Gilliam enjoys Florida Gators virtual visit

The Florida Gators are like every other school in America as they aren’t able to host prospects on campus but on Monday the Gators hosted a virtual visit with an out of state prospect.

Defensive end Kelvin Gilliam (6-3, 250, Highland Springs, VA. High) took the visit with the Gators and got to see a lot of stuff during the virtual visit.

“It was great, it was all-access,” Gilliam said of his virtual visit with Florida on Monday. “First thing they showed me a welcoming piece of the Hawkins center, then had a great conversation with the entire staff, literally the entire staff was on there. They showed me some videos of campus, it was so interactive.”

Gilliam admitted that Florida’s virtual visit was different than other schools as Dan Mullen was active in this visit with the videos.

“It wasn’t like basic Youtube videos, it was of Coach Mullen showing me these buildings, that’s what I loved,” he said on what he liked about the visit. “Some people show Youtube videos of campus, they had a creative and hands on video.”

Defensive line coach David Turner explained to Gilliam just where the Gators see him playing and who they see him playing like on the current team.

“They see me as the next Zach Carter, that was the guy for them that played a lot of positions last year,” Gilliam said on where the defensive staff told him he would play. “We went through his film and what they see me doing like him, they want me to play nose tackle, defensive tackle and defensive end.”

Turner and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham explained to Gilliam why he could play early in Gainesville.

“They were telling me about the depth chart,” he said. “They have five guys ahead of me but with them playing all the positions, there’s a great chance for me to play early.”

Head coach Dan Mullen also spent a lot of time with Gilliam on Monday and explained some things to the defensive end.

“We had a great conversation and a long talk, I asked why Florida has been great for so long and where he sees me at,” Gilliam said of his conversation with Mullen. “I asked him his goals and it was just a great conversation. He told me that the SEC is great for defensive linemen and Florida is a great family base school with a great fan base.”

Despite it being an online visit, Gilliam admits that the Gators helped themselves through the virtual visit.

“It opened my eyes and they’re a big priority for me now,” he said of his thoughts on Florida after the visit. “Coach Mullen told me the next step is to get down there on campus.”

The Gators have some tough competition for Gilliam as he draws closer to a decision.

“Penn State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia Tech,” Gilliam said on schools recruiting him hard. “I would like to make a decision in early fall or late summer.”

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.