JUCO offensive lineman sets Florida Gators official visit

It’s broken record but the saying that the Florida Gators recruiting class needs offensive linemen is still true for the class of 2017.

Offensive line coach Mike Summers knows that and on Tuesday he visited JUCO offensive lineman D’Marcus Hayes (6-6, 320, Mississippi Gulf Coast JUCO) for his practice.

“Coach Summers came by the school to see me,” Hayes said of Summers’ visit on Tuesday. “It went pretty good, I couldn’t talk to him but he was there for practice. He told my coach that he was going to call me.”

Summers gave Hayes a heads up that he was coming to his school and also wanted the lineman to know that the Gator need him.

“He called me on Tuesday morning and told me that he was coming to see me to show how interested in me they were,” he said. “He said he wanted to see where my mind was about being a Florida Gator.”

Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier is not letting Summers recruit Hayes alone, as the assistant coach is stressing a need for the lineman as well.

“Coach Nussmeier, the offensive coordinator also texts me from time to time,” Hayes said. “They tell me that with my style of play that I come in and be a impact on the offensive line for them. They think that I can come and play early for them next year.”

The Gators have early playing time available which is big for Hayes and that has helped put Florida in the top group of his recruitment.

“I’m very interested in Florida and they’re one of my top schools,” Hayes said of his top schools. “Right now it’s all even between Florida, Louisville, Mississippi State and Auburn.”

Hayes has less than two months left of his recruiting process but he only knows of one official visit.

“I know that I’m going to take official visits soon since I’m early enrolling,” he said. “I’m going to take my official visit to Florida on December 3rd unless they’re in the SEC championship game. I’m not sure of who else will get an official visit at this time.”

 

INSIDERS TAKE: Right now it seems like Florida and Auburn are the top schools for Hayes but the Gators could possibly get that last official visit which would be a key. Hayes admits that growing up he wanted to play for Florida so getting him on campus could help seal the deal.

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.