Hicks has a connection to the Florida Gators coaching staff

Last Friday night the Florida Gators coaching staff had several top prospects from all over the country on campus for the Gators Elite camp to end the month of June.

2023 defensive lineman David Hicks (6-4, 250, Allen, TX. High) was on campus and enjoyed his time around the coaching staff.

“It was good,” Hicks said of his visit to Florida last Friday. “It was a different type of feeling being there. I really liked the coaches; I feel like Coach [David] Turner is a really good coach. I was with Coach Turner and Coach [Kelvin] Bolden.”

Defensive line coach David Turner worked with Hicks a lot during the camp and that left the lineman impressed by the veteran coach.

“I feel like Coach Turner coached us like we were his players,” he said on working out for Turner. “He didn’t sugarcoat anything for us, and he had some good tips to help me out. It was a good first impression.

Turner also had a recruiting pitch for Hicks after the camp was over and explained to him how he would fit into Florida’s defensive line.

“He said if you come to Florida come ready to play some good football,” Hicks said on the message from Turner. “He thinks I will play three tech but also moving around some on the line.”

Hicks has a connection to Turner already as the defensive lineman’s father has known Turner for years through the coaching circle.

“My dad knows him from recruiting because my dad has put a lot of guys into college and to the NFL,” he said on his relationship with Turner. “It helps add a little bit to our relationship because of that.”

After the visit to Gainesville, Hicks says his interest level went up even more as several things has him interested in Florida.

“I’ve just always liked Florida since I was little,” Hicks said of his interest in Florida. “My interest level is still pretty high; I like the feeling that I got there and the coaching staff.”

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.