The Florida Gators picked up a running back last Thursday but they still have several big options on the board to fill the second spot in the class.
One of those options is Alabama running back Dameon Pierce (5-11, 205, Bainbridge, GA. High) who says running backs coach JaJuan Seider is recruiting him hard.
“Yeah, we’re still having communication with each other, talking every day,” Pierce said of Florida. “We’re still building that relationship with each other. Hands down Coach Seider is the one I talk to the most.”
Seider is a name mentioned by almost every recruit on the Gators board and Pierce explained why he thinks that’s the case.
“He’s cool and direct,” he said on why he likes Seider. “He’s up front with everything. Most coaches just try to flatter you but what I’ve seen from Coach Seider so far, that’s really him. He’s going to tell you that he wants you and he’s going to recruit you hard.”
Pierce has heard messages from just about every coach in America and Seider gave him a message but praise at the same time and the running back was happy to hear the praise.
“To be honest, he just said that hands down he needs me,” Pierce said on Seider’s message. “He said that I’m a great running back and a great fit for their program. He thinks that I’m that guy.”
This spring, Pierce and his mother made the trip down to Gainesville for a spring practice and was a visit that caught the eye of the Alabama commit.
“It made a great impression on me,” he said of his trip to Florida this spring. “They really presented themselves well, my family liked it and I liked it. It was just a great experience.”
While in Gainesville, Pierce had the chance to speak with head coach Jim McElwain who expressed a need for the running back.
“He was just really reiterating what Coach Seider was telling me,” Pierce said of McElwain’s message. “He was just saying that really needed me and wanted me. He said he would be glad to have me and that they were going to work hard to try and recruit me.”
This spring, Pierce has taken several visits including one to Alabama last week and he remains in the Crimson Tide’s class.
“This recent visit to Alabama, I took my mom up there and we were talking over some things over but we’re still committed,” he said of his status with Alabama.
INSIDERS TAKE: Pierce said he wants to get back down to Florida as soon as he can with his parents. On Tuesday Florida running backs coach Tim Skipper visited him. This weekend Pierce plans to visit Georgia.