Florida Gators helping themselves with Sanders under Mullen

The south endzone of the Swamp on Saturday was slam full of prospects who were on campus to watch the Florida Gators Orange and Blue game.

Running back Trey Sanders (5-11, 216, Bradenton, FL. IMG) was on campus and he likes what Dan Mullen is doing.

“It has been a lot different since Coach Mullen has gotten here,” Sanders said of his visit to Florida on Saturday. “I can see a whole difference in the staff and everything. I just like the vibe up here and of course my brother committed so I came up here to support him and my family.”

Sanders watched the running back position closely on Saturday and he’s close with one of the Gators freshman at the position.

“Dameon Pierce, that’s my boy, I’ve known him since high school,” he said of the running backs. “We’re pretty close and just watching him play, I see he’s getting a lot of playing time.”

The Gators running back room is one of the deepest in the country but Sanders doesn’t fine that to be a big deal in his recruitment.

“The thing about competition is, I went to IMG because I like competition,” Sanders said on Florida’s backfield. “Going to school with a bunch of a running backs isn’t really a big deal because I like competing. I feel like it makes everybody else around me better.”

Running backs coach Greg Knox spoke with Sanders at length on Saturday and really throughout his recruitment about how the running back can fit in at Florida.

“Coach Knox is the main guy for me,” Sanders said on the main coach recruiting him. “He thinks I’m an all-around player, he said I can do everything, run the ball, catch the ball and run routes, all of that. I mean I talk to him about everyday, we have a pretty good relationship.”

The coaching staff at Florida has made Sanders a priority since they arrived and that only increased last month with the running back’s brother Umstead Sanders committed to the Gators.

“They’ve got my brother so of course they’re going to be extra hard on me,” Sanders said on the message from the coaches. “He calls me everyday trying to get me to commit and I try to tell him that I’m trying to take my time. Ever since he committed, he’s like another coach, calling my phone every day.”

With Sanders’ brother committed to Florida, the 2019 prospect admits that the Gators chances have improved because of that.

“It’s big thing for me, cause I always wanted to play with my brother in college,” he said on if having his brother committed helps Florida. “We’ve always talked about that since we was little. I feel like when he committed to Florida, it was a big thing for me.”

Not only is Sanders’ brother working him but his mom is also a huge supporter of the Orange and Blue.

“It’s a dream come true for her because this is her favorite school,” he said on how his mom feels about Florida. “She grew up watching Florida, she loves Florida.”

Mullen and his staff have regained momentum in Sanders’ recruitment after the previous staff wasn’t interesting the running back as much.

“Oh yeah big time, this is like my third time coming in like four weeks,” Sanders said if the new staff has made Florida more appealing to him. “Coach Mullen has just changed this place all-around since the last time I was up here. Everything has just changed, the coaching staff and the players.”

After the visit, Sanders spoke highly of Florida but didn’t want to name any favorites but did say when he expects to have those favorites.

“I don’t have any favorites,” Sanders said. “Probably like during the season.”

INSIDERS TAKE: Sanders says he doesn’t have any favorites but Florida is definitely a team high on the running back’s board.

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.