Florida coaches drop in on top duo
West Palm Beach (Fla.) Dwyer teammates, Rivals100 members, and Gator commits, Gerald Christian and Matt Elam saw a couple of familiar faces on Monday afternoon as Florida coaches Charlie Strong and Billy Gonzales dropped by their high school as one of their many stops during the spring evaluation period.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Christian spoke with InsidetheGators.net about the college coaches who have been by the school as well as his commitment to the Gators.
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"Oklahoma came to school on Friday, UCF came on Saturday and coach (Billy) Gonzales and coach (Charlie) Strong from UF were here today (Monday)," replied Christian when asked which colleges have been by.
Don't tell recruiting fanatics this, but spring isn't just a time for the coaching staff of the school they follow to hit the road and evaluate high school prospects, it is more importantly a valuable tool in the player's development.
When asked what he hopes to improve upon this spring, Christian replied, "I'm trying to work on my explosiveness as a linebacker and pursing the ball."
Does that answer combined with the fact that Strong, who doesn't recruit Dwyer, was at the school mean that Christian is looking forward to a future on defense?
"No, no. Coach Strong was with him (Gonzales), but that doesn't mean anything. I'm going to play tight end. Everyday I've been running routes, trying to get better in my route running. My coach tells me to catch 100 balls a day so I run routes and I've got my quarterback throwing to me."
It is now going on two weeks since Christian, as had been expected for months, decided to pull the trigger and commit to Florida.
In that time, has he had second thoughts or 'buyer's remorse' in any way, shape or form?
"No, not at all," replied Christian. "It's been real crazy because I knew I was going to do it, but the people around here were surprised. They thought I was more open than that, but I've been going to be a Gator for a while. I'm completely happy with being a Gator."
As happy as Christian is, he isn't alone in that regard. His teammate Elam has been on him to commit to Florida for months on end.
"Yeah, you know Matt was happy," said Christian with a laugh. "He was recruiting me harder than any real recruiter (college coach). When I did it, he was like, 'It's about time you made it happen.' He's been real happy to have me commit to Florida."