The Florida Gators handed out several new offers on Tuesday night after a busy day on the recruiting front.
One of the news offer given out was to defensive back John Huggins (6-2, 200, Daytona Beach, FL. Mainland) by new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.
“Coach Grantham offered me tonight [Tuesday night],” Huggins said on who offered him. “He said he was fired up and that he likes that I’m a big corner and play physical. He said he wants me to come in and play as a corner and compete for a starting spot.”
Huggins who was committed to Florida State until the coaching change happened in Tallahassee was very excited to receive an offer from Florida.
“I love it, it’s a chance to play at the University of Florida, DBU,” Huggins said on what the offer means to him. “And I would be able to play with my guy Jachai [Polite] again. It’s a good idea, sounds good to me.”
Grantham was very straightforward with his message to Huggins on Tuesday about the Gators needing players at the position.
“He said he has two studs at corner in Marco Wilson and CJ Henderson,” he said on Grantham’s message to him. “He said that he has nobody behind them so he needs a guy like me to come in and help them out.”
When Huggins spoke to Grantham on Tuesday night, the defensive coordinator explained how his defense works and how it improved the Mississippi State defense last year.
“Yeah, he was telling me that at Mississippi State they went from ranked in the 100’s to being in the top 15 in total defense,” he said on what he knows about Grantham. “He said that he runs an aggressive defense, that likes to blitz and plan man to man. It’s an exciting defense.
Next up for Grantham and Huggins will be their first meeting and that’s set to happen later this week.
“Coach Grantham is coming by on Thursday to see me,” he said. “We’re going to set up my official visit when he comes by Thursday.”
The Gators aren’t the only new school getting in the mix for Huggins as several others are in line to get visits as well.
“Florida State, Florida, Louisville, Miami, Nebraska and Missouri,” Huggins said on schools recruiting him hard. “I’m going to take an official visit to Louisville this weekend, possibly one to Nebraska next weekend. In January I’m going to Florida State and Florida.
INSIDERS TAKE: Huggins was very upbeat about his offer from Florida and it sounds like Florida and Florida State will battle it out for the instate defensive back.
We are fortunate indeed to have the two stud corners. I’m no coach but would think rotating other corners in does two things for a football team. One is it keeps your starters fresh for the for the forth quarter. The other is it develops the backups in case one of the starters go down. To add a kid like this is what recruiting is all about.