On Tuesday, head coach Dan Mullen was visiting prospects in South Florida and he surprised one recruit when he arrived at his high school in a helicopter.
Athlete Mark-Antony Richards (6-1, 195, West Palm Beach, FL. Wellington) was shocked when he noticed that Dan Mullen was landing at his high school football field on Tuesday.
“It was pretty crazy, I didn’t really expect it,” Richards said of Mullen visiting him via helicopter on Tuesday. “When I first saw the helicopter, I was just like is this real and the next thing you know Coach Mullen just popped out of it.”
The gesture shown by Mullen and the Florida Gators on Tuesday was something that Richards didn’t take likely at all.
“Yeah for sure, the fact that he said he doesn’t do this for just anybody,” he said on if Tuesday’s gesture proved how much Florida wants him. “He said he has only done this a few times and obviously he’s only going to fly a helicopter to see someone important. I’m going to take that in to account and think about it.”
Tuesday was the final time for Mullen and company to talk with Richards face to face before signing day and they spent the time talking about Florida can offer the athlete.
“Just talking about the Gator Nation and what having that Florida degree and how far it can take me once football is over,” Richards said on the final message from Florida. “I think that’s huge since now I understand that football isn’t going to last forever, you know someone close to me had that happen to them so I’m going to take that more into account now. It’s huge in my decision.”
Mullen also made sure to leave one final message to Richards and it was one that the athlete can relate too.
“Coach Mullen told me straight up that if I’m not willing to work and be great then don’t come here [Florida],” he said on Mullen’s final message to him. “Really just like that he told me that. That right there defines me as a person, I’m willing to work to be great.”
Richards who has Auburn, Georgia, Miami and Penn State still coming after him hard says that he believes in what Mullen is building in Gainesville.
“I see a young program that is destined to win a national championship,” Richards said of Florida. “They have a great coaching staff and it would be awesome for me to be a part of it.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Auburn and Georgia are both visiting Mark-Antony Richards on Wednesday and he says after that he’s just going to sit down and start working towards a final decision.