Gators, Buckeyes battle for 2014 RB

Class of 2014 Hendersonville (Tenn.) Beech Senior running back Jalen Hurd has always heard how tough The Swamp is on the visiting team and he got to witness that first hand on Saturday.

“It’s hard for an opponent to win in The Swamp,” Hurd said. “The crowd is so loud and the atmosphere around the stadium is crazy. Gator Nation is for real and support their team.”

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Hurd also watched as Mike Gillislee lead the Gators to a 14-6 victory against LSU with a power running game.

“That game was a great for a running back,” Hurd said. “Thirty-four carries for Mike is great. You can tell that coach (Will) Muschamp wants a pro-style offense. Coach (Brent) Pease also ran like 14 or 15 different formations during the game and for a defense, it keeps them on their toes and doesn’t allow them to get comfortable and keeps them off guard the entire game.”

This was Hurd’s first trip to Florida, so it was his first chance to see the facilities and the campus at the University.

“The campus was nice and I like how everything is close together,” Hurd said. “The facilities were great. There is always one thing that stands out and that was the weight room, it was unbelievable. I like the indoor, 50-yard track they have in the weight room. I also really like the stadium.”

Hurd picked up his Florida scholarship offer just three weeks ago and this was his first chance to meet the Gators coaching staff in person.

“I got to talk to coach Pease, coach (Brian) White and coach Muschamp,” Hurd said. “They were all really excited that I was able to visit and they told me they want me bad and they are going to recruit me hard.

“Coach Muschamp said he was going to personally recruit me, too. It was a good feeling to hear him say that.”

It’s still early for the 2014 prospect, but he says he has an early leader and a second-place team close behind.

“Ohio State is my leader, followed by Florida,” Hurd said. “I’m going to visit Ohio State for the Michigan game and I will be back to Gainesville sometime, too.”

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.