Florida Gators recruiting has Catalina honored to be wanted

The Florida Gators recruiting weekend had an interesting visitor on campus, as Rhode Island offensive lineman Tyler Catalina (6-6, 298, Worcester, MA. Waschusett Regional) visited the Gators.

His older brother Tony, who spoke to GatorCountry about the official visit to Gainesville, joined Catalina on his visit.

“It was a great trip and a great experience,” Catalina said. “We spent a lot of time talking football with the coaching staff and got to experience the atmosphere at the basketball game. We toured the facilities as well. We thought they were great facilities and we really enjoyed the whole experience.”

Catalina was able to be around the current Florida Gators players during the visit, including being hosted by a current offensive lineman.

“Tyler’s host was Cameron Dillard, Cam was a great host,” he said. “They really enjoyed their time hanging out with each other. The players were great and the environment was awesome. You can see and feel the passion of the fans and players. It was exciting.”

The offensive lineman got to spend a lot of time around offensive line coach Mike Summers and the veteran coach shared some messages with Catalina.

“He was telling Tyler that everything matters and to perfect his craft,” Catalina said. “He said to be great at everything you do and that he would fit in at one of the tackle spots. He said he had to continue to work hard and earn himself a job if he comes here.

On Sunday Catalina got the chance to sit down with Jim McElwain so he could give his Florida Gators recruiting pitch to them.

“He said that he hoped we enjoyed the weekend in Gainesville,” Catalina said. “He said that he’d love to have Tyler join Gator Nation and that he hopes that it happens for us.”

The visit was a major success for the Florida Gators according to Catalina but the family is still going through the process of picking a school.

“Tyler really enjoyed the weekend and enjoyed Gator Nation,” Catalina said. “He feels very blessed to be wanted by a team with such a rich history as the Florida Gators. He’s still going through the process right now and is scheduled to visit Auburn on February 19th-21st.”

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.

2 COMMENTS

    • I saw him play this year and he was clearly the best player on the team and field. I really hope he commits to the Gators. He is really good.