The Gators are expected to have two seniors starting at the offensive tackle positions this fall. Adding to that, UF signed no tackles this past season, so landing a couple top-notch tackles should be a high priority for the Gators this year. Whether or not Kenneth Page of A.C. Flora High School in Columbia, South Carolina, will be wearing orange and blue next season is still unknown. What is known is that he is one of those top tackles the Gators are looking for.
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Last season, Page (6-4, 295) had 88 knockdowns, 54 pancakes and graded a 92% on his blocking assignments. He also played on defense at both tackle and end. Page had 54 tackles, 13 TFL and 5 sacks. While he shines on both sides of the ball, his head coach Robin Bacon expects Page to play on offense in college.
“He is probably better suited on offense. He has great feet and great hands. He can get to that next level where the LB’s are because he is so athletic. I’ve watched a lot of film and he really standouts when he locks on to people and knocks them to the ground.”
Page hopes that his coach is correct as he prefers playing on offense. ”I like offense more because I feel more comfortably on offensive side of ball,” he said.
Whether he plays offense or defense is still unknown, but if he does play offense there is a chance he may move inside to guard. “Lot of different coaches say different things,” Bacon said. “Some want him to play tackle even though he isn’t 6-6, 6-7. He is only 6’4” ½ now, but both his mother and father are tall so he has potential to continue growing. He is young—he just turned 17. I think he will continue to grow to 6-5, 6-6. He has great feet and is very athletic. Some coaches say guard and some say tackle.”
According to Bacon, the scholarship offers keep pouring in for Page. “He gets new offers everyday, my cell phone is ringing all the time.” Bacon expects Page to end up at either an SEC or an ACC school.
However, according to Page, he has no top schools at this point. He has visited UF,USF, UCF, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Clemson, Tennessee, North Carolina and Duke. He is unsure of what other schools he wants to visit, “I just want to see as many schools as possible.”
Page said he really enjoyed his visit down to Gainesville. “I liked how it was a small football town. Nice stadium and nice places, it is a great place to be at.” While at UF he met Coach Meyer which Page said was an honor.
Another plus for the Gators, is the bond that Page and offensive line coach John Hevesy have formed.” I like him. When I went down there to visit we clicked really well,” Page said. “We have a really good bond.”
Bacon echoed Page’s comments about UF. “He had a great visit at UF, they are the defending national champs so that helps. He is always texting Coach Hevesy, the line coach. He will go back this summer to spend more time there.”
One of the most important things to Page is academics. He currently has a 3.7 GPA and is planning on majoring in Finance. “I want to get a good education,” he said. Some of the other factors he will consider are; coaching stability, location, the program and the surrounding community.
At this point Page is not only uncertain of his future home but also when he will make his decision. “I can’t put a timetable on when I am going to decide. I need to wait until I find the school I am most comfortable with.”
According to Page his mother will be the most influential person in his decision. However, he said that staying close to home will not be a factor in his decision.
One area that Bacon is still working on with Page is his strength. “He benches 350-360 and squats over 500. He is stronger than the guys he is playing against now. But he understands to play early at next level he needs to get stronger. We want him to bench press around 400.”