Telfort earns MVP, remains solid to the Florida Gators

Offensive lineman Kadeem Telfort (6-7, 300, Miami, FL Norland) has been committed to the Florida Gators since last summer and his recruitment has risen since then.

Telfort made a name for himself this past weekend at the Miami Opening regional where he was named MVP of the offensive line group.

“It means a lot to me to win the MVP at the event,” Telfort said. “Coming into the event I didn’t think I was going to be able to win the MVP award. I started slow but I turned it up a notch after we came back from a water break. It went well after that and I learned a lot.”

The Gators know that Telfort’s name is getting around but Florida has made sure to keep in constant contact with the big lineman as several coaches talk to him regularly.

“I talk to the Florida coaches almost every day,” he said. “I talk to Coach [Randy] Shannon, Coach [Mike] Summers, Coach [Kerry] Dixon, Coach [Tim] Skipper and to Coach [Jim] McElwain. Really I talk to everyone and they just make me feel like home is Florida. Every time I go there it just feels like home and they welcome me with open arms. I always learn something new up there and the facilities are great. Everything is better there.”

Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain and Telfort speak regularly as well, and the message is simple that Florida is ready to have him on campus.

“Coach McElwain is just telling me that he can’t wait for me to get on campus and learn something new,” Telfort said. “He’s fired up to have me and he told me to get ready to play on Saturday night’s in the Swamp.”

Offensive line coach Mike Summers also makes sure that Telfort knows that he’s needed at Florida and early playing time is there for him.

“Coach Summers, he’s just telling me that Florida is really suffering at the tackle position right now,” he said. “He told me that if I come in and work then I can play early at tackle. I’m ready to work with Coach Summers, he’s a good teacher on and off the field.”

Several other schools have been working hard to get Telfort on campus but he remains committed to Florida and plans to visit soon.

“LSU, Miami, Alabama, West Virginia and NC State are coming at me,” Telfort said. “I’m pretty solid to Florida and I plan to visit them again either for a spring practice or this summer some time.”

The Gators coaches have quarterback commit and top recruiter Jake Allen also talking with Telfort, and the two of them are working other players.

“Me and Jake just be talking about camps and other players that we want,” he said. “We are just trying to have more people jump on the boat with us and go to Florida. We want Tedarrell Slaton and a couple of other receivers down here.”

INSIDERS TAKE: Telfort is 300-pounds but holds his weight really well for a high school lineman. Telfort had a good junior year and is a prospect that Florida did a good job of getting in on early before his recruitment really blew up.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.