Gator Country

It's been a busy 10 days for Myles Wade. The 6-foot-2, 305-pound defensive tackle from Central Catholic in Portland, Ore. had such a good camp leading up to the 2007 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Tex., that he started the game for the west. Apparently some schools were taking notice.

“I got a new offer today,” Wade told Scout.com Thursday night. “It’s from the (Florida) Gators.”

Now for a kid from the northwest, an offer from an SEC powerhouse would be a neat thing to tell your kids about down the road, but since they are now also the reigning BCS champs, having just dismantled Ohio State 41-14 on Monday, it puts a whole new twist on Wade’s recruitment.

“Ever since June 30th, I’ve been a (Oregon) Duck,” he said. “I’m still a Duck right now. I just wish Florida had come into the picture a lot sooner.”

Because he hasn’t seen Florida, he said that the chances right now that he’ll sign with Oregon February 7th are 100 percent, but with this new offer things are now up in the air.

“They’ve never offered anyone from Oregon before,” Wade said of the Gators’ tender. “I didn’t believe it at first. But they told me that they need to reload on the defensive line, and when it comes from a school like that, you’ve got to listen. And this might just open things up for more offers too.”

Wade wanted to make it clear that he hasn’t set up any visits or anything else with any other team besides Oregon, but this latest news has him intrigued. “I’m going to start to consider Florida, but I’m still a Duck,” he said. “I’m going to listen to what they have to say, but at the same time I believe in Oregon and Coach (Michael) Gray, Coach (Neal) Zoumboukos and Coach (Mike) Bellotti. They offered me way back and proved to me that I’m the player that I think I am.

“Now it’s just a matter of what Florida has to say.”

More Football | RSS