The Swamp gives Allen a surreal moment

Last Saturday the Florida Gators hosted 2017 quarterback Jake Allen (6-3, 200, Fort Lauderdale, FL Cardinal Gibbons) on an unofficial visit and this was Allen’s first time in Gainesville.

Like most prospects growing up instate Allen was eager to see Ben Hill Griffin stadium for himself and the Swamp lived up to expectations.

“Honestly it was the best visit I have had so far,” Allen said. “Everything was nice. The stadium, walking through the tunnel was just surreal. It was crazy and you got chills by just watching the video on the screen. The coaches were welcoming and overall it was great.”

A lot of 2017 prospects don’t get a lot of face time with head coach Jim McElwain but Allen got the chance to have a lengthy conversation with the Gators head man.

“We were touring the weight room and coach [Drew] Hughes comes over and says coach McElwain wants to meet with you,” Allen said. “So we went up to his office and we talked for about 10 minutes. We just spoke about how he’s going to run his offense. He’s going to run an offense that you’re going to run on Sunday’s. That is a great fit for a pro-style quarterback like myself.”

First impressions are huge and McElwain left a big impression on Allen, as the quarterback walked away happy he got to meet McElwain.

“Coach Mac, I love the guy,” Allen said. “He’s a very classy and energetic coach that is a pro-style guy. Being able to talk with him and get the relationship started with him was definitely a plus.”

Due to the busy schedule on Saturday Allen wasn’t able to have a one-on-one meeting with offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier but Allen says that will happen soon.

“I didn’t get to spend as much time with coach Nuss [Nussmeier] as I would’ve liked too but he’s a great guy,” Allen said. “I would love to get coach by him and the next time I go up for the spring game I’m going to get to talk to him more.

The 2017 pro-style quarterback didn’t receive his offer from the Gators on Saturday but he feels one could be coming this spring.

“They are going to come down this spring to watch me throw,” Allen said. “Coach Nuss is the coach coming down to watch me throw and hopefully after that I get that offer. The University of Florida is definitely a dream offer for me.”

 

INSIDERS TAKE: Nussmeier and McElwain want to watch all quarterbacks throw in-person before they offer them so watching Allen this spring could lead to a potential offer. If the Gators offer then I expect Florida to be in the mix for Allen due to McElwain’s offense.

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.