Now that campus visits have been put on hold, the Florida Gators big junior day two weeks ago looks to be even more valuable as they got the last face-to-face talks with a lot of these prospects.
One of those guys that was on campus for that junior day was defensive end Tunmise Adeleye (6-3, 240, Bradenton, FL.IMG) and he had a good time connecting with everyone.
“I enjoyed my time there,” Adeleye said of his visit to Florida for junior day. “I enjoyed connecting with some of the players and connecting with the coaches again.”
This was the second visit this winter for Adeleye to Florida and he says the last visit really helped him see how things are run in Gainesville.
“I wouldn’t say I learned anything different but I just got a chance to see what a day on campus would be like and how I would feel if I was a student at the University of Florida,” he said. “I feel like earlier I was already comfortable but this visit really helped solidify things there and I can see myself there not only as an athlete but as a student too.”
Defensive line coach David Turner has been the main recruiter for Adeleye and he explained during the visit how big of a need the IMG prospect was to Florida.
“The general conversation with him was that I’m priority number one for him,” Adeleye said of his talk with Turner. “He told me that there’s two guys that he’s really looking to get this class but I’m number one for him and he’s not going to stop recruiting me.”
Turner also has been explaining to Adeleye just how the Gators would use him and their message is hitting home with the defensive lineman.
“He’s telling me that I’ll move around and that’s one thing that he has told me that’s swaying me to Florida is he talks about my versatility,” he said. “I feel like at the next level that if you can show off your versatility it will help because that’s what a lot of GM’s and coaches are looking for.”
Adeleye has raved about his relationship with Turner in the past and the genuine connection they have is something the defensive lineman likes about Turner.
“He’s like a father figure to me,” Adeleye said of his relationship with Turner. “He always checks in on me, my family, he’s always asking about how my mom, dad and my sisters are doing. He’s a person that’s really genuine and I’m very big on people being genuine.”
Since Adeleye is at IMG now, the defensive lineman has been taking visits by himself but he says he hopes to change that next.
“I would say getting my parents on campus,” he said on what’s next for him to see at Florida. “My dad has already been on campus once already but I think the next step is getting my mom, my dad and my three sisters on campus and see how they like it. This is a big decision for me.”
Adeleye had hoped to take official visits this summer but he says that has all been pushed back now.
“I have no idea, this coronavirus stuff has really messed up my spring and messed up everything,” Adeleye said on when he wants to take his official to Florida. “This whole spring was kind of dedicated to me finding out what schools would get officials so now that there’s no spring basically, it’s hard to determine which schools will get officials. I think I will use this summer for that.”