Offensive lineman Eric Douglas (6-4, 275, Charlotte, NC Mallard Creek) was one of several big name prospects to visit the Florida Gators on Saturday.
Douglas picked up a Florida offer in January and he made his first trip to Gainesville on Saturday, where he got to meet everyone.
“The visit went great,” Douglas said. “It was my first time down there to Gainesville and I got to meet the coaches. I got to tour the campus, got a good feel for how the coaches treat the players. I got to see the academic side of things and see that they were ranked real high.”
The big offensive lineman got to meet head coach Jim McElwain and the headman impressed Douglas a lot.
“It was excellent meeting Coach McElwain for the first time,” he said. “Seeing him lead Florida to the SEC championship in his first year kind of hit home with me because he should be able to lead them further in the future. He’s a great coach and a hyped coach.”
McElwain and the rest of the coaching staff had a friendly reminder for Douglas about former Gators lineman D.J. Humphries being from Mallard Creek.
“He said that the last person to come out of Mallard Creek went in the first round,” Douglas said. “He kind of put that in my ear and he let me know that I’m great player that he really wants. He made me feel like a priority to him.”
Offensive line coach Mike Summers also mentioned Humphries, but also wanted Douglas to know that he wanted in Gainesville.
“Coach Summers said that I was a good player and that he wanted me on his team,” he said. “He also told me about D.J. Humphries and he said that Florida has home for me down there. He said that he loves me as a player and that was great to hear.”
Douglas is a good student in the classroom as a well as a football player, and he thinks Florida offers both things.
“They play a lot of young linemen and that’s what I want to do is play early,” Douglas said. “I also want to get a good education so I could get the best of both worlds down there. Good football and good academics. The SEC is also the premier league to play in.”
Heading into the visit Douglas liked Florida and he says the Saturday visit helped the Gators out even more.
“Florida was always high because of D.J going there and seeing him go to the league,” he said. “He’s someone that I look up too and I have talked to D.J. here and there about things.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Douglas says he plans to make a decision in the next month or two and he saw everything he needed to see from Florida. Douglas is a prospect that can play all five positions on the offensive line in Gainesville.
It would be nice to get a versatile O lineman like him. His teammate DJ Moore is pretty good too, maybe they can get a combo meal from Mallard,NC.I like how coach Mac is going after versatile players like Douglas,Barrett,and Rudolph.