Five needed official visitors for UF

With the  start of the Florida Gators football season close at hand, the class of 2015 prospects are now heading back to school for their senior year which means that players can now start taking official visits to colleges around the country.

The NCAA allows prospects to take five official visits and most prospects take full advantage of those five all-expense paid visits.

With prospects now deciding earlier and earlier a lot of players are now taking official visits during the season and, often times, the deciding visit into their decision.

So with that being said, Gator Country decided on five prospects that Florida needs to land an official visit from this year. While the official visits are tough throughout the fall it’s also a good time for prospects to see the Gators on the field and interact with the players, while taking in a game-day experience in The Swamp.

Enough of the talking, here are the five players that I picked out that I think need to take an official to Gainesville for the Gators to have a legit shot at.

 

Receiver K.J. Hill (6-0, 190, North Little Rock, AR. High) long bargained for an offer from the Gators and he finally picked that offer up this spring. Hill has said that he plans to take an official to Florida and the Gators are recruiting him hard. Right now both Arkansas and Alabama lead for Hill but a good showing on offense this year could show Hill what he needs to see in the Gators.

 

Running back Nyheim Hines (5-8, 178, Garner, NC High) was at University of Florida this past weekend and had a good trip. Hines has been leaning towards staying in-state but both Florida and Georgia have given him something to think about. The Gators are trying to land Hines after they missed on Ray-Ray McCloud. Hines is planning on taking five official visits before he makes an October decision so landing an official visit from Hines could be huge for the Gators.

 

Safety Tim Irvin (5-8, 182, Palmetto Bay, FL Westminster Christian) took an unofficial visit to Florida for Friday Night Lights and it was a good trip, according to Irvin. Miami and Florida are the two teams that lead for Irvin right now but defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson has a good relationship with Irvin. The Gators could use a few visits from Irvin this fall and an official would be great as well.

 

Defensive tackle Daylon Mack (6-0, 322, Gladewater, TX High) is a monster on the football field and is currently committed to Texas A&M. Mack has developed a good relationship with Florida Gator commit George Brown and that relationship has gotten Florida in the mix. Mack also has a good relationship with defensive line coach Brad Lawing and Mack says that he will take his official visit to Florida for the LSU game. While it’s going to be an uphill battle for Florida here, there is also a chance if he takes that official visit.

 

Cornerback Justin Martin (6-2, 191, Miami, OK Northeastern OK JUCO) isn’t your normal JUCO prospect as he has four years to play three and that’s a reason the Gators are after him hard. Martin picked up a Florida offer in late July but was unable to participate in Friday Night Lights due to NCAA rules for JUCO prospects. Martin has said he wants to take an official to Florida this fall before he decides in December. Right now LSU and Florida appear to be the top two teams for Martin.

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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.