Tuesday was a big day for the Florida Gators recruiting efforts as the coaching staff went out on the road for the first time for the evaluation period.
One of the first visits made on Tuesday was to see offensive lineman John Campbell (6-5, 284, Orlando, FL. Dr. Phillips) and he received a visit from two Gators coaches.
Offensive line coach Brad Davis was one of those seeing Campbell and it was his first trip as a Gators coach on the road.
“Coach [Kerry] Dixon and Coach Davis was both there,” Campbell said of the Gators visiting him. “It went great with them, they told my coach that I was the first prospect they visited and I’m a top priority for them. It was great seeing them. I will say that those are the coolest coaches that I’ve met.”
Campbell was very excited to see the Gators on Tuesday and to know that he’s the first prospect they visited meant even more to him.
“It means a lot, it shows that I’m a top priority for them,” he said of what it means to be the first to get a visit. “It shows that they have high interest in me too. It means a lot.”
Davis and Campbell have visited with each other several times in Gainesville and the message remains the same from the Gators.
“He stresses to me a lot that he isn’t into the whole recruiting messages thing, he’s more into getting to know his players,” Campbell said of Davis’ message. “He says that he wants to build a family up there.”
Two weeks ago, Campbell got the chance to see Davis coach in the spring game and his message was backed up by what the lineman seen on the field.
“He said that I can come in and play early,” he said. “The offensive line has improved a lot from Coach Summers to Coach Davis and I can really see a chance for me to play early.”
Receivers coach Kerry Dixon took over Campbell’s area as the main recruiter and he also delivered a message to Campbell through his coach on Tuesday.
“He’s really laid back and he’s been telling me that they really want me,” Campbell said of Dixon’s message. “He says that they really need me there to help them win a national championship.”
Campbell doesn’t hesitate to call Dixon and Davis two of his favorite coaches to talk to and he explained why that is the case.
“They really get how kids are and they’re kind of young,” he said of the Gators two coaches. “They really get their players and they understand how this process works for us kids.”
Over the last few months, Campbell has been in Gainesville three times and he’s just following a goal he had early on in his life.
“It has always been a dream, I’ve always talked about Florida since I was a kid,” Campbell said on why he likes Florida. “I’ve just stuck with it and it’s just a dream of mine.”
Despite having a dream to play for Florida, Campbell says he doesn’t have any kind of leader right now.
“Everybody is the same right now,” he said. “I know I’m going to Miami this weekend to watch their little game and then I’m going to go to Alabama at the end of this month.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Florida and Miami are the two teams that have Campbell’s attention right now but Davis and Dixon have really helped Florida out a lot here. The Gators will continue to push to get him on campus as Campbell plans to early enroll in January at the school of his choice.