The Florida Gators are quietly stock-piling running backs on the team and in recruiting. The Florida Gators football team having two freshmen stars on the roster and the Gators having two 2016 running backs already committed to them.
Head coach Jim McElwain and running backs coach Tim Skipper aren’t resting on what they have, as they’re now recruiting 2017 running back Jamari Peacock (5-11, 229, Yulee, FL High) and he visited Florida on Saturday.
“The visit was a good one,” Peacock said of his visit on Saturday night. “My favorite part of the game was the pick six. I liked what the offense was doing and how the defense played.”
Peacock has now visited Gainesville twice this season and he says he liked the atmosphere surrounding the Florida Gators football game on Saturday.
“It was a really good atmosphere in the Swamp,” he said. “I wish the win was a little higher but the crowd was really hyped during the whole game. They were cheering loud and this was the first time that I’ve really seen the stadium full.”
The 2017 running back is a physical back that likes to run downhill, and he liked what he saw from the Gators offense on Saturday.
“Their offense is really good, they run pretty much the same offense as we do in high school,” Peacock said. “I’m pretty used to the offense and I have a pretty good idea of what they’re going to run. I wish that the running backs would get the ball more but they are getting it a good amount.”
Not only does Coach Skipper coach the running backs, but he also recruits Peacock’s area and Skipper had a quick message for Peacock on Saturday.
“Coach Skipper has talked to me the last [couple] weeks and he has been telling me a lot of the same stuff,” he said. “He says that he can’t wait to get me on board at Florida. Our relationship is really strong and I love his coaching style.”
Saturday was an intense game for Florida Gators football coach Jim McElwain, but Peacock says that he likes the way things were handled on Saturday.
“I’ve had a chance to talk to Coach McElwain the last two weeks as well,” Peacock said. “I like the way he yelled at Kelvin [Taylor] on Saturday, not because he was trying to be mean but that he was trying to get his point across about making a stupid penalty in a game that we had already scored.”
Despite back-to-back visits to Florida, Peacock says that three teams are tied at the top of his recruiting list.
“Right now I would say Florida, Florida State and Miami are my leaders,” he said. “I’m not sure if I will make it to the Florida/Tennessee game or not. I’m not sure at this time.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Peacock is a perfect fit in the offensive scheme that Jim McElwain and Florida Gators offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier run because he’s a big physical bruising style runner.