Gator Country

As the Under All-Americans competed in the first day of practice, Florida Gators commitment Matt Rolin (Briar Woods/Ashburn, Va.) was forced to sit out due to an ACL injury he suffered earlier in the season.

Although he won’t be participating this week, Rolin is still enjoying himself so far in Orlando.

“It’s awesome,” Rolin said. “To be named an All-American is a blessing so I’m just enjoying it.”

Throughout the afternoon, the 6-foot-4, 209-pound linebacker was spending time with fellow Gators commitment Marcel Harris, who is also sitting out with an MCL injury.

“I got to hang with some of the Florida commits. I’ve been hanging out with Marcel Harris a lot since he’s injured too,” Rolin said. “We hadn’t talked before this day, so we’re developing kind of a close bond.”

Rolin flipped to the Gators after being committed to South Carolina since May of last year. He took a surprise official visit to Gainesville at the beginning of December and switched his commitment a week later. Rolin received a lot of criticism from fans over social media, but it was his family that helped him through that process.

“[My family] all graduated from South Carolina, but they wanted me to go where I was most comfortable and where I felt I had the best opportunity to play,” Rolin said. “They were very supportive of my decision and the decommitment. I’m thankful for all of them, because they’ve put up with it well.”

Rolin will be an early enrollee starting next week, but with his ACL injury, he isn’t expected to be able to play until the summer. He’s unsure of the coaches’ plans for him in his freshman season.

“They said around June or July I should be back,” Rolin said. “The coaches haven’t told me yet [about redshirting]. I don’t think they plan on redshirting me, but I don’t really know. They said it depends on my recovery.”

“I’m excited [about getting to Florida],” Rolin said. “I’m excited to start class and everything.”

About the author

DrewLaing

Drew Laing is a junior at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. Before college, Drew lived in Lakeland, Fla., his entire life. He began in journalism during his senior year of high school and has continued studying it throughout college. In addition to his internship at Gator Country, he is the Editor-In-Chief of The Samford Crimson and a collegiate correspondent for USA Today. Drew enjoys the finer things in life like Tampa Bay Rays baseball and PB&J sandwiches.

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