The defensive line position in the state of Florida is down for the Class of 2016 but the Florida Gators had the opportunity to host a defensive lineman whose stock is growing.
Defensive end Brian Burns (6-5, 217, Plantation, FL American Heritage) visited the Gators on Monday with his teammates and he had the chance to sit down and watch film with defensive line coach Chris Rumph.
“It was great, I got to talk with Coach Rumph and I had a great time,” Burns said. “Coach Rumph was showing me the position that I would play if I came to Florida. It’s sort of like a rush end, which is what I like. He said that I would be standing up and with my hand in the ground some. He said that they would move me all over the place.”
Burns didn’t get the chance to learn any dance moves from Rumph on Monday, but the overall impression of Rumph was a good one says Burns.
“He’s a great guy, I love Coach Rumph,” he said. “He’s a real cool and funny guy. We have a good relationship with each other and it’s getting better. He’s a good guy.”
Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain had never met Burns until Monday but the defensive end likes where the program is heading under McElwain.
“Coach McElwain was basically telling me the same thing that Coach Rumph was,” Burns said. “It was a real cool talk. Coach McElwain is doing a real good job with the program and he told me that he needs a guy like me this year.”
The Gators are pushing hard for Burns, who had a great summer, and now Florida has two South Florida natives helping the coaching staff by recruiting Burns to Gainesville.
“I talked to Jordan [Scarlett] and Quincy [Wilson] about the program,” he said. “They had a lot of good things to say about everything, but I’m going to talk to them a little more about everything and then hopefully I have a decision.”
Burns had said in the past that he liked to make a decision before school starts but he now says that he could delay that decision.
“I don’t really have a top group but just a top group of coaches that I talk to the most,” Burns said. “FSU, LSU, Georgia and now Florida. Alabama is also coming up some too. I want to make a decision soon but if I don’t have one then I’m going to delay it.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Burns is a guy that had a solid week at the Opening, is a good player, and is very important for the Gators with such little talent in the class of 2016 at the end position. If Burns delays his decision than Florida will be helped out big time, because right now Georgia seems to have the edge.
Landing this kid would be huge for us. Great to see Scarlett and Wilson helping out too being SoFlo kids themselves. It’d be really nice to pick up some more talent from down south
Florida will get some more players from South Florida this cycle.