Last Saturday the Florida Gators hosted two of its 2019 commitments on campus that had the chance to watch the summer camp.
One of those on campus was 2019 athlete commit Tyrique Stevenson (6-1, 180, Homestead, FL. South Dade) and he got the chance to see everything Florida had to offer on Saturday.
“It was a great visit. I really like it up there,” Stevenson said of his recent visit to Florida. “We walked around the camp and met the coaches. We walked around buildings and checked those out and just walked around campus. I got to see campus.”
While on campus Stevenson had the chance to meet the rest of the Gators coaching staff and get more comfortable with those guys.
“The coaches I met was, obviously, Coach [Corey] Bell, Coach [Kerry] Dixon and a couple other coaches,” he said of the coaches he spoke with. “I’ve got to learn all of their names but I met everyone there. We’re building a relationship with each other and it’s getting better each time.”
Defensive backs coach Corey Bell spoke with Stevenson at length and he had a clear message for the Florida commit.
“He said to just stay the course,” Stevenson said of what Bell said. “He sees me as a defensive back so he was just talking to me about that.”
Saturday was the first time for Stevenson to see Bell in action and he walked away impressed by how he coaches his position.
“For me, that was a good experience because I got to see how he coaches and the type of tempo he coaches at,” he said of watching Bell on Saturday. “And I got to see like, if you mess up, you know he’s gonna be hard on you. It was a good experience to see how he was and how he coaches.”
Stevenson also got a chance to meet with defensive coordinator Randy Shannon while on campus on Saturday.
“It was a good experience,” Stevenson said of meeting with Randy Shannon. “He told me about the school, and I asked a couple questions about uniforms, so he told us about that.”
Those two coaches are coaches that Stevenson knows a lot about because they’re from the same area he is and that’s something that makes him more comfortable at Florida.
“It’s nice to have them up there,” he said of having coaches from South Florida there. “It’s a comfortable feeling because they’re from where I’m from and they know what I’m going through. It makes me feel at home.”
Head coach Jim McElwain also had a chance to meet with Stevenson while he was on campus and the head man had some encouraging words for the commit.
“He said he’s ready for us to get up there,” Stevenson said of what McElwain told him. “ And that we’re coming right on time. He’s very excited.”
Now that Stevenson has committed to Florida, he’s turning his attention to recruiting other guys to join him in Gainesville.
“Yeah. I’m trying to get 2018 Florida State commit Patrick Joyner,” he said of guys he’s recruiting him. “I spoke to a few other guys in my area but I need to speak with them again. I’m trying to get some guys up here with me.”
Last week, Stevenson made news when he visited Miami for a visit but he says that his commitment status to Florida is unchanged and he doesn’t see it changing.
“I feel like that’s where I’m gonna be signing at,” Stevenson said of how solid his commitment to Florida is. “It’s gotta be something amazing [he said of what it would take to get him away].”
Next up for Stevenson, the athlete plans to return to Gainesville with several of his good friends from South Florida.
“Of course,” he said on if he’s returning for Friday Night Lights. “Me, JD [John Dunmore] and the rest of the commits are going to be there.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Stevenson took a visit to Miami last week but he remains solid with Florida but it will definitely be something to watch going forward.