Roderick Kearney explains why he flipped to the Florida Gators

The Florida Gators made big news on Monday when they flipped one of their top targets from their in-state rival.

Offensive lineman Roderick Kearney (6-4, 300, Orange Park, FL. High) flipped his commitment from Florida State to Florida and he says it was the right decision for him.

“I just felt like it was only right to make that decision,” Kearney said on why he flipped to Florida. “I’ve kind of had a feeling and I’ve prayed about it with my family for the last few months and that is where my heart led me too.”

Kearney visited Gainesville three times this fall and twice for a game and during those games, he enjoyed the crowd in the Swamp.

“The atmosphere is crazy, I feel like the fan base shows a lot of love towards you,” he said on how his visits this fall have gone to UF. “I feel like the people around the campus are supporting the team and bringing back the atmosphere even more.”

While visiting Gainesville, Kearney says he learned what all the Florida Gators could do for him on the field.

“It’s no hard feelings towards the other program but I just feel like Florida had more to offer to me,” Kearney said on what led him to flip after the visits. “I feel like all-around as a program they have a lot going for them and Coach Napier is turning the program around with the number of recruits he has coming in that are all like-minded. Everybody has the same mindset and the whole program is the best.”

Offensive line coaches Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton kept recruiting Kearney after he committed to Florida State and that was big to the lineman and his family.

“They always said when I first committed to Florida State that they were going to go hard after me,” he said on the messages from Sale and Stapleton. “They never gave up and they always went harder after me. It showed me and my family that they really wanted me, and it showed me a lot.”

Sale and Stapleton have explained to Kearney just how he would fit into Florida’s offense when he gets to town.

“They see me moving around a lot but mainly center,” Kearney said about where Florida wants him to play. “Center and guard mainly in the interior. I can play both right and left guard.”

Now that Kearney has flipped from the Seminoles to the Gators he says this is his final decision.

“Everything is official, 1000 percent committed,” he said.

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.