Florida signed three tight ends for the Class of 2014 but offensive coordinator Kurt Roper has his eyes set on signing two more in the Class of 2015.
Last week Roper visited tight end Jackson Harris (6-5, 252, Columbia, TN Central) at his school and he left Columbia Central impressed by what he saw out of Harris.
“Coach Roper came by my school last week and it went really good,” Harris said. “It’s actually kind of funny because he was really excited when he left after watching me practice. Florida is really starting to come after me now. He came and he was surprised that I could run well being that I’m at 250 pounds and he was all excited about that. He was making phone calls and video tapping me run at catch the ball.”
After Roper left Harris practice he told the Central coach to have Harris call him and when the tight end spoke to Roper the Gator’s OC told him that Florida was going to be hard after him now.
“I got to talk to him last night actually and he said that Florida wasn’t too serious about me but now that he watched me they are,” Harris said. “He said that he got to lay eyes on me and now they are going to recruit me hard and that he wants me to be a Gator.”
It’s now June and the Gators are just starting to recruit Harris hard but the tight end says it’s not too late because he actually grew up in Gainesville and has always had a passion for Florida.
“It isn’t too late for them to get in the mix at all,” Harris said. “I grew up a Gator fan and always like them so really that and me knowing the coaches already they have always been in the mix. They are in my top 4 and I’m just evaluating all the teams right now.”
Harris visited Florida in February and right now he says that four schools including the Gators are standing out as he heads to Tuscaloosa this week.
“Vanderbilt, Georgia, Alabama and Florida are my top 4 schools,” Harris said. “I’m going to Alabama on June 5th for a visit and that’s the only visit that I have scheduled for now.”
After the visit to Alabama Harris would like to make a college decision but he says that his timeline can be changed.
“I would like to decide a week after I visit Alabama but that could change,” Harris said. “That’s what I’m hoping to do but I don’t know now. I believe I’ve seen everything that I need to see at Florida and the other schools but I could change my mind and visit again.”