Upshur believes in Kurt Roper’s offense

Will Muschamp has been very aggressive with offering out of state underclassmen ever since he arrived in Gainesville and that trend is continuing this year.

Two weeks ago the Florida Gators handed out one of those 2016 offers to tight end Naseir Upshur (6-2, 223, Philadelphia, PA Imhotep Inst Charter School) and he was the one who actually reached out to Florida first.

“The tight ends coach, Coach [Derek] Lewis offered me a few weeks ago,” Upshur said. “I was on Twitter one day and I decided to call him and when I did he said send him my highlight tape and when I did that he said call me tomorrow. When I called him the next day he was like I’m going to come to Philly and get you and you have an offer from Florida.”

The fact that Upshur reached out to Florida first shows his interest in the Florida Gators but he detailed to Gator Country exactly how interested in the Gators he really  is.

“Florida is going to be in my top list when I come out with it after the season,” Upshur said. “I’m hoping to get down there this spring or summer for a visit to see what they have to offer.”

Another reason that Upshur is interested in the Florida Gators is because of the opportunity to improve his skill set and prepare for the NFL in Kurt Roper’s offense.

“Coach Lewis says that he sees me as a guy that can play on the ball or lined up as a receiver,” Upshur said. “I like that and I think that my skill set fits the spread offense well. I want to go to school like that because they use the tight ends a lot and it will help me get prepared for the league.”

Being from Philadelphia Upshur has never visited Florida but he’s heard several things about the school and it’s football program.

“I know that Florida is a great school with a lot of tradition,” Upshur said. “I know that they are recruiting well and they are in the SEC. Playing in the SEC is very big for me because it’s the top league.”

 

INSIDER TAKE: Until Upshur makes the visit to Florida then I don’t know how interested in Florida he actually is, but one thing is for sure and that’s that Upshur is good prospect at the tight end position as a receiving threat.

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.