ORLANDO- The Florida Gators have seen their recruiting momentum pick up over the last few weeks under new coach Dan Mullen and his coaching staff.
A lot of that has to do with quarterback signee Emory Jones (6-3, 195, Franklin, GA. Heard County) who is participating in the Under Armour All-American game this week in Orlando.
While in Orlando this week, Jones has been recruiting several guys to join him in Gainesville.
“It’s been going pretty good,” Jones said on how it’s going recruiting others. “I’ve been building relationships with a couple of these guys out here and just getting a feel of them and getting kind of a chemistry with some of the guys. It’s been going pretty good.”
Jones says being the leader of the class and the quarterback of the class makes it important for him to recruit other guys to Florida.
“Yeah, definitely. And especially for this team, because it’s kind of a rebuilding time, he said on why it’s important for him to recruit. “I’m trying to bring some guys in.”
Several of the guys that he’s recruiting are receivers so he feels the connection they make this week, plus others watching him will help the Gators chances.
“It helps me pretty good because I get to come out here and throw with them, build a relationship with them, chemistry with them, so that’s pretty good,” Jones said “Then, guys outside this game can see how I play. I mean, hopefully they’ll like that.”
While Jones didn’t want to give away his message to those recruits, he did explain how he goes about recruiting other guys.
“I just joke around with them about it,” he said. “I know when people are joking around with me about it, I used to think about it a lot.”
Jones will enroll in school next week but he says he will continue to be recruiting these guys.
“Oh yeah. I’m gonna try to do that,” Jones said when asked if he will continue to recruit once he arrives on campus. “They said January 20th there’s some guys coming on visits and they want me to be a host for some of the commits and recruits, so I’m gonna do that.”
Some of the guys that Jones are recruiting are in this game but he also looking at guys across the country try.
“Tommy Bush, Jacob [Copeland], Rich [Gouraige]. I’ve been talking to a couple guys,” he said. “I’ve been talking to a lot of guys.”
With the way things are going in recruiting, Jones thinks things are on the rise under Mullen.
“Oh yeah, it’s definitely going up, because just the type of person he is, the type of coach he is and the mentality that he has, Jones said. “He knows what he wants to happen, and I believe he’s gonna make it happen.”