Offensive coordinator Kurt Roper has taken a hands on approach to recruiting quarterbacks this spring and is evaluating not only the Class of 2015 quarterback class but also the Class of 2016 quarterbacks.
One quarterback that Roper is scheduled to see is 2016 quarterback Brandon McIlwain (6-0, 205, Newtown, PA Council Rock North) who is expecting a lot of other schools to visit him as well this spring.
“Coach [Kurt] Roper is supposed to come by sometime this week to watch me throw,” McIlwain said. “So far Virginia, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina and Ohio State have come by the school. A lot more schools are supposed to come by.”
Despite Roper not visiting McIlwain yet to see him throw in person, the Gators decided to go ahead and offer the top sophomore quarterback a few weeks ago when he spoke to the Florida head coach himself.
“Coach [Will] Muschamp, the head coach, offered me a scholarship a few weeks ago,” McIlwain said. “He was saying that he sees me fitting into their offense well and that he’s seen my highlight tape and that my skill set is what they want in their offense and that they want me to be a part of their program.”
The dual-threat quarterback is a student of the game and he has followed offensive coordinator Kurt Roper’s career and remembers what the coach did at Duke last season.
“I didn’t get to watch Duke as much as I wanted too but I know that Coach Roper used two quarterbacks a lot last year,” McIlwain said. “He had one that was a dual threat and one that was a pro-style quarterback. I’ve seen his offense a lot though and I think it’s a good scheme. I definitely think I could fit into his offense.”
McIlwain has yet to visit Florida but he remembers the glory days of Florida football and a former Gator quarterback.
“I’ve watched Florida a lot and Tim Tebow use to be one of my favorite players so I watched him a lot,”McIlwain said. “I’ve continued to watch them since he left and I’ve always liked them and the way they play the game. I know they have a winning tradition down there.”
This summer will be a busy one and an important one as well with McIlwain hitting the road to visit some of the schools that have offered him so far.
“I’m definitely planning on visiting Florida this summer,” McIlwain said. “I plan on visiting a lot of the schools that have offered me but I don’t have a set schedule yet. I’m trying to visit as many schools as I can this summer.”