The University of Florida football coaching staff hosted their first satellite camp of the summer at Trinity Christian Academy last Wednesday. Trinity Christian is located in Jacksonville, Florida, a place where schools from all over the country have come to summon great talent over the years.
For 2017 recruit Cordavien Suggs (6-6, 280, Jacksonville, FL, Fletcher High School), an opportunity presented itself when he heard that the entire Florida coaching staff would be in town running a camp. The big offensive lineman from Neptune Beach got a chance to work with some of the best in the business on Wednesday and the Gators have certainly got his attention, “What don’t I like about Florida,” Suggs asked smiling.
There was no hiding it, Suggs was giddy about playing in front of the Florida coaches. One coach in particular stood out.
“It was great to be out here and get a chance to work with Coach Summers,” he said.
Offensive line Coach Mike Summers is a delicate piece to the Gator’s coaching staff. A lot of the credit for the successful 2016 Gator football season can be credited to Summers. who dealt with a thin roster at offensive line.
Surrounded by the best area athletes, Suggs towers above most on the field. His raw talent and footwork is what the Gator coaching staff was most impressed with during the steamy afternoon in Jacksonville. The powerful offensive lineman dominated individual drills with his ability block incoming defensive ends trying to reach the quarterback.
Gators Head Coach Jim McElwain gathered all camp participants at the 50-yard line just before breaking into individual position drills. McElwain’s speech was short but it contained a big message one that certainly resonated with Suggs. He asked all of the offensive lineman to raise their hands, after the hands were lifted he praised these young men for doing all of the dirty work. The big guys get no credit, but without them, nothing is possible.
An offer has yet to come for Suggs, but his interest is still high. After the camp in Jacksonville, Suggs was getting on a plane and going to Louisville to visit. He added that he also will be visiting Tennessee and Mississippi as well this summer.