Ellis makes most of UF camp

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With so many high school players throughout the nation, it is an honor to make the Rivals100 list. Lake Worth (Fla.) John I. Leonard defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis is one of the lucky 100 this year as he earned the No. 30 spot in the rankings. And the mammoth lineman from South Florida is looking to make a move up the list.

"It just means that people think highly of me, but that means I am not No. 1 so I have more work to do," the 6-4, 340-pound Ellis said. "Recruiting is going all right. Everybody is coming at me with different stuff and I am just sitting back and relaxing. Just taking it in and trying to figure it out."

Ellis, the No. 3 ranked defensive tackle, said he has approximately 20 offers that include Florida, South Carolina, Auburn, Boston College, South Florida and Oklahoma.

"They (Florida) were the third team to offer me a scholarship and that was a while back," Ellis said. "I got a verbal (offer). It came after Junior Day. I usually check in with coach (Doc) Holliday to see how things are going and he told me."

Aside from Junior Day, the four-star athlete was back in Gainesville this summer attending a camp hosted by the Florida coaches.

"It was beautiful," he said. "It was high intensity and all that good stuff. They (coaches) were very visible. They are everywhere when you are up there. Coach Holliday told me what I had to do with my grades and I should be in good shape. I like the environment, the campus, the people and I think coach (Greg) Mattison is a good coach."

Ellis, who grew up a Miami Hurricanes fan, is spending the summer sifting through his numerous offers but also working on raising his GPA.

"I can always do better," he said. "I am kind of struggling with it but I am working on that over the summer.

"I think everyone is on the same level right now. Any team from Florida obviously should be a little ahead, but right now I am saying I have no favorites. I plan to make my decision sometime after the season. I am looking at how I will fit in with the football team and how I am going to fit in away from the football field. I want a community where I am not going to get in trouble and an environment where there aren't many distractions."

As a junior, Ellis racked up 60 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 13 sacks on his way to first-team All-Area and All-Conference honors. He also earned Class 6A third-team All-State honors.

For most of his high school career, Ellis has been a marked man and he knows the intensity is only going to pick up his senior year, but he is welcoming the challenge.

See video highlights of Kenrick Ellis by clicking here.Click "I learned a lot of stuff this summer going to the (UF) camp, so it doesn't matter what they do. I am going to do my technique and just destroy the opponent," he said.Here to view this Link.