Rick Wells helps recruit at Friday Night Lights

Friday Night Lights is the biggest recruiting event that the Florida Gators hold each year. The camp gives the coaching staff a chance to host some of the most talented players in the country and some under the radar prospects a chance to shine and potentially catch the eye of someone on staff.

Hundreds of potential recruits trying to get noticed took the field on Friday night but not all of them were hoping for a scholarship offer, some of them already have that and were just coming by to hang out with their future coaches and teammates.

Florida receiver commit Rick Wells (6-0, Jacksonville, Fla, Raines) was one of the committed prospects on campus Friday.

“I didn’t work out,” Wells said of the visit. “I was just observing, seeing how my coaches coach and I feel good about it.”

The coach he was paying the most attention to was receivers coach Kerry Dixon. Wells committed to Florida on January 26, just over two weeks before Dixon was officially hired by Head Coach Jim McElwain to fill the role of receivers’ coach and complete the staff. The duo hasn’t had a lot of time to build a relationship but it’s something Wells is trying to work on.

“It’s good so far,” Wells said of how his relationship is with Dixon. “I want to talk to him more on the phone but it’s good so far.”

Dixon wasn’t the only person that Wells got the chance to speak with while he was in town. The Gator commit also had the opportunity to sit down with Jim McElwain before the event began. Wells likes the direction that McElwain is taking Florida. The prospect mentioned how McElwain is putting the emphasis on players with additions to the dorm rooms, student life center and an indoor practice facility in the works, as well as a locker room renovation in the future.

“It’s good to know that they’re doing new things to make the players and recruits happy,” he said.

Another message that McElwain gave Wells was to keep recruiting. Wells has been trying to sway some of the top prospects in the state of Florida, including Savannah Georgia athlete Demetrius Robertson

“They told me to keep recruiting, try to keep getting some of those top guys. I’m trying to work on D-Rob right now,” he said. “I talked to Coach Mac and it was good talking to him. He told me he wants me back a couple more times.”

Wells plans to get back up to Gainesville one or two more times before the season begins. He wants to watch a fall practice and then plans to take a few unofficial visits to Florida in the Fall before using all five of his official visits before signing day.

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC