Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain hasn’t used the bye week to catch up on sleep. Instead he’s been all across the country recruiting the next Gator.
Tuesday saw the Gators head man visit the state of Georgia, where he visited 2018 Michigan safety commit Otis Reese (6-2, 195, Leesburg, GA. Lee County) at his school and gave the safety some good news.
“I’m blessed to get an offer from Florida,” Reese said. “It was exciting to get it. Florida has a lot of tradition and they’ve had a lot of good players come through the program. They always have a good defense and it’s honor to have an offer from Florida.”
McElwain wasn’t able to give the offer directly to Reese but he made sure that the safety knew that the Gators were offering him.
“Coach McElwain the head coach was actually the coach that offered me, he told my coach that I was offered when he was at my school,” he said of the offer. “Coach McElwain was watching my film with my coach and he told my coach that he liked what he saw and wanted to offer me.”
The Gators head coach also spoke directly with Reese over the phone where he gave him a brief message from Florida.
“They said that my film impressed them a lot,” Reese said. “I actually called him and he told me to keep working hard and improving every day. He told me that we needed to win a ring, I told most definitely because that’s what we’re focusing on.”
Reese last visited Florida for the Gators spring game but the safety has been watching Florida this spring and is impressed by them.
“Their defensive backs are real good, they have some ball hogs down there,” he said of the Gators secondary. “Florida’s defensive backs are always the strong suit for them. They keep up the tradition down there and they’re always good football players.”
That offer from Florida has grabbed Reese’s attention and he says he plans to look at the Gators despite his commitment.
“I have interest in Florida, Florida is just Florida,” Reese said of his interest in the Gators. “A kind of school like Florida, you have to be interested in them even though I’m still verbally committed to Michigan. Florida is a good school and I just can’t over look at that.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Reese says he may visit Florida for the South Carolina game but one thing is for sure and that’s that the Gators have the defensive back’s attention. Reese is one of the top safeties in class of 2018 and someone Florida will be recruiting hard.