Zavion Hardy says his bond with the Florida Gators is strong

The offensive line and defensive line were well represented on the visitors’ list for the Florida Gators on Saturday as Billy Napier looks to rebuild those two positions.

Defensive lineman Zavion Hardy (6-5, 262, Macon, GA. Tattnall Square Academy) was on campus and liked the coaches were the same in person as on the phone.

“It was real good, I bonded with the coaches,” Hardy said of his visit to Florida on Saturday. “It was still the same love as it was over the phone. A lot of people should come to check it out, it’s a great experience to come here and check it out.”

A lot of coaches were attached to Hardy during the visit on Saturday as they wanted him to know he was wanted in Gainesville.

“A lot of them, all of the defensive line coaches,” he said on the coaches he spent the most time with. “Coach [Sean] Spencer, Coach [Kareem] Reid, Coach [Jamar] Chaney people like them. Our relationship [Spencer and his] is very tight, that’s one of the coaches that I’ve built a bond with, him and Coach Chaney.”

The key for this visit this weekend was for Hardy to see if he liked Gainesville and Florida and he says this visit showed him that he liked the Gators.

“Basically, they just want to get me on campus to see if I was really digging it,” Hardy said on the message from the coaches. “Yeah, I’m digging it for real.”

Defensive line coach Sean Spencer explained to Hardy just how he would be used in Gainesville and who he reminds him of.

“They like my playstyle, they compare me to Leonard Williams,” he said on how the coaches see him fitting in. “Coach Spencer has been to the highest level; he can teach me something and I can run with it and develop with it.”

Two schools have made Hardy feel like a priority so far in his recruitment and he says the relationship with Florida is different.

“South Carolina and Florida are the teams I talk to consistently,” Hardy said on schools recruiting him the hardest. “They’re recruiting me hard and trying to get me to Florida. The bond is just different.”

Next up for Hardy will be a few unofficial visits but he says he will be back to Gainesville but he isn’t sure of a date.

“I’m probably going to do them in the summer and fall,” he said on official visits. “I have to check out my schedule to see when I will be back.”