On Monday, the Florida Gators had head coach Dan Mullen and defensive backs coach Charlton Warren in California conducting in-home visits.
Defensive back Chris Steele (6-2, 187, Bellflower, CA. St. John Bosco) was one of the guys who received a visit from the Gators on Monday.
“It was a good visit,” Steele said of the in-home visit from Florida on Monday. “We were just talking and stuff, I think we made our relationship stronger.”
Steele had the chance to see meet with Mullen in a relaxed environment on Monday but he says it was still the same Mullen that he has known all along in his recruitment.
“No different then the other times I’ve seen, I’ve seen him like five times,” he said on if it was different meeting Mullen in-home compared to on campus. “He doesn’t change at all, he’s the same guy.”
The defensive back has made it known that he likes Mullen a lot and it’s Mullen’s personality that sets him a part from other head coaches.
“Coach Mullen and I have a really good relationship,” he said on his relationship with Mullen. “The thing that makes it so special is that you see a lot of fake stuff but Coach Mullen is straight forward and if you like it, ok but if you don’t like it then Florida might not be the place for you. I love that about him. It’s more than just football with me.”
Mullen and Warren had a clear message for Steele on Monday night about the Gators need for him in Gainesville next year.
“To come in and compete for a starting job,” Steele said on Mullen’s message to him on Monday. “He said he needs me to come in and contribute early, I have an opportunity there. He let me know that I would be taking reps with the first team during spring ball. He said it will be up to me to keep it that way.”
Steele admits that the Gators never giving up on him despite him being committed to USC earlier this fall was big for Florida.
“It really showed me how much of a priority I am to them,” Steele said of Florida still recruiting him despite his one time commitment to USC. “They always kept in touch with me.”
The Gators showing on the field was something else that caught Steele’s attention about Mullen and Florida.
“No doubt, if they beat Kentucky and Missouri then they would’ve been in the conversation for the playoff,” he said on if watching Florida this year opened his eyes even more. “I liked how the coaches did everything and they showed in year one what they can do.”
Steele plans to announce his decision at the All-American game in Texas in January and he says he will make a decision in his mind closer to time.
“It will be closer to when I get down to the All-American game,” Steele said on if he has already made a decision or when he will make it.
INSIDERS TAKE: Steele says that Charlton Warren will be back to see him next week and Will Muschamp will also be in town for South Carolina as the defensive back nears a decision at the All-American game.