The Florida Gators are moving up for Stove

The Florida Gators hosted two Auburn Tigers commits on Saturday for the Vanderbilt game and both of those prospects are huge targets for the Gators.

Auburn receiver commit Eli Stove (6-0, 174, Niceville, FL High) has been a commit to Auburn since this summer but on Saturday he visited the Gators for the first time since last spring and he enjoyed the trip.

“I like Florida a lot, it’s a good school,” Stove said. “I would fit pretty well here if I decided to come here. The atmosphere was amazing and I loved the atmosphere during the game.”

Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain is personally recruiting Stove and he says that Stove reminds him of a former Gators great receiver.

“They told me that I would be a guy like Percy Harvin and like [Antonio] Callaway with the punt return,” he said. “Yeah I think that’s my best game. Playing the slot, punt returns and kick returns is my game.”

College coaches have compared Stove to several NFL players in the past but the Auburn commit says that he has never heard the comparison to Harvin but he liked the sound of it.

“It’s special to hear that they think I can be like Percy Harvin,” Stove said. “Nobody has ever really told me that I could be like him. He’s a fantastic player and it’s special to hear that.”

Receiver coach Kerry Dixon and McElwain have been emphasizing the need for more athletes on offense to Stove and he likes hearing that message.

“They tell me that once I come in that I will be able to contribute to the team,” he said. “They said that I come in and do great things for them. They need playmakers here bad. That’s important to hear.

Stove has been showing Florida more interest as of late and he now admits that the Florida Gators are a threat to Auburn.

“Florida is more in the picture now,” Stove said. “I really don’t know how my visits will shake out. I just got a job and they’re trying to make me work Thanksgiving weekend but I’m trying to come down for the Florida State game.”

Despite the Florida Gators being more in the picture for Stove, the receiver says he’s still committed to Auburn.

“I’d give it 75 percent committed to Auburn but Florida is coming up on my list,” he said. “I just know that Florida is a good school.”

INSIDERS TAKE: Florida has a great shot at flipping the Auburn Tigers commit after this visit because Stove sees early playing time in Gainesville.

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.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Haha so this 4* national recruit just got a holiday job during his senior year of hs?? Great for him! That tells you all you need to know about his character imo. I doubt many recruits like him are out getting jobs for the winter.