Chauncey Gardner focused on being a fan and winning a ring

Florida Gators cornerback commit Chauncey Gardner (5-11, 190, Cocoa, FL High) has been a regular visitor to Gainesville since committing to Florida in the spring and two weeks ago he was treated to a great game in the Swamp.

“It was something that I enjoyed,” Gardner said of the Florida/Tennessee game that he visited. “I’m just very excited because when I get up here, my life is going to be changed by playing in games like that. I’m excited to be able to step up the plate and live up to the hype.”

Gardner, who has been able to see a lot of good games in person, says that the Florida Gators win over Tennessee was at the top for him.

“That was probably the best game that I’ve seen so far,” he said of the Florida/Tennessee game. “It was probably the number one atmosphere that I’ve seen so far.”

Florida allowed some points in the game but when it mattered most, the Gators came up big on defense and Gardner says that’s just about playing your own game on defense.

“The defense was playing ball, that’s all you have to do is come out and play ball,” Gardner said. “It doesn’t matter what the score is but if you pay attention all week then you know that Tennessee will lose the game late. All you have to do is keep doing your assignment and playing ball.”

The whole game Tennessee refused to throw the ball that much and Gardner says it shows how scared they were of the Florida Gators defense.

“It showed how much respect Tennessee had for Florida’s defensive backs,” he said on why Tennessee didn’t throw much. “Florida is DBU and they are respected. It shows how much things are falling in place for Florida.”

Gardner is one of the top Florida Gators commits for 2016 and he says that he talks to defensive backs coach Kirk Callahan a lot.

“I talk to Florida every day,” Gardner said. “ I talk to Coach Callahan every day and he just says to keep balling. There isn’t much more they can say because I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing every game. I’m not really stressing about anything.”

With Gardner being such a big name in the recruiting world a lot of guys know him, but he says right he’s focusing on Cocoa High instead of recruiting.

“I’m not really recruiting that many people because I’m focused on winning a state championship,” Gardner said. “I’m focused on playing ball and winning games. I just want to win a state championship.”

Gardner has said he will take all five of his official visits but maintains that he’s solid to Florida and has seen everything he could possibly see from the Florida Gators.

“What is there to see from Florida,” he said. “Everything is already in place and there really isn’t much more to see. I just come to Florida each time to enjoy my time here and be a fan of Florida.”

INSIDERS TAKE: Gardner is a solid commit and he may take visits but those are strictly to have fun. Gardner talks to Callahan every night and the Gators are getting a good one in Gardner.

 

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.