It’s no secret that the Florida Gators are looking to add depth to the defensive back position in the 2019 class as the Gators are currently going through the 2018 season with a lack of depth at the position.
The Gators currently have three commits at the position and on Monday defensive back LaCarea Pleasant-Johnson (6-0, 170, Phoenix, AZ. Mountain Pointe) named a top three that included Florida, Colorado and Utah.
“Florida made my top 3 for a few reasons,” Pleasant-Johnson said. “One, because of that huge win over Tennessee and there are the DBU of the SEC. I would also get a chance to play early once I get there and I compete with the best.”
Pleasant-Johnson is a new name to most Florida fans but he says he talks to the coaching staff in Gainesville a good bit.
“I talk to them from time to time,” he said on his talks with Florida. “I talk mainly with Coach [Ron] English but I talk with Coach [Charlton] Warren some too but I’m usually busy with football.”
When Pleasant-Johnson talks to safeties coach Ron English, the veteran assistant coach has been explaining what the defensive back needs to do in order to get to Gainesville.
“Coach English tells me to continue pushing on my grades and I’ll be fine to compete at Florida,” Pleasant-Johnson said of the message from Florida. “He sees me playing corner there, which I like because they send their guys to the league so Florida keeps more cornerbacks coming in.”
Pleasant-Johnson being from Arizona hasn’t had the chance to watch as many Florida games as he would’ve liked but he did catch the Gators last game against Tennessee.
“I’ve only caught the Tennessee game,” he said on if he has watched Florida this year. “But by the looks of that, they held a good team under 25 points and I was impressed.”
The Arizona cornerback has never visited Florida before but he says he plans to get out to Gainesville soon and he knows what he wants to see once he gets to the Swamp.
“Some time in October,” Pleasant-Johnson said on when he plans to visit Florida. “I want to learn about their business and communications degrees and life after football for Florida.”
Now that Pleasant-Johnson has cut his list down to three, the cornerback has set a time when he wants to make a decision.
“I’ll make a decision during the first signing period in December,” he said on when he plans to make a decision. “I’m just going to sign early but I won’t enroll until the summer.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Pleasant-Johnson says he doesn’t have date sets for any of his official visits at this time but is in the process of setting those.