Clement sees special things ahead for Florida Gators

The Florida Gators had their big recruiting event on Friday night in the Swamp where a lot of players gathered to take part in Friday Night Lights.

Several current Gators commits were in town including running back commit Iverson Clement (5-11, 199, Mount Holly, NJ Rancocas Valley) who enjoyed the atmosphere in Gainesville.

“It feels amazing,” Clement said of being back at Florida. “Everybody is down here. We got Justin Fields, Matt Corral, Jacob Copeland; we had a lot of people. We all get together just chill, just talk and the biggest part of it all is just the relationship. A lot of people think it’s about all this other stuff but no. If you just sit down and talk and build a relationship with all the guys and understand what you guys want to accomplish as a class and understand each other as individuals the picture is always going to be there. That’s the main goal.”

Clement called Friday Night Lights a special event but he believes big things are in order for Florida.

“This is not the first time that I’ll be apart of something special,” he said of the feeling in Gainesville. “I feel as though this class right here is very special. The coaches have all the players together. We’re trying to establish a quarterback but I feel as though this class establishes a quarterback and 2018 gets on the field together we’re going to do something special. When I say something special I mean something special.”

While on campus, Clement got the chance to meet with running backs coach JaJuan Seider who the running back thinks is a big add for the coaching staff.

“I think Ja’Juan Seider was a big addition to their group,” Clement said of Seider. “His recruiting skills to recruit me and me and him work together; ‘I talk to kids, you talk to kids’ and we think alike. I want to win. He wants to win. It’s the best of the best, even at my position. I want to get the best running back because I want to win. If you have a winning mindset you’re gonna do anything and everything to win.”

Talking to Seider and watching camp wasn’t all that Clement did, he also talked to several big targets but he wasn’t pushing Florida on anyone.

“No. That’s not me, that’s not the type of dude I am,” he said on whether he pushes someone to Florida or not. “If I’m going to talk to you I’m going to talk to you about life, where do you feel comfortable? Where do you like? I want the best for him as an individual. I don’t want them to be here and be like ‘dang, I’m here for the next four years.’ I want them to go and be successful.”

Two of those guys that Clement was recruiting were quarterbacks and he has had the chance to work with one them a lot.

“It’s my second time being with Justin (Fields), I think third,” he said of being out there with Justin Fields. “You know Justin that’s him. He’s a guy that doesn’t blink, he doesn’t fold under pressure, he isn’t scared, he stays cold. He’s in the middle. Matt [Corral] seemed to love it. He was around everybody. He enjoyed it. He was happy with everything. Justin, you don’t know what could be going on in his head. He could be planning on committing. He could have committed already. You never know with this guy. The thing with him is you don’t pressure him. You make him feel welcome. You don’t pressure nobody. This is their life, what they have to do the next four years.”

Clement believes that getting a quarterback is huge for Florida and he believes that position could change things for Florida.

“Once we establish a quarterback, it’s like chess. Once you establish a quarterback you control the field,” Clement said on Florida needing a quarterback. “Now you can have guys that say ‘hey I wanna play with this kid. Kids from California, kids from Missouri, kids from everywhere wanna come down to Florida just to play with the quarterback. The quarterback controls the game. Florida for the last couple of years needed a quarterback to control the game and I feel like this class right here, we have two with talent right now and we’re gonna leave with one.”

INSIDERS TAKE: Clement has turned into the leader of the Florida Gators class and he’s someone that other guys rally around. It’s easy to see why kids like him as Clement is a guy who always seems to be in a good mood.

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.