The Florida Gators are seeing the success of this football season help them in recruiting so far under Dan Mullen and his coaching staff.
One guy that the Gators are talking to a lot is athlete Mark-Antony Richards (6-0, 196, West Palm Beach, FL. Wellington) who talks to Florida regularly.
“I talk to them a lot, nearly on a daily basis,” Richards said of his talks with Florida. “I talk to Coach Mullen, Coach [Greg] Knox, Coach [Billy] Gonzales nearly the whole staff, offense, defense and special teams staff everybody. They just try to keep in contact with me and making sure I know that I’m a priority to them. They would love to have me in the program and that’s a big reason that Florida is a school that I’m interested in.”
Head coach Dan Mullen has been explaining to Richards his plans for the athlete on offense and also the plans for the program.
“He just tells me that he would have to me as an explosive player in his offense,” he said of Mullen’s message to him. “He just continues to tell me that I can be a running back in their offense and help them in the receiving game. The biggest thing he has told me is that he plans to turn Florida around and get them back on the national stage.”
Richards who plays everywhere in high school says the Gators want him on the offensive side of the ball in college.
“They want me at running back,” Richards said. “That has been where I’ve played since I was young and that has always been my dream to be a running back in the NFL.”
Running backs coach Greg Knox has explained to Richards how the Gators plan to get him the ball if he chooses Florida.
“He mentions a Percy Harvin type of role for me,” he said on how Greg Knox says he will use him in the offense. “They kind of compare me to him with my explosive ability, my ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Coach Knox likes the way I can help them.”
Richards hasn’t been in the Swamp this year yet but he has watched on TV and he’s impressed with what all Mullen has accomplished with this team this year.
“I figured they were going to improve, Coach Mullen is a great coach and I remember when he was there with Urban Meyer and they were at a high level,” Richards said on if he expected the offense to improve so much. “I kind of expected them to be back to high ranked, they’re ranked number 9 right now so clearly everything is going well.”
The Gators will get the chance to host Richards on campus soon as the athlete has an official visit set and he knows what he wants to get out of the visit.
“I’m going to take my official visit for the South Carolina game,” he said of his upcoming visit to Florida. “I know Florida is a high academic school and they’ve always been high in that category but I just want to see how I’ll be utilized, get around the players and the coaching staff more. Just get more in-depth with everything.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Richards says he plans to go all the way to signing day with his decision as he tries to set up more official visits before then.