Rivers has a strong relationship with the Florida Gators

The Florida Gators signed an impressive offensive line class in 2019 but the Gators have already moved onto the class of 2020 at the position.

On Saturday, the Gators hosted 2020 offensive lineman Jalen Rivers (6-5, 327, Orange Park, FL. Oakleaf) on campus for junior day.

“It went good, I had a great time as usual,” Rivers said of his visit to Florida on Saturday. “When we got there, we talked to the coaches and then we got to ask the players questions about going to Florida. We toured the weight room, training room and then got to try on the uniforms in the locker room.”

Rivers also got the chance to spend a lot of time with offensive line coach John Hevesy on Saturday.

“We went in group meetings with Coach Hevesy and he was talking about what they do and what we can do to get better,” he said of meeting Hevesy on Saturday. “His main message is to always get better and work on your foot work and stay loose.”

Hevesy also made sure to let Rivers know that despite the big 2019 class that the Gators still need Rivers in the class of 2020.

“He always mentions that he wants me,” Rivers said of Hevesy’s message to him. “He wants me at tackle, I can play either left or right.”

Head coach Dan Mullen didn’t get to speak with Rivers a lot on Saturday but he had one big message for the 2020 lineman.

“Individually we really didn’t get to talk to him much but we got to take a picture,” he said of talking with Dan Mullen. “We went to the basketball game, he came up to me and Chantz [Williams] and said he wants us and thank you for coming. He was talking about the family atmosphere and if I come there it’s going to be family first and then football.”

Rivers has been on campus a lot over the last year to see the Gators and during that time he has built a good relationship with Florida’s coaching staff.

“We’re very close now,” Rivers said of his relationship with the coaching staff. “Dan Mullen, Coach Hevesy, even the defensive line coach and I just met Coach [Torrian] Gray and we got to talk to him. I can already sense a relationship building there too.”

The 2020 lineman didn’t want to name a leader but he said Saturday’s visit helped the Gators chances with him.

“Oh yeah,” he said on if Saturday’s visit helped Florida out. “Things are building for us every time we go to Florida.”

 

INSIDERS TAKE: Rivers says he’s early enrolling next year so he wants to make a decision either in the summer or before the season starts. Rivers says he plans to get back to Florida for either a spring practice or the spring game.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.