2025 three-star tight end Hollis Davidson made his second trip to Gainesville this past weekend. The former Auburn commit was last on campus for junior day back in January.
Florida was involved heavily with Davidson’s recruitment before he committed to Auburn. His lasting relationship with the Gators’ coaching staff brought him back to Gainesville.
“I kept my relationship with Russ [Callaway] and the whole staff here and I really like them as people,” Davidson said on why he scheduled a Florida OV. “I kept talking with them throughout my commitment, I kept relationships. I just wanted to come visit against because I like Florida as a school.”
Current Gators’ tight end Hayden Hansen served as Davidson’s host during his official visit.
“It was great, I got a lot of information the last time I was here because I came down on junior day, but it was amazing to spend a whole bunch of time with the staff and players here,” Davidson said on his visit. “I really got a lot more details about the program and I feel a lot better about UF.”
Building relationships and experiencing what the culture is like at Florida has been eye-opening for multiple prospects, including the Georgia native.
“It was really the fact that I got to spend time with the guys, and I got to see the culture here and it’s what they say it is,” Davidson said. “I really like the culture here.”
Coach Russ Callaway is arguably the biggest reason the Gators still have a shot at the three-star prospect heading into June. The relationship Davidson has with Coach Callaway is unmatched.
“I really like him as a guy, that’s a given. He’s awesome and my whole family likes him and he’s super smart,” Davidson said on Callaway. “He knows the system; he knows the position and he’s coached in the league. He knows what he’s talking about. I trust him.”
The biggest topic of discussion between the two over the weekend was how the two-sport athlete would be utilized in Billy Napier’s often used 12-team personnel. Standing at 6-5 and weighing 238 pounds, Davidson can line up anywhere.
“Russ was talking about how he knew I was physical and knew that I could block, but when it came down to my practice, he got lit up about the physicality that he saw,” Davidson said. “He feels that I can throw on 20 pounds when I get here, be 250 pounds and be able to block or do it all, but right now they view me as a hybrid type.”
It’s safe to say the Gators are one of the top schools in Davidson’s recruitment, but the door is still wide open for anyone to land the lengthy tight end.
“I definitely like UF, they are definitely up there but I don’t have a list yet,” Davidson said on his top schools. “I’m not really sure with my commitment yet, I’m just going to fill out these OV’s and see where I’m at from there. I don’t want to rush into everything.”
Davidson plans on taking his time with his decision as he plans to visit Georgia this upcoming weekend, Florida State on June 21st and Auburn on September 27th.
The Peachtree City, Georgia native caught 30 passes for 436 yards and 3 TDs as a junior, helping McIntosh go 6-5 and make the playoffs in Georgia’s AAAAA classification.