Lingard a top priority for the Florida Gators

The Florida Gators coaching staff and recruiting staff did a great job of getting prospects on campus this spring for practices and to tour the campus. Those prospects were of all classes and from all across the southeast.

2018 running back Lorenzo Lingard (6-0, 180, Orange City, FL University High) was one of those prospects that visited this spring, where he got the chance to talk to head coach Jim McElwain.

“Coach McElwain says that I’m a top priority for my class,” Lingard said. “He says that I’m the main guy for the 2018 class and that they think that I can be an impact player for them. They said that I will be a great player for them and also get a good education from there.”

Lingard also got to spend a long amount of time speaking with running backs coach Tim Skipper, as the two are building quite the relationship.

“I talk to Coach Tim [Skipper] a lot, he’s a great guy,” he said. “He’s laid back and he basically says the same thing that Coach Mac says. I like him a lot too because his character is very positive. I really liked how he coached the position this spring.”

While on campus Lingard got to watch the Gators go through a spring practice and he was impressed by the attention to detail the coaches showed.

“The way they introduced me too things by telling me what they do in each drill was nice,” Lingard said. “They are really in depth in everything they do and the way they run the defense is good too. I liked how well the training staff took care of their players during practice.”

The 2018 running back also got the chance to watch film and see the Gators offense in person and he likes how the running backs are used.

“I think Coach Mac picks the right time to run the ball and he puts the running backs in the best position to run,” he said of the Gators offense. “I think he puts them in a good position to score and succeed as a running back. They have a good mix of run and pass.”

A lot of schools have offered Lingard, despite him only being a 2018 prospect, but he says he’s in no rush to make a decision. We did find out what drives his interest in the Gators.

“Every team is the same right now because I have a long way to go,” he said when asked if anyone leads. “I like Coach McElwain and Coach Tim [Skipper] a lot. They have really good personality and I like the overall level that they coach at. They’re both good coaches.”

The Gators are a school that has been charging hard for Lingard over the last few months and he’s expected to continue to be in Gainesville for visits.

“Florida is definitely a school that I will continue to look at,” Lingard said. “I will be up there this summer for a visit and I will probably visit a lot since it’s only an hour and a half drive up.”

Florida was scheduled to return the favor and visit Lingard last week but those plans were pushed back.

“Coach Dixon was supposed to stop by last week but I wasn’t there so he didn’t come,” Lingard said. “My coach had told him that I had track so they’re supposed to come one day this week.”

INSIDERS TAKE: Lingard says he’s in no rush to make a decision but that he would like to make a decision before his senior year. For a long time Lingard has been considered to have Florida State and Florida on the top of his list.

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.