Tatum starting to feel at home at UF

The Florida Gators had several offensive linemen prospects in the stands on Saturday afternoon and, while the Gators wish they could have used some of them on the field, the good news is that the prospect saw an opportunity.

One of those offensive line prospects that was in Gainesville on Saturday was offensive lineman Marcus Tatum (6-6, 254, Daytona Beach, FL Mainland) who got a chance to meet some of the new Gators.

“It went good, I really liked the atmosphere there,” Tatum said. “I got to talk to some of the 2015 guys and some of the 2015 offensive linemen that were there today so it was good. It was a nice time out there.”

Tatum has heard the naysayers say that the Gators offense is bad or that it is sloppy but the offensive lineman said he saw things differently on Saturday.

“A lot of people say they have some holes and you can see it some places,” Tatum said. “The starters are very talented though; the offense looked good. I know it’s a new offense but it ran smooth and it didn’t look like a new one to me. They look they had been running the up-tempo offense for a while now. It’s an offense I can see myself playing in.”

Offensive line coach Mike Summers and Tatum have grown close and on Saturday the two got to talk once again.

“Coach Summers was saying that he was happy that I was back again,” Tatum said. “He said to get comfortable around there and that to never be scared to come back for a visit. He said he wants me to come back at any time. Coach Summers and the other offensive linemen were telling me that they only have six linemen and that I have a big opportunity to play early.”

Tatum and his family got the opportunity to sit down with head coach Jim McElwain on Saturday and according to Tatum he’s starting to feel welcomed in Gainesville.

“Coach McElwain also said that he was happy to have me back,” Tatum said. “We were just having common talk, nothing about football really. I’m starting to feel comfortable around everyone. When I’m on campus I talk to everyone like the defensive coaches and everyone. It isn’t just one set person.”

Despite taking three visits to Florida this spring the Daytona offensive lineman says that three schools stand out as he gets closer to a decision.

“Florida, Miami and Auburn are still the schools standing out to me right now,” Tatum said. “I wanted to take more visits but right now Auburn will be my last visit for the spring and then I’m going to camp at Florida this summer. I still would like to make my decision before the season so I can focus on my team this season.”

INSIDERS TAKE: Florida and Auburn are the top two teams right now and I think Tatum sees the big opportunity at Florida and if he camps at Florida this summer then I expect Florida to be in great shape.

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.