Florida Gators tight end play has Byrd excited

Tight end commit Zech Byrd (6-6, 235, Millbrook, AL. Stanhope Elmore) has been committed to Florida since this summer but last Saturday he made his first trip to Gainesville this the fall.

Byrd enjoyed seeing the atmosphere in the Swamp and was impressed by the size of the crowd.

“The visit was nice, I liked it,” Byrd said of his visit to Florida on Saturday. “It feels good being back home here. The atmosphere was loud and it’s a lot of people to play in front of. Everyone is going to cheer you on.”

The tight end commit plays all over the field in high school, but the Gators coaching staff has told him that they’re going to find ways to get him the ball in college.

“They’re telling me that they want me to come in and play early,” he said of Florida’s message. “I liked how C’yontai [Lewis] played and they got him the ball. We’re going to be better on offense and that’s the reason I came here because of the way they use the tight ends.”

It isn’t just one coach recruiting Byrd to Florida, several coaches, including recruiting coordinator Drew Hughes, keep in touch with the tight end.

“I talk to everybody on the coaching staff,” Byrd said. “They tell me to hurry up and graduate so I can get here. They’re ready to have me on the field.”

Despite being committed to Florida, other schools are still recruiting Byrd hard and he says he may take some visits.

“I’m not sure if I’m going to visit anyone else or not,” he said. “I’m probably going to take my visit to Florida in January. Alabama and Georgia are still recruiting me hard and trying to get me there. I might take visits to them but I’m solid to Florida.”

 

INSIDERS TAKE: Byrd has a great relationship with Florida’s recruiting coordinator Drew Hughes and it will take a lot for someone to flip him. Byrd is a guy that can cause mismatches from his tight end position because of his size and speed.

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.