Jeremy Foley writes to Kalif Jackson

It has been just over a week since the news broke that Will Muschamp was being let go at Florida and last week Athletic Director Jeremy Foley sent out a letter to the Florida Gators commits letting them know where things stood.

Florida Gators tight end commit Kalif Jackson (6-4, 202, Neptune Beach, FL Fletcher) said that he received his letter in the mail and was glad to read that Foley has confidence in him.

“Mr. Foley sent all of us a letter about the coaching change,” Jackson said. “He said to stay with the Gators and that everything was going to be all right and that we are going to get better and that he’s going to bring in someone to turn the team around and that he still wants me at Florida.”

Jackson never expected to receive a letter from Foley, but he says that it meant a lot to him to receive it.

“It was extremely important that Mr. Foley reached out to me,” Jackson said. “It let me know that not only was the school still pursuing me but it gave me reassurance that they were going to bring someone in to turn the team around next year.”
Since committing to Florida Jackson has never wavered from his commitment and that is still the same today.

“I’m still committed to Florida,” Jackson said. “I don’t intend on taking any other visits unless something crazy happens. I know where I want to go to school at and I don’t want to cause any unnecessary drama. There is no sense in taking other visits just to stir the pot.”

Fletcher High and Jackson lost on Friday night to end its season but for Jackson that just means getting to work on preparing for college life at Florida.

“I’m trying to gain 15-20 pounds this offseason and I’m playing basketball and running track to help me as well,” Jackson said. “Of course I want to play early but my goal is to come in and learn the playbook and go from there. I feel like I have the ability to play early but I’m not going to come out and say that I’m going to get the job right now.”

Jackson has been at the last two home games and he witnessed the emergence of Treon Harris at quarterback and that alone has Jackson excited about the future at Florida.

“The future is very bright at Florida and even though Muschamp isn’t at Florida anymore they still have talent there,” Jackson said. “I think that we are getting to get a good coach and turn things around on the offensive side of the ball.”
One thing that is uncertain right now is whether or not tight ends coach Derek Lewis will be back at Florida or not but he spoke to Jackson about everything last week.
“I talked to Coach Lewis on Friday afternoon,” Jackson said. “He told me that he doesn’t know whether or not the new coach will keep him or not but that he’s going to keep me informed on what’s happening and that no matter what happens that any coach will be blessed to have me.”

INSIDERS TAKE: Jackson is solid much like Brandon Sandifer and Tyler Jordan are. Jackson says that he will talk to the new coach about when he should take his official visit to Florida and that he and the other commits plan to take the visit at the same time.

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.