Ohio State commit set to visit the Florida Gators soon

The Florida Gators are looking to sign a big defensive back class to help rebuild depth a roster that could potentially lose two starters to the NFL this year.

Last week the Gators picked up their first commitment at the position when Elijah Blades committed and the staff now turns its attention to some instate prospects.

One of those instate cornerbacks the Gators are after is Ohio State commit Shaun Wade (6-2, 179, Jacksonville, FL Trinity Christian), who just returned home from a big road trip.

“I’ve been to a couple places, I’ve been back to Alabama and to Notre Dame,” Wade said of his latest visits. “I’ve been to Ohio State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Duke and just a couple of places like that. We went on the bus tour.”

Wade spoke to Gator Country in early June about his excitement leading into the Notre Dame visit and the Irish didn’t disappoint, but neither did another SEC school.

“Notre Dame was a great visit, I got to meet Coach Todd Light,” he said of his Notre Dame visit. “My parents got to meet everyone. Alabama was good, I just got to talk to them about the cornerbacks that are leaving. Playing time is important to me and Alabama has a couple of guys leaving.”

The Jacksonville prospect remains solid in his pledge to Ohio State but says that he’s still looking for the best place for himself, plus he says one parent will play a big role in his decision.

“I’m waiting it out right now, talking to my parents about everything,” Wade said. “My mom really liked the Ohio State visit and she liked Alabama too. She’s very important in the process, she doesn’t care how far away it’s but she just wants to make sure I’m taken care of.”

Over the last several months running backs coach Tim Skipper and cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray have been working hard on Wade and the cornerback now plans to return to Gainesville.

“I’m going back to Florida next month, I just don’t know the date,” he said of his next Florida visit. “I’m going to go back to USC and UCLA next month too. I’m going by myself this time.”

 

INSIDERS TAKE: Alabama is the team with the most buzz around Wade as Ohio State is trying to keep him committed. Florida needs to have a good visit and get his mom comfortable if the Gators want to remain a legit threat. Area recruiter Tim Skipper has done a good job of working Wade’s parents, but they still haven’t visited yet but that should change next month.

QUOTES PROVIDED BY NICK DE LA TORRE

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.