The NCAA dead period is officially ending on June 1st and for the first time in over a year schools will be able to hold summer camps for prospects.
One prospect that plans to camp with the Florida Gators in June is kicker Will Bettridge (5-11, 165, Miami, FL. Gulliver Prep) who says the Gators are recruiting him hard.
“They’re recruiting me pretty well,” Bettridge said of Florida. “I talk with Coach [Shayne] Graham a few times a week and we catch up and talk about how spring ball is going and all that. I’ve really only been in contact with him.”
Special teams analyst Shayne Graham has been recruiting Bettridge for the Gators and has a message for the kicker about why he’s needed in Gainesville.
“He says even though they took a preferred walk-on in 2021 that they need a stud in 2022 on scholarship and says it would be a great situation for 2022,” he said on the message from Graham. “He says that staying to kick instate would be cool and special and that Florida has always had great kickers.”
Bettridge is pretty familiar with Graham’s history and his NFL career, plus what he has been able to accomplish why in Gainesville.
“I know that he was a kicker at the highest level and knows what it takes to get there,” Bettridge said of what he knows about Graham. “Also he did a great job with Evan [McPherson] and you can see where he’s now.”
The kicker doesn’t yet have an offer from the Gators but he hopes to earn that offer when he camps with Florida in a few weeks.
“I’m going up June 2nd for a workout with Coach Graham so maybe after that, I will,” Bettridge said on what Florida has told him about an offer. “It would mean a lot because of the reputation of the school and the football program.”
If the Gators do offer Bettridge, the kicker says he would have a lot of interest in Florida for a few reasons.
“I have interest for sure,” he said on his interest in Florida. “I have some other great options in schools but staying in-state would be pretty cool and also they’re big-time SEC football.”