There were a lot of visitors on campus yesterday at Will Muschamp’s football camp. However, not everyone decided to work out at the camp. One player that did come out to not just see the school but to also compete was DE/Buck prospect Justus Reed.
Reed is a long, athletic prospect who impressed the coaching staff throughout the day on the field and earned a scholarship on Thursday.
“They appreciated that I came down and worked out,” Reed said. “There are a lot of kids that don’t want to come compete, they just want to get an offer.”
Reed plays defensive end at Clearwater Central Catholic high school but at 6’3”, 216-pounds, Florida has other plans for him should he commit to the Gators.
“At the BUCK linebacker,” Reed said when asked where the staff wanted him to play. “That’s where they want me to start off but depending on how much weight I put on, I could be at defensive end full time.”
Reed is a very good pass rusher who uses his hands very well. A lot of high school prospects can get by on their athleticism or strength and never develop the skill or technique of being able to play with their hands to help get past offensive linemen. Reed is a step ahead and he showed that good hand play while working out.
After meeting with the staff, Reed told reporters that the offer he received was committable but despite Florida being his favorite team growing up, he wasn’t ready to jump on the offer yesterday.
“They were ready for it [me to commit] but I’m going on trips to go see other schools and they want me to see all my options first.” Reed said. “They know that it’s not just them [that I’m considering] at the end of the day. So they were really understanding about that.”
Reed is staying busy the rest of the summer and has several schools that he will visit in the coming days and weeks. When asked what other schools are in the mix, Reed had a very specific list.
“Florida State, Ohio State, North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, schools like that.”
He will camp at Duke and North Carolina this weekend, followed by trips to Florida State and Miami in the coming month.
Reed isn’t rushing his recruitment and will wait to make a decision until he knows that it is the best decision for him.
“I don’t really have a timeframe. Whenever I figure out where I’m more comfortable, what I like, what school I like. It’s wherever I feel comfortable with the coaching staff and all that. There’s not really a date or time I have in mind to make a decision. Whenever the time is right basically.”
Reed said he will try to get back for Friday Night Lights but he doesn’t have any firm plans to attend the camp just yet.