Gator Country

Instead of a summer on the beach or maybe a summer filled with unofficial visits to college campuses, Vinston Painter has been a stay-at-home type. Mostly, he's been in the gym or at the practice field trying to improve his strength and endurance. He wants to be in top flight condition for the upcoming high school football season.

(See Vinston Painter profile)

“I have been working out and getting ready for this season with my team,” he said. “I’ve been doing a lot of running and lifting. My bench press is about 405 pounds and it is higher than I thought it would be at. But, I still want to get stronger.”

Painter did take two unofficial visits this summer (Florida and Virginia Tech) and he also narrowed his list down to five select schools: Florida, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Miami and Penn State.

“They are the main schools that I have been talking to this summer, so I felt like their coaches are really interested in me,” he said. “I think the coaches at each school would really take care of me if I go there. They are all pretty good teams so that helps.”

Of his top five, he said that Virginia Tech and Miami have been recruiting him the hardest.

Painter said he doesn’t anticipate making any kind of cut or decision soon. Instead of a quick decision, he wants to take his time and weigh all his options.

“I want to try to take all five of my official visits,” Painter said. “But, if I need to make a cut before I can then I will.”

There are several things the offensive lineman is looking for in a future home.

“I want a school with a good business program, a good football team, a good coaching staff and a good overall environment,” he said.

The Florida coaching staff, mainly Coach (Urban) Meyer and Coach (Billy) Gonzales have been in constant contact with Painter, including a call earlier this week.

“When I talked to them early on we talked about school,” he said. “Now we just kind of have basic conversations, just catching up.”

In addition to hearing from coaches, Painter has also been hearing from players.

“I have a couple of old teammates at Tech and they are trying to get me to go there,” Painter said. “Also, E.J. Manuel is going to Florida State and he has been trying to get me to go there.”

Talking to current players is something that Painter has found beneficial.

“Most of the players are really honest with me,” he said. “They tell me what they like and what they don’t like about their school.”

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About the author

Ryan Moss

Ryan Moss recently graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Marketing in the spring of 2008 and have since left “Title Town” and returned back to Northern Virginia. In addition to working for Gator Country, he also works for a startup-consulting firm that specializes in online marketing called Eyetraffic Media. Ryan is a die hard Gator fan who was fortunate enough to have attended all three national championships.

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