LeCounte enjoys visit to the Florida Gators

The Florida Gators should have its sole focus on getting top recruits for the class of 2016 but with the changing world of recruiting the coaching staff has to also be out recruiting the class of 2017.

On Saturday the Gators had the chance to host one of the top players from the class of 2017 in defensive back Richard LeCounte (5-10, 171, Riceboro, GA Liberty County) who visited Florida after a camp on Saturday afternoon.

“It was good, it was my first time getting down to Florida ever,” LeCounte said. “I got to see the facilities, the campus and the stadium. We got to see the classes, the dorms and try on the jersey’s. We also got to see the new practice facility and things like that.”

A lot of Florida’s staff has been on vacation the last few days but two of the Gators top recruiters were in Gainesville to talk with LeCounte on Saturday.

“I talked to the recruiting coordinator [Drew Hughes] and the assistant coach that coaches DB’s [Kirk Callahan] because the rest of the coaches were gone on spring break,” LeCounte said. “Coach Callahan said that even though there was a coaching change that I still have an offer and that I’m welcome to come down and visit them any time I want.”

LeCounte has almost two years to go before he has to sign an LOI, so he’s still growing and that was something Callahan talked to him about on Saturday.

“He kept telling me that he was excited to see me and that he wants to coach me in a few years,” LeCounte said. “He said that he sees me as a safety or corner because I’m athletic enough to play both but that once I get on campus they would figure it out if I choose Florida and how my body is when I’m ready for college.”

This was the first time for LeCounte to meet Callahan and he came away impressed by what the Gators cornerbacks coach had to offer as far as his personality goes.

“Real good dude and he knows what he’s doing,” LeCounte said. “He’s coached a lot of good DB’s and you can tell he’s ready to get back on the track of winning games again. I like him so far.”

One thing is for sure and that is LeCounte was impressed enough by Callahan and the Gators that he wants to return to Gainesville.

“I’m going to visit Florida again so I can meet coach [Jim] McElwain but I’m just not sure when,” LeCounte said. “I’m just enjoying the process and everything right now so I’m not in any kind of rush but I do have high interest in Florida.”

 

INSIDERS TAKE: LeCounte will be one of the top defensive backs in the country for the class of 2017, so it’s good to get him on campus early on so that he can build a relationship with the Gators coaching staff.

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.