Gators make big impression on Sterling-Cole

Coaches will never say one prospect is more important than another but I think most would agree that Tuesday was a huge day on the Florida Gators campus.

It was a day that saw top quarterback target Dillon Sterling-Cole (6-2, 185, Houston, TX Westfield) visit the Gators for the first time and he had his family in tow.

“It was great, it was well needed for my recruiting process,” Sterling-Cole said. “Florida is one of my top schools and I needed to go out here and evaluate everything for myself. I needed to see how the chemistry in the locker room was, plus how I related to the coaching staff. It was well needed.”

Sterling-Cole spent the majority of Tuesday on the Gainesville campus, chatting with the coaches and seeing different things, but it was a meeting with offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and head coach Jim McElwain that was the highlight of the trip for the quarterback.

“I sat down with Coach McElwain and Coach Nussmeier and I really got a great feel for what they want me to come in and do,” he said. “They told me about their system at Florida and how they need a quarterback in this class big time. I got a good feel for everything there.”

Over the last few months the Texas quarterback has built a great relationship with Nussmeier and that improved more on Tuesday when the two got to sit down and talk in-person.

“Coach Nussmeier is a great coach and he has coached some of the best quarterbacks to come out of college lately,” he said. “My first impression about him was his personality, that was really cool. He was real straightforward with me. Just speaking to him was just a great experience for me and I feel like we are getting more comfortable with each other.”

McElwain’s system is known for having high scoring offenses and developing players and that’s something that Sterling-Cole notices about Florida’s offense.

“Knowing what they do here and what I do at my high school their system could really boost up my game for the next level in the NFL,” Sterling-Cole said. “Florida runs a pro-style offense and I run a balanced offense in high school, so their system could really boost my game up.”

Sterling-Cole is one of the biggest name quarterbacks still left on the market and he admits that he’s starting to feel some heat from teams.

“I felt pressure from everyone, especially from Florida,” Sterling-Cole said. “This will likely be my last visit of the summer as I head into my season. This visit had a really big impression on my recruitment and I plan on shortening down my list after I get home and go over everything I’ve learned this summer.

Earlier this spring there was some talk that Sterling-Cole would announce at The Opening in July, but he says that’s no longer the case.

“Probably beginning of the season,” he said. “Most likely this was my last visit to a school and right now it’s a tight race between all of the schools. This was a business trip for us and I’m glad I did it.”

 

INSIDERS TAKE: Florida made a huge impression on Sterling-Cole during the visit and the Gators have positioned themselves well to land the talented quarterback. If Sterling-Cole makes a decision early in the season then Florida has a great shot here.

 

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.