When National Signing Day was over with earlier this month, it looked like the Florida Gators recruiting class of 2016 was finished, but not so fast.
Jim McElwain and his coaching staff are still looking for more pieces to add to the team and they offered one last week.
Defensive tackle Josiah Coatney (6-5, 285, Goodman, MS Holmes C.C) has been talking to the Gators as of late and received the offer late last week.
“Coach [Randy] Shannon offered me last Thursday,” Coatney said. “He was saying that he needs me in the program because they didn’t sign any defensive tackles in this class. They said they would like to get me in and bring me into the program as a defensive tackle.”
Shannon made sure to tell Coatney that he would be used in different positions on the line, much like Florida did with Jonathan Bullard.
“He said that I’m interchangeable on the defensive line and that he just wants me to join BDN [best defensive in the nation],” he said. “He told me that I can play 3-technique and 5-technique because of my body frame. He said that I would have a chance to play early on the line too.”
Coatney hasn’t met any of the Gators coaches yet but he’s been talking to several of them, including defensive line coach Chris Rumph.
“I’ve been talking to Coach [Chris] Rumph all weekend and some last week,” Coatney said. “He has been telling me that I could be a great addition to the team and if I’m ready to play this year then I’ll play. He said that he just wants me to get down there as soon as possible and see everything.”
The defensive tackle is originally from Georgia, so he knows a few things about the Florida Gators program.
“They always have a good defense, the offense wasn’t that good this year because of the quarterback situation though,” he said. “I like how the defense is always flying around the football and creating turnovers. They just do the little things that defenses should do and they’re usually a good football team.”
Coatney does have a familiar face in Gainesville as one of his JUCO teammates is at Florida and that helps the Gators out.
“We’re in the process now of scheduling of visit to Florida,” Coatney said. “I have a lot of interest in Florida and my old teammate Dre [Massey] goes there and he likes it a lot. I just want to get a feel of the school and talk to the players and coaches.”
The JUCO prospect has more eligibility remaining then most prospects as he just arrived in JUCO this past year.
“I’m going to graduate in May and enroll in school in June,” he said. “I have four years to play three wherever I go to school at. I still have my redshirt year available to me.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Coatney says that he plans to take official visits to Florida, South Carolina, Alabama and Ole Miss but only the South Carolina visit is set up right now. The defensive tackle says he has been talking to Dre Massey a lot about Florida and also is developing a relationship with Chris Rumph.
That would be a big pick up considering they didn’t get a DT and he would fit the roll Bullard played this year great. Hopefully they can get him.