Thursday was an extremely busy day for the Florida coaching staff as coaches visited multiple schools in multiple states during the day and evening.
During the morning hours, defensive line coach Brad Lawing paid a visit to see defensive end Houshun Gaines (6-4, 210, Rocky Mount, NC Nash Central) and gave him some good news.
“Coach [Brad] Lawing was actually by my school early on Thursday and that’s when he told my coach that he was offering me,” Gaines said. “It was kind of weird the way it happened because I was on my way to second period and I saw a coach from Florida walking down the hall with a symbol on his jacket and I didn’t really say anything but I walked into my coach’s office and that’s where my coach told me that I had an offer from Florida.”
After Lawing left Gaines school on Thursday the defensive end called the Gators coach to talk to him about the scholarship offer.
“I called Coach Lawing afterwards and he was telling me that he wants me at Florida,” Gaines said. “He said look man, I’m going to cut to the chase, I want you and I like your film. He said you have a scholarship from Florida.”
When Gaines was on the phone with Lawing on Thursday the defensive line coach told him where he would play on the Florida defense.
“Coach Lawing was telling me that they run the 3-4 defense and that they want me at a position called the BUCK,” Gaines said. “He said it’s pretty much the outside linebacker/defensive end that stands up. He said that they didn’t sign anyone last year and that they need some players for that position this year.”
For Gaines the offer from Florida means a lot to him for several reasons one including that he grew up a fan of the orange and blue.
“This offer means a lot because it’s my first SEC offer so far,” Gaines said. “Florida is also a school that I grew up watching and rooting for. It’s an insane offer and it blew me away. I’m really excited about it.”
The North Carolina defensive end has flown under the radar for most of the spring but he says a few schools are recruiting him hard. The offer from Florida on Thursday has made him take a step back and reevaluate his recruitment.
“Right now Florida, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Virginia and a couple of other schools are recruiting me hard right now,” Gaines said. “To be honest after today I’m going to sit back and reevaluate everything and go into the summer with an open mind.”
This summer will be very important to Gaines recruitment as he has a few schools he wants to visit including Florida.
“I plan to take a visit there this summer and I also plan to take an official visit there this fall,” Gaines said of the Gainesville campus. “I’m not sure if I’m going to go to camp or not since they offered me but I do plan to visit this summer.”