Wednesday was a pretty slow on the Gainesville campus as the Florida Gators didn’t have spring practice and didn’t host many prospects but the one prospect they did host was a big one.
Cornerback Chad Clay (5-11, 169, Suwanee, GA Peachtree Ridge) has visited Florida twice but this was the first time for him to meet the new coaching staff for the Gators.
“It went good, I was there most of the day on Wednesday so it was good,” Clay said. “I got to hang out with the coaching staff and meet everyone and I also got to sit in on some meetings. I was able to watch film with the team too.”
Clay has been talking to defensive backs coach Kirk Callahan a lot and he feels as if Callahan is someone that he can get along with.
“I really liked coach Callahan, we had a real good talk,” Clay said. “He’s a real fun kind of coach, he isn’t a boring type of coach. The players really like him and I could see why.”
During the visit Callahan talked to Clay about how much defensive backs are at Florida despite the big names that are already on campus now.
“He told me that they really wanted me bad and need me,” Clay said. “When you look at the roster, they don’t really have a lot of defensive backs and the ones they do have are going to be either graduating or going to the NFL in the next couple of years. He said that he thinks that I can come in early and play after those guys.”
Head coach Jim McElwain sat down with Clay and his father on Wednesday but the talk wasn’t about football, rather about the University of Florida in general.
“Coach McElwain mainly was talking to about the program and the school more than football,” Clay said. “He was telling me about his plans to turn the program around and how he plans to get Florida back to where it used to be and how it should be. He was also telling me about the academics at Florida.”
After taking several visits this spring the Georgia cornerback says that three schools are standing out as he gets close to a decision.
“Right now it’s a tie between Georgia, Florida and Ohio State at the top,” Clay said. “I don’t have any visits planned right now but I’ve telling most of the coaches that I plan to make my decision after the spring. I’m going to try and get back to Florida and Georgia before I make a decision.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Right now I would say that Georgia is the school to beat, but a return trip to Florida would certainly help Florida out. The Gators see Clay as a nickel or outside corner in the Florida defense.
Looks like an excellent back for the Gators, not let’s get him and start signing some OL. I’m still having a problem with the situation Muschamp left the Gators in. What would it have been like if he didn’t get fired. For the past four years, I’ve been told “what a great guy he is and how he remembers everyone’s name” Really, great guys don’t get a 6 million dollar buy out and in less than two weeks, starts working for a team we compete against. He needed a job? with that money he could have purchased a small island and relaxed for a year. Good guy my A$$.