Monday was a busy day for Florida as three prospects came on campus for unofficial visits and they were all 2016 recruits.
One of those prospects was 2016 running back Robert Washington (5-10, 206, Huntersville, NC Southlake Christian Academy) who got to see everything that the Gators have to offer.
“It was great, nice time,” Washington said. “We got to do everything at Florida. Tour the facilities, checked out the Swamp, I talked to the coaches and went to the weight room.”
The Gators just offered Washington but the running back already has a strong connection to Florida and he was able to connect with that player on Monday.
“My favorite part was getting to reconnect with Will Grier,” Washington said. “I grew up with him and went to the same school. We are really good friends and he loves Florida and he’s happy that I’m considering them but we really were just talking about the old days.”
Will Muschamp had a busy Monday including a trip to SEC Media Days but before he left for Hoover he got to talk to Washington.
“I had the chance to talk to Coach Muschamp for a few minutes,” Washington said. “He was just going over the recruiting process and he told me about himself. He told me to take my time in the process and he wanted to know who all I had visited this summer and he said that he was happy that I’m taking all of those visits. He said that it’s a good thing to take your time and make the right decision.”
Since Muschamp was in Hoover most of Monday, running backs coach Brian White spent a large amount of time with the running back.
“Coach White is a great guy,” Washington said. “We talked about the offense and how many backs they wanted next year. I didn’t know Coach White had coached at Wisconsin but he was telling me about that and how every running back that has started for him has went to the league. It shows that he develops NFL backs.”
Washington already has over 35 offers so narrowing things down is big for him and he plans to do that soon.
“I liked Florida a lot and they will make the cut for me,” Washington said. “I plan to narrow things down in August and take some visits this fall. I’m trying to figure out when I’m going to be back at Florida right now.”
INSIDER TAKE: Before Florida offered Washington it seemed like he was headed to Notre Dame but since the Gators offered things have changed. Washington’s relationship with Grier is big for Florida plus his relationship with Brian White and that could play a big part in Washington’s recruitment over the next several months heading into next summer.