2014 the entry level freshman scores (just in the ACT test) was 27. If anyone knows the answer to this, please add to my comment section on this article