Now that spring football has started for the Florida Gators, you will see more and more prospects visiting the Gainesville campus. That started a little early this week.
Defensive end/tight end Jonathon MacCollister (6-4, 253, Orlando, FL Bishop Moore) visited Gainesville on Tuesday, just one day before Jim McElwain and the Gators started practice.
“It went really good, I liked it a lot,” MacCollister said of his visit to Florida. “I got showed around the facilities and stuff. I got to talk to Coach Mac and to Coach [Geoff] Collins during the visit.”
McElwain sat down with MacCollister on Tuesday to talk to him about how the Gators see him fitting in Gainesville and which side of the ball he will play.
“Coach McElwain just said to keep on doing what I’m doing right now,” he said. “He said that he loves how athletic I am and that he wants to recruit me as a tight end. He said the defensive coaches want me on defense, so they’re fighting over me. It made me feel pretty good that they were fighting over me.”
MacCollister got the offensive pitch from McElwain and defensive coordinator Geoff Collins gave him the defensive pitch.
“When I was talking to Coach Collins he said that he liked me a lot and that I was a baller,” MacCollister said. “He asked me if I was ready for SEC football and told him, yes sir I was. He said that he’s trying to get me on the defensive side of the ball at Florida.”
MacCollister, who plays a lot of positions in high school, was asked by McElwain how he felt about playing offense in college.
“Coach Mac asked me if I minded if he recruited me as a tight end and I told him no that I wouldn’t mind,” he said. “I like the tight end position and I like the way they play at Florida. Florida runs a two tight end package a lot and like that they’re used a lot.”
The Gators are a school that MacCollister has visited several times and he’s just waiting on Florida to give him the opportunity to play in Gainesville.
“They haven’t officially offered yet but they kind of hinted at it,” MacCollister said. “I think it’s coming soon but they haven’t talked to me about it a lot. Coach Mac did say that he likes me a lot and that he wants me in the Blue and Orange.”
A Florida offer is something that MacCollister has been dreaming about since he was young and he says he would be honored to have a Gators offer.
“It would mean a lot because they are my childhood favorite team,” he said. “Growing up in Florida I’ve always wanted to be a Gator so it would mean a lot to me to have it.”
INSIDERS TAKE: MacCollister says that Auburn is really recruiting him hard right now and that he plans to visit them this spring. Florida will likely wait to see him in person this spring before offering the athlete.