After going more than two years without getting a commitment from a high school running back, the Gators appear to be on the verge of picking up their second pledge in a week.
Following Terrance Gibbs’ commitment on Friday, all eyes are now on three-star prospect Jaylon Glover out of Lake Gibson High School in Lakeland. He will announce his commitment next Friday. He was in town this weekend for Friday Night Lights and stayed for a barbecue event on Saturday.
“It was good,” Glover said. “First time, I didn’t come with family, and I brought them here. It was a great experience being around the coaches. We had different events. They did the little special ones to try to make it a more in-depth visit. So, I came a little earlier for FNL and got some things done. It was good sitting down with Coach [Greg] Knox and Coach [Dan] Mullen and meeting some more of the staff. It was really cool.”
The Gators are considered huge favorites to secure his commitment, with the competition coming from struggling programs like Florida State, South Carolina, Georgia Tech and Utah.
Having Gibbs already in the class won’t deter Glover from coming to UF. He pointed out that most of the schools that are recruiting him are also trying to sign multiple running backs. He also likes how the Gators’ staff has a history of rotating at least three running backs into games. And, at Knox’s request, he and Gibbs spend some time this weekend and built a solid rapport.
“Coach Mullen said what he wants to do is build his offense around the strengths of his personnel,” he said. “That’s what he told me, and the backs that he has in the room, we’re going to want to compete and get better. So, it’s good to have different skillsets.”
Glover is only listed at 5-foot-7 and 195 pounds, but he’s an electric playmaker in space. He’s rushed for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons and is already Lake Gibson’s career rushing leader. The coaches view him as somebody that they can build their offense around over the next few years.
“Me being on the field definitely gives a team an advantage,” he said. “And then their offense, they use their backs, utilize them in the passing game, running game. So, [Knox] was like, ‘You’re very versatile, and I don’t feel like you have to come off the field.’
“They feel like if they can take an important piece off the team and the team wouldn’t be able to compete to win, those are the guys they want. He says he feels like I’m that type of guy.”
Glover also enjoyed the “Gator Olympics,” a series of light-hearted competitions that the Gators held for recruits on Saturday. Some of the events included throwing water balloons, cornhole, spinning around a baseball bat and throwing a frisbee.
Perhaps more than anything, though, Glover is attracted by the history and tradition of Florida. He knows he’ll have a chance to accomplish everything there is to accomplish in the sport if he decides to be a Gator.
“It’s Florida,” Glover said. “Obviously, you’ve got a good tradition of winning. You’re going to be fighting for a national championship every year. That’s what they’re telling me. And then academically, you can’t go wrong.”