On Saturday while the Florida Gators had their first camp day going on, the coaching staff also had a few prospects on campus for unofficial visits.
Offensive lineman Richie Leonard (6-3, 320, Cocoa, FL. High) was one of those guys on campus and he received a different vibe from the staff this visit.
“It was a good visit overall,” Leonard said of his visit to Florida on Saturday. “I got to see a couple of things up there and talked to the coaches. They kind of made me feel like more of a priority this time because I have the offer now.”
Head coach Dan Mullen spent a lot of time with Leonard on Saturday and he explained why the Gators wanted him and why the offer took a little longer to come.
“I got to talk to Coach Mullen and he just kept reiterating that they want me at the University of Florida,” he said on his talks with Mullen. “He just kept saying that they like me and want me and that they’ve had their eye on me since last summer and that he wanted to make sure when I did have an offer that I had a committable offer.”
Offensive line coach John Hevesy was working the camp so he didn’t get to spend as much time with Leonard as he wanted but he still had a message for the lineman.
“Coach Hevesy said pretty much the same thing that Coach Mullen did,” Leonard said of his talks with Hevesy. “He likes that I’m a hard worker and that I have some leadership qualities and that he wanted to see me camp and workout. He really wants me at the University of Florida.”
On Saturday, Leonard released his top seven that included the Gators and this visit was a big reason the Gators made the cut.
“I have a lot of interest in Florida and they made my top seven that I released,” he said of his interest in Florida. “I’m going to be listening to what they have to say from here on out. The visit and seeing how much they really wanted me helped them out.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Leonard says he’s taking an official visit to Kentucky and Tennessee this month. Leonard also says he will make a final decision on July 5th.