The Florida Gators coaching staff hosted a lot of top prospects on campus during the spring and they’re now in the process of setting up official visits for this summer.
One prospect who plans to visit this summer is athlete/defensive back Ju’Juan Johnson (5-11, 178, Lafayette, LA. Lafayette Christian Academy) who says the Gators are recruiting him hard.
“They’re recruiting me hard,” Johnson said of Florida. “I talk to them almost every day, Coach [Corey] Raymond is my contact mostly.”
Johnson says that he and Raymond have moved into the phase of just talking more about life then football but when it’s time to talk football, the defensive backs coach has a strong message for Johnson.
“We don’t really talk about much like when he first started recruiting me,” he said of his talks with Raymond. “But he sees me as a defensive back coming in early competing and he feels like he can get me to go first round as a corner.”
The Lafayette native is very familiar with Raymond as a coach and Johnson believes that Raymond can get him to the next level.
“Coach Raymond is a really cool as a person,” Johnson said of Raymond. “Of course, as a coach, I believe he can prepare me for the NFL.”
Head coach Billy Napier has also been in contact with Johnson and explained to him that he’s needed in Gainesville.
“I’ve talked to him a couple of times, he’s a really good man as well,” he said of his talks with Napier. “He sees me as a game changer and can really help the program progress.”
Next up for Johnson will be an official visit to Gainesville where he has a few things he wants to see from the Gators.
“My official visit is June 9-11,” Johnson said. “I’m looking to see if I can live in Florida for one, next thing I want to see their plan for me from an academic and football standpoint.”
The official visit will be a big one for Johnson as he has grown up thinking about what it would be like to play for the Orange and Blue.
“Since I was young Florida was a school, I saw myself playing for,” he said on his interest in Florida heading into the visit. “Even more since they have a coaching like this one.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Johnson also plans to take an official visit to LSU and Ole Miss, and he says a decision could come at any time.