The Florida Gators give Reese a lot to think about

There were six official visitors on the Florida Gators campus last weekend and maybe the biggest visitor was Michigan linebacker commit David Reese (6-1, 238, Farmington, MI High), who had the chance to talk a lot with the Gators defensive coaches.

“It was a great visit and a great atmosphere,” Reese said. “I got a lot of one on one time with Coach Randy Shannon and the defensive coordinator [Geoff] Collins and we just sat down and talked about the depth chart and how I would fit in great with their system. It was a great visit.”

This was the first time for Reese had the chance to meet all of the Florida Gators coaches, but he really liked what he saw and heard from Jim McElwain on Saturday.

“Coach McElwain is a great guy and basically just welcomed me into his family,” he said. “He told me that he would love to have me. He told me to come down there and be apart of something special. Coach said to come down there and help them go back to the SEC Championship game. He has the want to win and the will to win.”

Collins has always been known as a high-energy guy and last weekend he showed Reese how much of an energy guy he was.

“Coach Collins was just telling me about the defense and how they need more guys at linebacker,” Reese said. “I got the chance to see his energy during team meetings and before the Florida State game he was telling the boys that this game was personal for Coach McElwain and for the team. I got to see the defense and why they call it ‘BDN’. Coach Collins was going over the scheme with me too.”

While Reese was meeting with Collins, the Gators defensive coordinator

“Coach Collins told me they lose [Antonio] Morrison to the draft and that they may lose [Jarrad] Davis to the draft, but that he doesn’t know yet,” Reese said. “He told me that it’s a great opportunity to come in play alongside Davis because he’s a great leader and a great person to learn from.”

Florida Gators linebackers coach Randy Shannon also stressed the need for linebackers to Reese during the official visit to Florida.

“I see a lot of early playing time and Coach Shannon told me that I have the chance to compete at Florida,” he said. “He said that Florida isn’t the place for you if you aren’t ready to play or if you want to wait to play in games. Coach Shannon said that you would get thrown in the fire at Florida and I like that because I want the opportunity to play early.”

Reese still remains committed to Michigan, but the Wolverines don’t have a spot open for him to early enroll and that’s something Reese is planning on doing, which means Reese will likely end elsewhere.

“I’m definitely enrolling early in school,” Reese said. “I’m visiting TCU this weekend and then Texas the next weekend and after that I’m going to make my final decision on where I will attend school.”

INSIDERS TAKE: Reese really enjoyed his visit to Florida but right now the Gators have to worry about that visit to Texas on the last weekend before the dead period. I think it will come down to Florida and Texas at the end of the day but the Gators have much more playing time available for Reese.

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.