Reggie Wilkerson plans return visit

As one of the top defensive back prospects in the state of Florida for the Class of 2013, Reggie Wilkerson is on the radar for a number of college programs around the Southeast. On Feb. 18, the talented two-way athlete out of North Marion High School in Citra made the short drive up State Road 441 to spend a morning touring the campus of the University of Florida.

“I got in a little ahead of time,” Wilkerson said. “We went in and did an extra [campus] tour. They brought us up to the field to the weight room and the training room.”

The 5-foot-11, 165-pound Wilkerson also had an opportunity to spend some time getting to know his area recruiter a little better as well.

“They already know who I am,” Wilkerson said of the UF staff. “I started talking to (UF running backs coach) Brian White. He said he was glad to see me and hoped I could come back and be in a Gator uniform one day – that was exciting to me.”

As for the primary message that came out of the junior day event, Wilkerson explained it was a pretty simple one.

“There’s no days off, really,” he said. “Stay focused on and off the field – don’t be tardy to class. They want us to be a student before being an athlete.”

Wilkerson noted he is likely to make it back to Gainesville before the end of the spring, but has some other visits to make as well.

“Most likely, we’ll be going up to Georgia, then I want to get down to Miami and FSU, too,” he said.

Heading into spring practice, which begins in May, Wilkerson will be participating with the Pro Impact Sports 7-on-7 traveling squad, which is based out of Jacksonville. He is also running in the sprint events with the North Marion track & field team, where he says he hopes to bring his time in the 100 meters down into the 10.8-second range before the end of the season.

During his junior season, Wilkerson accounted for 674 yards from scrimmage on offense and scored five touchdowns for a 9-3 North Marion squad. On defense, he recorded 25 tackles, eight passes defended and an interception last fall.