Gator Country

Even with Lakeland's very tall, very large Pouncey Twins close by it wasn't difficult to notice the very large presence of Maurice Holloway at The Swamp last Saturday night when the Florida Gators beat UCF. At 6-7, 320, the big lineman out of Orlando's Lake Highland Prep gets noticed, even in a crowd of big guys.

Holloway has the size you can’t teach and he has the skills that may make him a good fit on either side of the ball. He plays both ways at Lake Highland and he’s being recruited by some schools as an offensive tackle, by others as a defensive tackle. Florida’s co-defensive coordinators Charlie Strong and Greg Mattison might be eyeballing the big guy to become a presence on their highly ranked defensive unit.

The Swamp was a mind blowing experience for Holloway. It was his very first experience at a Florida game. In fact, it was his first time ever to a college football game.

“It was awesome,” Holloway said. “It was like my first college football game and I loved it. The atmosphere was phenomenal. I talked to Coach Mattison and Coach Strong.”

He also saw Florida dominate the play on the field and was pretty impressed.

“42-0 you really can’t say much,” he said. “The offense was clicking and the defense was kind of shaky at first, but the second quarter UCF just laid down and Florida just kicked them over.”

The experience was enough to really make the big man think about the Gators.

“The Gators moved up in my top three after the visit,” Holloway said. “Right now it’s N.C. State, Florida State and Florida.”

He has exceptional physical tools for a man his size but it is his versatility that really catches the eyes of the recruiters. Although Lake Highland is off to an 0-3 start, losing three very close games, Holloway is carrying his share of the load. He has 12 total tackles including three for a loss and one fumble recovery. Over on offense, he is averaging 6-7 pancake blocks per game.

Holloway took a moment to discuss his three favorite schools:

FLORIDA: “I was in Gainesville for a Nike camp. It is real nice, the facilities are awesome. It is a really good football town. Everyone takes pride in their football.”

FLORIDA STATE: “Playing for Bobby Bowden, he is my number one.”

N.C. STATE: “Chuck Amato is a defensive guru. He sent three to the draft.”

Right now he holds offers from NC State, Auburn, South Carolina, Alabama, FIU, Illinois, and Indiana. He is busy trying to set up an official to N.C. State. The big time lineman who says a lot of people compare him to former Gator Max Starks, another Lake Highland Prep alum, also should be in attendance at most likely two more Gator games.

“Hopefully I will go to another UF game,” he said. “I will also be going to the Florida State-Florida game in Tallahassee.”

Maurice Holloway is definitely one to keep an eye on in the near future. A guy that could play on either side of the ball could be a hot commodity in recruiting. One that is that big and can do so should be able to find himself a nice place to call home for four years.

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