Academics important to commit Kelleher

Mount Pleasant (S.C.)Wando offensive lineman Nolan Kelleher was Florida’s 12 commitment, but he is a relatively unknown prospect to Gator fans.

The 6-foot-6, 285-pound Kelleher talked to Gator Country about why he chose Florida over Clemson.

“I mean honestly, it was the strength and conditioning coaches,” Kelleher said.  “And how I connected with them and the offensive line coach and coach [Brad] Lawing too. The people there just seem unbelievable, the fan base is crazy. It just seems like a really great place to be.”

When the South Carolina prospect took his unofficial visit to Florida in July, he came away impressed following a meeting with Will Muschamp and Tim Davis.

“They were all great people and cared about their players,” Kelleher said. “Everything they do revolves around efficiency and getting there players to class and to football practice and getting everything done in the day. They seemed like really good people and they have a good method of doing things.”

Not only is Kelleher a top notch football player, he is also an excellent student, something that drew him to Florida.

“Academics are very important to me,” Kelleher said. “I saw the engineering program and the credits they accepted through AP and dual-credit meant that when I get there, I will already have an entire semester knocked out before I even step foot on campus. That’s a real plus, especially for engineering . The coaches really push the academics.”

Unlike most offensive line prospects that are 6’6″ and 285 pounds, Kelleher is athletic enough to play all five positions on the offensive line and recently moved positions at his high school.

“I’m playing at guard this year because our center got injured, so I moved from tackle to guard,” Kelleher said. “I will play any position that Florida needs me too. I just enjoy the offensive line and whatever the coaches need, I will do.”

Kelleher says that he has shut down his recruitment and will only take visits to Florida before early enrolling in January.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.