Carroll-Jackson building a connection with the Florida Gators’ coaching staff

On Saturday, the Florida Gators coaching staff handed out a new offer to a prospect who is on the rise after impressing coaches during his senior year.

Offensive lineman Vincent Carroll-Jackson (6-5, 285, Harrisburg, PA. Central Dauphin East) picked up the offer from Florida after talking to the Gators offensive line coaches.

“Coach [Rob] Sale and Coach [Darnell] Stapleton offered me on Saturday,” Carroll-Jackson said. “They were just talking about how they love my film; they love my size and everything like that. They really want to build a connection with me because they see something special, and they feel like I could be a good fit for Florida.”

Carroll-Jackson was impressed and happy to receive an offer from the Gators as he believes Florida is one of the top schools in the country.

“It means everything honestly, it’s the SEC, it’s Florida,” he said on what the offer means to him. “They’re a powerhouse in their own right, they’ve always been one of the top college football teams in history so for them to want me is unbelievable.”

The offensive lineman who’s playing football for the first time this year plays both offensive and defensive line, but the Gators see Carroll-Jackson helping them on offense.

“They offered me on offense so I can move around on the line,” Carroll-Jackson said. “They just said that they see a special talent and that they had to get on it.”

This was the first time for Carroll-Jackson to speak with Sale and Stapleton, but he walked away impressed by both coaches.

“I really like those two, they’re really down to earth,” he said on his impressions of the staff. “I feel like they get me and we’re a part of the same thing. It all connects for us.”

Having two offensive line coaches is something that impressed Carroll-Jackson as well because he believes it shows how focused the Gators are on his position.

“I do like that,” Carroll-Jackson said on Florida having two offensive line coaches. “It shows how focused they’re on the offensive line, us linemen don’t get the same love that quarterbacks and running backs get so I do like that.”

Georgia offered last week and several others are calling Carroll-Jackson so he plans to wait until January to take his official visits.

“I will be doing my visits in January,” he said. “I’m still getting all the details ironed out on who I will visit.”

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.