2017 receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones (6-1, 188, Detroit, MI Cass Tech) is one of the Florida Gators top targets at receiver for 2017 and two weeks ago he was in Orlando competing at the Under Armour All-American combine.
“It’s great to be out here competing against the best in the country,” Peoples-Jones said at the Under Armour combine. “Iron sharpens iron and I’m just honored to be able to come out here and compete. I wanted to show that I could compete against everyone.”
Peoples-Jones may be a 2017 target but he says he hears from three Gators coaches a lot including head coach Jim McElwain.
“I talk to Coach [Kerry] Dixon and Coach McElwain from Florida,” he said. “They’ve been in touch with me and they came up to my school when they visited David Reese but I didn’t get to see them then. I have been in touch a lot though and I also talk to Coach [Doug] Nussmeier.”
The big 2017 target has already visited the Florida Gators once when he camped at Friday Night Lights and Peoples-Jones told McElwain he will be back for another visit to Gainesville.
“Coach McElwain pretty much is telling me what everyone is telling me in that they want me really bad,” Peoples-Jones said. “He said that he can’t wait to get me back down there again. I told him that I would definitely be back down there to visit them.”
Since Peoples-Jones wasn’t able to visit the Gators this fall he was watching on TV and he believes the Florida Gators had a good 2015 season.
“Florida did pretty well this season despite all of the coaching changes,” he said of Florida’s season. “I think they still have some needs there. I know they need big receivers bad.”
Peoples-Jones may be from Michigan but he grew pulling for the team in the Orange and Blue, but the Florida Gators will still have to work hard to get the receiver to sign with the Gators.
“My decision has always been a business decision but I liked Florida a lot growing up,” Peoples-Jones said. “I liked them because of Percy Harvin and Tim Tebow but I’m going to weigh out my options and make the best decision for me.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Peoples-Jones has a really good relationship with Doug Nussmeier and he recently released a top ten consisting of Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC in no order. The Gators will be a team in the mix until the end.