Last week the Florida Gators had a couple of out of state defensive backs on campus, as the coaching staff looks to rebuild the defensive back position in 2017.
Cornerback Brad Stewart (6-0, 194, New Orleans, LA McDonogh 35) was on campus from Wednesday until Friday and during that visit he got to see a lot of things.
“The visit was good, a lot of sunshine, but overall it was good,” Stewart said. “I got to meet a couple of the players and shake their hands before workouts. I got to sit down with the coaches and have fun. I got to tour the facilities and they were one of the best I seen. The facilities were everything I expected it to be.”
One of things that stood out to Stewart was getting to visit the Swamp and see the atmosphere around the stadium.
“The Swamp is just the Swamp you know,” he said. “It has BDN [best defense in the nation] and DBU [defensive back university] in there. It’s the Swamp and everyone walks around their with swag.”
This was the first time for Stewart to meet Gators defensive backs coach Torrian Gray and the two got the chance to watch film together.
“I talked football with Coach Gray and went over their scheme there,” Stewart said of his talks with Gray. “He was telling me about the scheme that he’s trying to put in place and with him being a new coach at Florida, he’s trying to get everyone on his side. He wants everyone to believe in his system so he can have the success he at Virginia Tech at Florida.”
Gray talked to Stewart about where he could play in the Gators defense and how quickly he could get on the field in the Swamp.
“He tells me that I’m a versatile player that can come in and play in the nickel position,” he said of where he will play at Florida. “He says that I can also play corner but no matter what I have an opportunity to come in play early as long as I work hard. He thinks that I can play anywhere.”
Running backs coach Tim Skipper is the area recruiter for Stewart and the two got the chance to spend a lot of quality time together last week.
“Coach Skipper really made it feel as much as home as possible for me there,” Stewart said of his area recruiter. “We talked and we had a great vibe with each other during the trip. He tells me that I will look good in that Orange and Blue.”
Last week was also the first time for Stewart to meet head coach Jim McElwain and the Gators’ headman impressed the defensive back.
“Coach Mac just told me that he wants me in the Swamp,” he said of his meeting with McElwain. “I’ve talked to him a few times over the phone but I finally got to meet him in person but nothing change, he was still the same person. He’s a cool coach and you can tell that he really cares for his players and his staff. You can see why they won as many games as they won this year.”
Heading into the visit Stewart said he had a lot of interest in the Gators but this visit increased Florida’s chances with him.
“The visit exceeded my expectations for Florida,” Stewart said. “I would say this visit helped Florida out with me but I don’t have any leaders. I have to sit down with my parents on what’s next for me.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Stewart has a great relationship with Coach Skipper and the Gators are definitely in the hunt for the Louisiana prospect. Alabama just offered Stewart and they will be a factor in his recruitment.