Toliver not counting Florida out

Former Gators Keiwan Ratliff and Guss Scott coached Team Top Recruit this weekend at the IMG 7 on 7 National championships in Bradenton, Fla. Their team featured three shutdown cornerbacks, Florida commits J.C Jackson, Duke Dawson, as well as LSU commit Kevin Toliver II.

Toliver is a long armed 6’2’’ prospect in the class of 2015. At points, while lined up on the same side of the field as Jackson and Dawson, it was a fool’s errand to attempt to throw to their side, the terrific trio was simply suffocating in coverage. While Toliver has been committed to LSU since his freshman year, he admitted the idea of playing 11 on 11 football in the same defensive backfield as Dawson and Jackson at Florida would be fun.

“I really like playing with them, they keep the tempo up, keep the team moving,” Toliver said.

With both of his coaches having played his same position at Florida, he has heard the pitches from both Ratliff and Scott to flip to the Gators.

“They’re really trying to get me to go to Florida like them,” Toliver said. “I really like them [Florida], I still got them as an option, I guess we’ll just see.”

Besides the recruiting pitches, Ratliff and Scott have been working with Toliver on his technique, specifically not looking back when the ball is in the air.

If the Toliver name sounds familiar to you, it’s because it should. His brother is former LSU receiver Terrence Toliver. The family connection is one of the reasons Toliver chose the Tigers so early in his high school career.

“He’s gonna support me when I go to LSU,” Toliver said.

He isn’t sure what it will take for him to flip from LSU to Florida, but he plans to be in Gainesville for Friday Night Lights in late July.

Richard Johnson
Richard lives in Gainesville and prides himself in being a bonafide lifelong Alachua County Resident. He attends the University of Florida and is in his third year studying Telecommunications. He isn’t sure how he started loving football being the son of two immigrants that don’t care about the sport, but he has developed a borderline unhealthy obsession with it. In his free time, Richard watches other sports and is an avid fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and Tampa Bay Rays. He doesn’t like chocolate, knows Moe’s is better than Chipotle and drinks way too many Arnold Palmers. He also took up golf in the summer of 2012. That pursuit isn’t going well. You can listen to him talk about sports during the Cheapseats radio show on ESPN 850-WRUF or online at WRUF.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RagjUF.