Several out-of-state prospects were in town on Saturday to watch the Florida Gators go through spring practice and meet new defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong.
Outside linebacker Jamonta Waller (6-2, 225, Picayune, MS. High) was on campus for the first time on Saturday and he got to see everything a player does on a practice day.
“It was great, good visit overall,” Waller said of his visit to Florida on Saturday. “Great facility, everything looked great, it’s Florida so it’s even better. I seen everything, it was basically like I was going to practice. We were in position meetings, we watched one-on-ones, then watched them go through team drills.”
Waller was excited to watch the Gators’ practice and he says the energy level is something that impressed him.
“I loved it, that was the highlight of the day for me,” he said on his thoughts on practice. “Just seeing the coaches’ energy and them getting the players to go even harder. There’s so much leadership, it was great.”
During the visit, Waller spent time with three coaches in particular including Armstrong who he has known for over a year now.
“I talked to Coach [Billy] Napier, Coach [Austin] Armstrong, and Coach Mike P [Peterson],” Waller said on the coaches he talked to on Saturday. “He [Armstrong] was recruiting when he was at Southern Miss, and he also was recruiting me at Alabama, so we’ve had a great relationship.”
Armstrong explained on Saturday just how Waller would fit into the Gators’ defense and how he could help the Gators.
“With his defense, there’s so much going on and so many opportunities for what I can bring to the table,” he said on Armstrong’s message to him. “They like me at the edge, outside linebacker, and inside linebacker. He said I can do all three for them.”
Head coach Billy Napier also explained to Waller on Saturday just why the Gators like him and why being great off the field is important to the staff.
“Coach Napier is a cool dude, laid back chill,” Waller said on his talks with Napier. “He said he loved my character, he said that’s a big reason I have an offer from the University of Florida. He said that he knows I can play ball, but he likes my character and my grades. He loves me as a person.”
After the visit, Waller had high praise for the Gators as he likes the plan the coaching staff has for him.
“It made my interest go up,” he said on his interest in Florida. “Most of the big schools are telling me that they want me at just inside linebacker, at Florida, they still want me to come off the edge too. That’s a great thing to hear because the more opportunities I have, the better chance I have.”
Right now Waller is in the process of taking visits and setting up official visits and he already knows of two visits he will take.
“I locked in an official visit to Florida which will be in June,” Waller said on official visits. “I’m going to take one to Penn State too but I’m not sure yet.”