Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier much like the rest of the Florida Gators coaching staff hit the road on Tuesday for the first time this spring and he was in the Clearwater area visiting players.
Athlete Amari Burney (6-1, 215, Clearwater, FL. Calvary Christian) was one of the guys that got a visit from Nussmeier on Tuesday.
“Coach Nussmeier came by to see me,” Burney said. “It went good, he can’t talk to me but he talked to my coach. He was telling my coach that I’m a big factor for them and they need me.”
Burney felt a lot pride on Tuesday in knowing that the Gators made him one of the stops of the spring.
“It felt great,” he said on being one of the first prospects to get a visit. “It showed a lot for me to be his first visit that he made. Showed a lot of love and felt great.”
Florida not only showed the love to Burney on Tuesday but the athlete says it has been this way for years now.
“They’ve been recruiting me since my 10th grade and they’ve been consistent throughout the whole process,” Burney said. “Coach Nuss is the one I hear from the most and I hear from a lot of the staff every day. They text me bible quotes and just how I’m doing. Coach Mac texts me every other day.”
Head coach Jim McElwain has met with Burney and his family a lot over the last two years and the message has stayed the same.
“Coach Mac just says to enjoy the process,” he said on McElwain’s message. “He says that if I commit that I can bring in a lot of other top recruits with me to Florida.”
The one relationship that is new to Burney is the one with defensive backs coach Corey Bell but the relationship is improving.
“The relationship is great since the visit I took to meet him,” Burney said of his relationship with Corey Bell. “We’ve building a long term relationship with each other. He’s a cool person and he’s really down to earth with his players.”
Bell has talked with Burney and his family about Florida a lot lately and the message is very simple and to the point.
“He just tells me to come in and compete,” he said of Bell’s message. “He said that he just really wants to build that relationship with me and my family so that I can come in and compete with him.”
Last weekend, Burney made a visit to Ohio State to see one of his top teams and he returned home happy about the trip.
“The visit went great,” Burney said of his recent visit to Ohio State. “I got to spend some time with Coach Urban Meyer and I got to see everything.”
With just over a month before Burney announces his college decision, the athlete is sticking with his top two teams and he knows what will separate the two schools.
“Florida and Ohio State are the two schools,” he said on top schools. “I’m still committing on June 1st and I’m going to spend the next month me and my parents are going to talk and try to find out which school is best for me. Academics are really going to play a big factor for me.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Florida remains very high on Burney and the athlete and his family like Florida a lot. The Gators visited Burney on Monday and will return later in the spring to see him. Ohio State will also see him this spring and Burney plans to visit Virginia Tech this weekend.