Wade’s parents building a relationship with Florida Gators’ coaches

Ohio State defensive back commit Shaun Wade (6-1, 177, Jacksonville, FL. Trinity Christian) was the big name prospect on campus two weeks ago when the Florida Gators played UMass.

The visit though was more for Wade’s parents, who had never met the Gators coaching staff, including defensive backs coach Torrian Gray.

Wade’s father, Randy Wade, spoke to Gator Country about the visit and their first time meeting Gray.

“It was awesome, we got a lot of time to talk to him and hear his philosophy on things,” Wade said of their meeting with Torrian Gray. “We got to hear how he plans to be in Shaun’s life and help him through college.”

Meeting Wade’s potential position coach was big for the parents but Randy Wade really liked meeting head coach Jim McElwain.

“The biggest thing for us was this was our first time meeting Coach McElwain and we got some time to sit down and talk to him,” he said of their meeting with Jim McElwain. “He was real cool, he’s a real cool and calm guy. It was awesome meeting him.”

Wade has always seemed to have interest in the Gators but the fact that his parents had not met the coaching staff hurt the Gators.

“It definitely helped our relationship a lot,” Wade said of finally meeting those coaches. “Out of all the places that Shaun is thinking about going, we knew the least about Coach McElwain. He’s a real cool and informative guy. Just a real cool guy. He was upfront with us, it wasn’t a pitch or anything.”

Area recruiter Tim Skipper is the coach that the Wade family knows the best, in fact, Mr. Wade talks with Skipper often.

“Coach Skipper, so far out of all of the coaches, he’s probably been one of the coolest, down to earth recruiters out of everybody,” he said of area recruiter Tim Skipper. “Not much pressure from him, just saying what you need to know. Just a really good guy and someone that I talk to a lot.”

When the Wade family was on campus for their two day visit the Gators kept one consistent message up towards them.

“All of them didn’t really push playing time, but just said they needed corners this year,” he said of Florida’s message. “They just said that they really want and need Shaun. They were really just kind of letting us know what they had and letting us know what they had to offer. They were just letting us know that they were was opportunity for him at Florida and things are changing at Florida.”

Wade and his parents have visited Gainesville in the past under Will Muschamp but they all see a change under McElwain in Gainesville.

“Things are changing at Florida from Coach McElwain to the facilities, they told us we had an opportunity to be a part of something big,” Wade said. “They showed us the practice field, they were showing us the gymnasium and they were showing us the plans for a new football facility. They were saying everything would be in one location and it will kind of be like the one at Alabama. It’s smart.”

After the visit was over Wade’s parents got want they wanted to get out of the visit and Shaun did the same.

“Most of all Shaun just wanted us to get the chance to meet the coaches and stuff,” he said of Shaun’s impressions. “He has been there so many times and he knows those guys as well. He knew where he was going and everything.”

Up next for Wade and his family is official visits because the cornerbacks recruitment doesn’t have much longer left in it.

“He’s going to early enroll, he has one extra class to take, so hopefully he finishes that by December and he will be ready to go,” Wade said of the plans going forward. “We’re going to take official visits during the season. The only visit set up right now with plane tickets is Notre Dame. We aren’t sure if we’re even going to take all of our official visits or not. We will do a whole bunch of unofficial visits to Florida because it’s just right around the corner.

 

INSIDERS TAKE: The Gators continue to make Wade a priority as he’s one of those guys that can step in and play early for the Gators. Wade is a guy that will stay out of the spotlight until things are over with and then he will likely make a final decision and enroll in school.

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.

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