The Florida Gators hosted several prospects who have been on campus before this weekend but one guy took his first trip to Gainesville this weekend.
Defensive tackle Siaki Ika (6-3, 351, Salt Lake City, UT. East) took his official visit this weekend and it was first time on campus and he enjoyed everything Florida had to offer.
“It was fun,” Ika said of his official visit to Florida. “I loved it, the love out here is definitely real. They definitely show a lot of love, it was comforting being here with my family and just feeling all the love here.”
Ika brought his whole family with him this weekend and they all left impressed by the Gators coaching staff.
“It’s different, this is my last visit and they definitely left an impression on me and my family,” he said of his impressions of the coaching staff and program. “The coaches are a lot of good dudes, a lot of experience in the league and at other schools.”
Florida’s coaching staff made sure this weekend to express to Ika how big of a fit he would be into the Gators defense if he chooses Florida.
“I was with the defensive coordinator Coach [Todd] Grantham,” Ika said on the coach he was with the most. “He talked about the whole scheme and how they do things. It was good, I could see myself playing there, I think I would fit well into the system.”
The Gators had to make up for a lot of time this weekend and show Ika a lot of things and the defensive tackle walked away feeling like he understands things in Gainesville.
“They just emphasized, on how not only themselves and the program will take care of you but the community takes care of you,” he said on Florida doing a lot with him this weekend. “The love out here is definitely real and that’s something the coaches emphasizes and that we will be taken care of out here.”
Ika was hosted by another defensive lineman this weekend and he and other players gave him a message about Florida.
“I got hosted by Kyree Campbell,” Ika said on who his host was. “One of the defensive lineman, he’s a cool dude, it was good to be with him because he lives off campus with a lot of players so I actually got to meet a lot of other players. I got to meet Brad Stewart, TJ Slaton, it was cool to hang out with them. They were giving me the whole spill on how the school is and the way they play ball is.”
After taking his official visit, Ika says that he likes a lot things about Florida and feels like the Gators would be a good fit for him.
“Man, I don’t know this weekend was a lot,” he said on what he takes away from Florida. “I know my family had a lot of fun, there’s a lot to fall in love with here. Definitely the love they showed and I fit into the defensive scheme and the impact that I would make on the team.”
Next up for Ika is his signing day and he knows which schools he will be choosing between on Wednesday.
“It’s pretty much the five that I took visits too,” Ika said on finalist. “I’ll have those hats, they will be at my ceremony on Wednesday. “It will be at 7 mountain standard time.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Ika has taken official visits to Florida, LSU, Oregon, USC and Utah and is expected to choose between those five.