Smith likes the play of the Florida Gators’ defensive line

The Florida Gators have showed a good defense for most of the year under head coach Dan Mullen and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and prospects are noticing it.

Two weeks 2020 defensive tackle Timothy Smith (6-4, 315, Sebastian, FL. River) was in town to watch that defense and the Gators in the Swamp and the atmosphere impressed him.

“The fan base, I couldn’t hear anything,” Smith said of what impressed him during his visit to Florida for the LSU game. “It was loud. I’m still new to Florida, it was just my second time up here, I got to get a feel for them and come to more games.”

Smith didn’t expect to see that defensive performance from the Gators against the Tigers.

“They fought hard,” Smith said of Florida’s defense against LSU. “They tightened up a little bit more than I expected. They surprised me, I wasn’t expecting that much out of Florida.”

The defensive tackle watched the Gators defensive line closely and he’s impressed by the way they’ve played this year.

“Great hands, phenomenal hands,” he said of Florida’s defensive line. “Great coach as well, Coach Sal [Sunseri] the defensive line coach is amazing. He’s a calm dude but when he gets riled up, he gets riled up.

Smith and defensive line coach Sal Sunseri have been building a relationship since he arrived in Gainesville and it’s a relationship that’s growing.

“It has been amazing,” Smith said of his relationship with Sunseri. “As soon I came in [to Florida], it was all smiles, hugs everything. Everything is flowing smoothly.”

The 2020 defensive tackle has offers from several big schools but he’s not ready to narrow things down yet.

“Everyone is in the same boat, just trying to enjoy the recruiting process right now,” he said of schools standing out to him. “I do talk to Miami and Clemson a lot.”

For Florida to become a top school for Smith, he has a few things he would like to see from the Gators coaching staff.

“Communication is key,” Smith said on what Florida needs to do in order to get in his top schools. “Just try to shoot me a text or call me every day, just stuff like that.”

 

 

 

 

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.