The Florida Gators hosted 2019 athlete Jashawn Sheffield (6-1, 178, Saint Simons Island, GA) along with his team out of Frederica Academy in its 7-on-7 tournament Friday.
The 4-star athlete, who has held an offer from Florida since January of 2016, got the chance to make more of a connection with Jim McElwain and the other coaches during his visit.
“Good, great,” Sheffield said of his time in Gainesville. “I mean, I got to talk to Coach Mac one on one. He wanted me to bring my mom next time I come and then we’ll sit down and have some more one on one time. He’s telling me to keep my grades straight. I just had a great time here showing them that I can really play.”
Sheffield was impressed by the more personal recruiting technique Florida uses, with an interest in his family, his personal life and his grades, rather than solely in what he can do on the football field.
“It makes me feel great, because some colleges, they don’t even do that. They just give me an offer and I don’t hear from them ever again. So, I like that he’s trying to get to know me and I’m getting to know him.”
Florida coaches are telling him that he needs to be a Gator, and Sheffield might just be coming around to the idea. He previously listed Florida State, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia as his top schools out of more than 20 offers, but after this visit, Florida has put itself in the mix of that list.
“Florida has moved up a lot,” he said. “Florida used to be, I ain’t gonna lie, they used to be low. After this visit, they moved up a lot. They moved up a lot.”
Sheffield is a guy who can play on either side of the ball. He had 810 rushing yards, 134 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns last season as a sophomore. On defense, he added 15 tackles, two sacks and a pick-six.
Most schools are recruiting Sheffield as a wide receiver, but at this point Florida hasn’t made it clear to him where exactly he would fit in.
“I think I’m just gonna be an athlete if I come,” he said.
Sheffield has no set timeline for when he wants to commit, saying he needs to sit down with his mom and weigh all his options before he makes a final decision. His mother’s opinion will play a big role in his decision, but in the end, she is leaving it up to him.
“She really doesn’t care,” Sheffield said on his mother’s thoughts. “She really just wants me to go where I feel like I’m most comfortable, where I’m gonna do well at and won’t get in trouble.”