It’s a busy week on the Florida Gators campus this week and it started on Monday when athlete Tray Bishop (6-3, 193, Dawson, GA Terrell County) visited campus.
Bishop, who has several visits planned over the next few days, explained his long week that includes a return to Gainesville for Friday Night Lights.
“I was at Georgia on Saturday, then Florida on Sunday and Monday,” Bishop said. “I’m on my way to my 7-on-7 now and then after that I’m going home to take a shower then head to Alabama. I’ll be at the house on Wednesday and Thursday and then leave out Friday morning for Florida and stay there until Saturday morning. After that I’m heading out to Auburn.”
The Georgia athlete got the red carpet treatment on Monday as the coaching staff took Bishop around campus so he could see what the Gators have to offer.
“When I got in on Sunday, I was tired, so I got some sleep and then went on campus today [Monday],” he said of what all he did at Florida. “This morning I got to watch the defensive backs work out and I got a full tour of the campus. I like the campus and I like the new academic center. They were telling me that they were renovating the facilities for my class.”
Bishop called the campus tour nice, but says the business meetings with the Gators coaching staff is what stood out.
“I sat down with the defensive backs coach [Torrian Gray] and we had a business conversation,” Bishop said. “After that I sat with the defensive coordinator [Geoff Collins] and had a business conversation with him. It went good and I got to speak to coach [Jim] McElwain over the phone because he’s on his way home from Montana because his daughter got married.”
Defensive backs coach Torrian Gray got things started off on the right foot by laying everything out for Bishop to see and he was impressed.
“Coach Gray showed me a depth chart of the defensive backs and the playing time that I could get my freshman year if I come to Florida,” he said of Gray’s message. “He was telling me that he isn’t going to sugar coat anything. He had everything laid out for me; they had the depth chart, how many players were leaving early and how many they’re bringing in. What I see I really liked.”
Bishop who plays quarterback and defensive back in high school says that Gray explained how he would fit into the Gators defense.
“Coach Gray said that I can play anywhere in the secondary because I’m an athlete,” Bishop said. “He said that I’m going to start off at corner and play there until I show them that I can’t play corner anymore and then I’ll move to safety.”
While Bishop was meeting with Gray in his office, the Georgia athlete got the chance to meet and speak with two current Florida defensive backs.
“It was pretty nice to talk to [Jalen] Tabor and Quincy [Wilson],” he said. “I never thought I would get to meet them up close personal and have a conversation with them. They said that ‘DBU is the place to be if you want to play defensive back.’ They told me that they have the greatest defensive back coach in the country and that they want me to join the family.”
Defensive coordinator Geoff Collins made Bishop feel special and wanted during their conversation on Monday.
“Coach Collins he told me that it’s fun to watch my highlight film because I ball,” Bishop said of Collins message. “He broke the depth chart down and told me that there was no doubt it if I come to Florida that I’m playing. He said that I’m playing my freshman year.”
Heading into the Florida visit Bishop was planning on announcing his decision soon, but he says those plans have been pushed back.
“This visit made me reevaluate my recruiting process,” Bishop said. “Right now I’m going to push my decision date and evaluate everything.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Auburn is the favorite for Bishop right now, but with him pushing his decision back the Gators appear to be even more in the mix. This weekend’s visits could go a long way to deciding Bishop’s final school.