Gator Country

As a defensive tackle this season, Tydreke Powell is averaging 14 tackles and 1.5 sacks a game this year. The Ahoskie (NC) Hartford County four star lineman is one of those guys that can just about write his ticket anywhere for college. Farther south, the Florida Gators will lose their top three defensive tackles this year to graduation and are looking hard at Powell. Is there mutual interest?

His Hartford County team is 4-0, ranked sixth in the state. At 6-3, and 284 pounds Powell has used his brute strength and quickness to already total 56 tackles and six sacks. The college coaches are calling him, but he is busy trying to help his team win.

“They are calling,” Tydreke Powell said of the college coaches texting and ringing his phone off the hook. “But, I do not want to talk to anyone because I want to get ready for the big game.”

One team he has been watching closely is North Carolina. He has been to both games that Carolina has played and lost. He is still interested, but definitely looking around elsewhere as the Tar Heels struggle. One of the schools he is interested in is the Florida Gators.

“I don’t have a top list of schools right now, but I will definitely make an official visit down to Florida,” Powell said Wednesday night. “I talked to them, they said they would rather me come down after the season.”

He has been keeping tabs on the Gators and Florida Assistant Coach John “Doc” Holliday has also been keeping tabs on Powell.

“I love the way they play the game, they know how to win,” Powell said of the Gators. “I have built a relationship with Coach Holliday and he is a great guy. I am ready to get down there and see how they coach their guys. I want to talk to some of the guys and see how they coach them. Nobody can tell me more about the coaches than the players since they are around them so long.

The Gators saw how much was missed when their dominant defensive tackle Marcus Thomas was out for the first game. His return marked a big change in the total veracity of the line. Powell is one of those kind of players and would be a welcome addition to what promises to be another top recruiting class for the Florida Gators.

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