75-of-the-85 players on scholarship at the University of Florida camped at Will Muschamp’s football camp as a high school prospect and on Monday the Gators found another hidden gem out on the practice fields in Gainesville at camp.
That hidden gem was cornerback Jeremy McDuffie (5-11, 180, Snellville, GA Shiloh) and he earned a scholarship offer after he left camp.
“Florida offered me yesterday after they watched me go through camp,” McDuffie said. “Coach [Will] Muschamp told me that they don’t offer a lot of guys without seeing them actually play so that’s why he wanted me to work out at camp. He told me that I earned my scholarship at camp and that he wanted me to be a part of the program.”
During the camp McDuffie had the opportunity to work out with cornerbacks coach Travaris Robinson and he left impressed by the defensive backs coach.
“It was great working with Coach T-Rob during camp,” McDuffie said. “It was upbeat and he was showing me a lot of things out there. It was a fun time. He’s someone that I could see myself playing for because of his energy.”
Will Muschamp is always hands-on with the secondary and during camp he also coached up McDuffie. That’s something that didn’t go unnoticed from the cornerback.
“Coach Muschamp is a cool dude and a great coach,” McDuffie said. “He really impressed me by the way he handled the camp and how he treated everyone. It’s always nice to see the head coach coaching your position himself.”
With 17 offers in hand, McDuffie says that two schools standout but one school is on his mind more than the other.
“Florida and Duke are my top 2 schools right now,” McDuffie said. “I liked Duke when I was up there and it was a great visit but when I went to Florida is great there too. Right now I’m thinking about Florida a lot.”
McDuffie has a few more visits planned this summer but he would like to make a decision before he steps on the gridiron this fall.
“I would like to make my decision before my senior season,” McDuffie said. “I don’t have any set plans to get back down to Florida but I know I want to get back down there. I’m going to Georgia on Wednesday and I’m trying to get to South Carolina and Tennessee.”
Insider Take: McDuffie is a track star and has speed to burn, which is always a plus for a cornerback. McDuffie was a ball hawk at Muschamp’s camp and that’s what impressed him. McDuffie names a top 2 of Duke and Florida but that doesn’t show his ability by any means. McDuffie has several other good offers like South Carolina but academics are very important to him, thus why Duke and Florida are at the top.
McDuffie is someone that Florida fans should keep a close eye on moving forward as he’s someone that I think could round out the cornerback class in 2015 for your Florida Gators.