A quick look at the Florida Gators recruiting class in 2017 shows only one offensive lineman committed but the Gators are after several other big players.
Last week the coaching staff offered another big prospect on the offensive line in T.J. Moore (6-5, 290, Charlotte, NC. Mallard Creek) after he spoke with offensive line coach Mike Summers.
“Coach Summers offered me last week over the phone,” Moore said. “I’ve been trying to get the offer for a long time but Coach was just waiting on my test scores and stuff. Everything was good with my ACT score.”
Moore visited Florida over the summer and spoke with Summers off and on since then but the Gators coach is stressing the need for him in Gainesville.
“He was just telling me that he wants and needs me bad,” he said of Summers message to him. “They tell me that they need me to come down there and play early because they need offensive linemen. I can play both guard and tackle but I believe they want me as a tackle.”
Two weeks ago Summers paid a visit to see Moore in person and also to meet the offensive lineman’s father.
“Coach Summers was supposed to come for an in-home visit but we just met at my school because my mom and dad had to work,” Moore said. “My dad came down to the school so we all just talked in the office. It was good, we had a deep conversation and we just talked about some stuff.”
The meeting was a successful one for not only Moore but also for his father who had good things to say about the Gators following the visit.
“My dad loved it and he said he likes Florida a lot,” he said. “He said that he was going to move down to Florida if I decide to go there. He was just saying that he liked them a lot and likes Coach Summers.”
Florida also has another person working on Moore in favor of the Gators and that comes in the form of a former offensive lineman.
“I have a former teammate D.J. Humphries from the Creek [Mallard Creek] that went down there and did well,” Moore said. “I actually talked to him last week and he was telling me that Florida was a great place to be with great coaches. He said once you get down there you become a part of the family. He told me that I could trust Coach Summers.”
Humphries and Summers both have pushed messages that have caught Moore’s attention enough to have him highly interested in the Gators.
“Hearing that from him helps Florida out a lot because he’s been there and I can trust him, he knows what it’s like,” he said. “Also the early playing time has caught my attention, I don’t really like sitting on the bench. I know that I’m going to have to get a little bigger to play at that level, though.”
Now that the offer has been delivered to Moore he now has plans to get back down to Gainesville for another visit in January.
“I’m going to take a visit to South Carolina, Auburn, and Florida in January because I took Tennessee out,” Moore said. “I’m going to South Carolina, then Auburn and the last weekend I’m going to Florida.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Florida is in a good spot with Moore who says that he will commit as soon as he knows where he’s going but doesn’t have a timeline for a decision. Moore would be a very good pickup for the Gators recruiting class.