On Saturday, several of the top prospects in the country were on campus in Gainesville to watch practice and meet with the coaching staff.
Defensive back Zayden Gamble (6-0, 190, Fort Lauderdale, FL. St. Thomas Aquinas) was on campus and got to see a lot of things and talk to the entire staff.
“It was a great visit,” Gamble said of his visit to Florida on Saturday. “We got to watch practice, go into the meeting rooms, talk to Coach [Jon] Sumrall and the rest of the coaches.”
Gamble went and watched practice and he liked how the team practice with energy and were also competing.
“It was very intense,” he said of practice. “It was a very energetic practice; guys were flying around having fun. It definitely stood out to me, it was competitive out there and they were definitely getting after it.”
The defensive back paid close attention to the safety group and he likes how safeties coach Chris Collins coaches the position.
“I watched Coach [Chris] Collins mainly,” Gamble said. “It was great learning and watching him teach his craft and coach. He’s a very poised guy and he stays poised and stays calm even though he really gets to the detail. It was great watching him coach because he could potentially be my coach for the next three or four years of my life.”
Collins spoke at length with Gamble about why the Gators want him and what they like about his game.
“He wants me, there’s nothing more I can say besides those three words,” he said on the message from Collins. “He likes that I’m physical and a very instinctive player which will lead and translate to the next level. I have the highest football IQ on the field at all times and so he likes that and the way I attack the ball.”
Head coach Jon Sumrall spoke with Gamble as well and the defensive back really likes how Sumrall cares about the player as a person as well as the player.
“He wants me to be a Gator,” Gamble said of Sumrall’s message. “He genuinely wants me to be a Gator but he also is there for me as a person as well. It’s not just football, he said something that stuck out to me, he said we do want you to come here but wherever you go, we know you’re going to be that guy.”
After the visit, Gamble says the Gators are leading in his recruitment, but several other programs are in the mix.
“They’re number one right now,” he said on where Florida stands for him. “Miami, Notre Dame, and Ohio State are probably the biggest other ones right now.”
After Gamble takes official visits, he says he will make his decision this summer before his senior year.
“I’m going to make my decision on July 16th,” Gamble said.