Gators pick up first 2018 commitment: Florida Gators recruiting

The Florida Gators recruiting class for 2018 picked up its first member on Friday when athlete Jalynn Williams (5-11, 185, St. Petersburg, FL. High) committed to the Gators.

“Growing up, I always wanted to commit to my dream school the University of Florida,” Williams said. “I got the offer and knew I wanted to commit.”

 

Williams had a big summer when he camped at Florida and Ohio State, picking up offers from both schools. Following that Gainesville trip, he knew where he was going.

“As soon as Florida offered me this summer I knew I was going to commit,” Williams said. “I just wanted to wait a little bit before doing that.”

The Gators have already explained to Williams how they plan to use him once he arrives on campus in 2018.

“I talk to a few of the coaches,” Williams said. “They said that they would use me as an athlete and on offense like #4 [Brandon] Powell does now.”

As a junior Williams had over 1,000 all-purpose yards and scored 11 touchdowns for his high school team.

Gators head coach Jim McElwain and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier were at Williams’ school on Friday morning speaking with the athlete’s head coach. Nussmeier and McElwain showed Williams that he was a priority for the Gators recruiting class by showing up at his school during the January recruiting period.

 

INSIDERS TAKE: The Gators have been looking for their first 2018 commit,so this is a good start to the class. Williams is a player that can play slot receiver, return kicks and could see some time at running back in third down situations. Williams earned his offer at camp so the Gators know what they’re getting from him as they were able to work him out during the summer camp in Gainesville last summer. Williams’ head coach also called the athlete a very tough and physical player.

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.