The Florida Gators hosted a junior day on the last week of January and there were several big names in attendance.
Some of the prospects were from the state of Florida, while several others were out of state prospects, including linebacker Chandler Wooten (6-2, 205, Kennesaw, GA North Cobb) who got to meet head coach Jim McElwain.
“It was a great visit when I went down there a week and a half ago,” Wooten said. “I toured the facilities, met the coaching staff and got to sit down with Coach McElwain in his office.”
Wooten got to sit down and meet with McElwain for an extended period of time and the linebacker found out he was needed in Gainesville.
“Coach McElwain said that he likes my athleticism and that they are going to need a couple of linebackers this year,” he said. “He said that Florida was a good fit for me because there is early playing time for me down there. He couldn’t promise me anything but said it was there and that he wants me.”
Florida Gators linebacker coach Randy Shannon has been recruiting Wooten for over a year now and the linebacker calls it a special feeling to hear from Shannon.
“It’s very special to be recruited by Coach Shannon and I would love to play for him one day,” Wooten said. “I think he could help my game out a lot and he said that he liked my athleticism too. When I worked with him over the summer last year, it was fun. He said that I’m athletic enough to play outside or inside for them.”
Despite growing up in Georgia, Wooten grew up rooting for the Orange and Blue and dreaming of playing in the Swamp.
“Florida has been my favorite school since I was in third grade, I’ve been dreaming about playing for Florida,” he said. “When I first started watching football is when they had Tim Tebow, [Brandon] Spikes, Jeffrey Demps and Jon Bostic was also there. I watched every one of their games last year and they have a great defense.”
Wooten, who has a lot of schools interested in him, plans to keep his recruitment open for awhile and he has some other visits set up for the spring.
“I don’t have any leaders right now, I’m keeping my options open,” Wooten said. “I have a lot of interest in Florida and I plan to visit them for a spring practice. Hopefully I’ll be able to go down there for some games this fall too. I also have a visit planned for Tennessee and I just got back from South Carolina.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Wooten is one of the top linebackers in the southeast and he has nine SEC offers already. The Gators have been recruiting Wooten since last spring and the linebacker is a big target for Florida this year.