Eubanks is impressed by Florida’s coaches

Florida Gators coach Jim McElwain uses the tight end position as much as any coaches does in his offense, but after senior Jake McGee the Gators are very inexperienced at the position.

On Monday the Gators had the opportunity to host tight end Nick Eubanks (6-6, 208, Plantation, FL American Heritage) on a visit and he received some good news from McElwain following the visit to Gainesville.

“It was good, very good,” Eubanks said of his Florida visit. “The head coach, Coach McElwain was the coach that offered me a scholarship after the visit. He just said that Florida is a great opportunity for me and that I would fit well into their offense there and that I had an offer from the University of Florida.”

McElwain makes no mistake about his need for a tight end and on Monday he showed Eubanks how important the position is in Florida’s offense.

“He was telling me how important a tight end is for his offense,” he said of McElwain’s message. “It was great to watch film with him and see how good of a fit I would be in his offense. I liked the type of offense they run and I would love to become better in that offense. I know that I could stand up and have my hand in the ground some too.”

Tight ends coach Greg Nord played a big part in Monday’s visit and he also showed Eubanks film of the Gators offense. He also had a strong message for the South Florida prospects.

“I spoke to all of the coaches during the visit,” Eubanks said. “They have a great coaching staff there. Coach Nord is a good guy and he was telling me about the formations and packages that they use and how I could become better in their offense. He said that I can be a better tight end by playing in their offense by catching the ball and blocking.”

Eubanks, who visited LSU, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee this past week, had high praise for the Florida Gators coaching staff after the visit to Gainesville.

“That was the best coaching staff that I have visited,” he said of Florida’s staff. “I think they are telling the truth about the offense they are running and how bad they need me there. I think they are telling the truth when they say that I will be a perfect fit in their offense.”

The Gators were late offering Eubanks a scholarship, but the tight end says that Florida is a team in contention for his signature.

“Florida is in the race for me because I was kind of waiting on this offer to come,” Eubanks said. “I was basically waiting on them to offer and I have a spot for them in my top list already. I’m narrowing it down right now and I will have a top six or seven by the end of the week. I will have a decision in the month of January.”

 

INSIDERS TAKE: Eubanks is a perfect fit for the Florida Gators offense and he says he will take an official visit to Gainesville. Alabama has always been considered the top team because his brother attends there but Florida is trying to get in the thick of things for the big tight end.

 

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.