The momentum for the Florida Gators recruiting class is picking up as the Gators just landed its third commitment of the weekend.
Over the weekend the Gators coaching staff hosted Houston safety commit Donovan Stiner (6-2, 185, Bellaire, TX. High) and after the visit, he’s now a Florida commit. Stiner flipped from Houston to Florida shortly after returning home from Gainsville.
“I just committed,” Stiner told Gator Country. “It was an opportunity of a lifetime that I couldn’t pass up.”
The Gators laid out the red carpet over the weekend and the feeling the players gave Stiner was something he noticed.
“It was great, I had a good time,” Stiner said of the visit. “I got to meet the whole coaching staff and some of the players. I got to see the campus and all, it was pretty fun. The players gave off that brotherhood feeling there, I liked that about them.”
While on the visit, Stiner was hosted by another defensive back who shared a message about why the Gators need the safety.
“Chauncey Gardner was my host, he’s a cool guy,” he said of his host. “He was saying that they need some more safeties because most of the guys are leaving soon. He said it was a good opportunity for me at Florida.”
Defensive backs coach Torrian Gray also explained a big need for Stiner in Gainesville and showed off his resume with defensive backs.
“Coach Gray was just reiterating what Chauncey was saying about needing safeties,” Stiner said of Gray’s message. “He said that he liked my film and all and that I could play early there if I come in and work hard. He just kept saying the opportunity was there.”
Like most conversations with head coach Jim McElwain, the Gators head man stressed the Florida education to Stiner and his family.
“I liked Coach Mac, he was a pretty cool guy,” he said of McElwain’s message. “He was pretty much saying the same thing about needing another safety. He also was explaining school stuff about how Florida is the number two public school. I didn’t know that.”
There were several things that stood out to Stiner this weekend but he narrowed it down to two things that caught his attention.
“The highlight was probably hanging with Chauncey, it was pretty fun,” Stiner said. “The coaches’ dancing was pretty fun too. I would say Coach [Kerry] Dixon had the best moves.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Stiner said his parents were really impressed by Florida and everything they had to offer this weekend and playing for Coach Gray was something he couldn’t pass up.