Florida Gators flip Florida State OL pledge Jake Slaughter
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Dan Mullen and company have once again reeled in a commitment from an in-state offensive lineman.
Today, UF was able to add former Florida State pledge Jake Slaughter to their 2021 class.
It took a while for Florida to take the next step with Slaughter, who had committed to the Seminoles in mid-April, as the program dished out an offer to him back in early May.
This was an important offer for the Ocala-based prospect, and he wound up scheduling a virtual visit to the school shortly after he received the good news.
As for what stands out to Slaughter about UF, he told GatorsTerritory that multiple aspects, including the presence of offensive line coach John Hevesy, piqued his interest.
"It's a real cool deal," Slaughter previously told GT after Florida dipped into his recruitment. "I'm 30 minutes from Gainesville, I grew up watching a lot of Florida football. It's a cool experience. Coach Hevesy is great; I've known him for a real long time.
"Florida is a great school, obviously. They're always a national contender. They're a big-time school in the SEC. Big stage, a lot of good football. Hevesy, he's a good coach. He develops a lot of guys. He has a young o-line right now. He's doing his thing."
Slaughter also noted that he has camped in front of Hevesy a few times before in the past, and he has developed a bond with area recruiter Christian Robinson as well.
With Slaughter now on board, the Gators hold commitments from nearly a handful of o-linemen in this cycle, with the other ones being Adrein Strickland, George Jackson and Javonte Gardner.
Since Slaughter is slated to suit up along the interior of Florida's o-line, expect the program to still be in the market for another tackle or two. Some of the noteworthy OTs they are pursuing are North Carolina-based recruits Diego Pounds and Yousef Mugharbil, and Auburn pledge Caleb Johnson, one of Slaughter's teammates at Trinity Catholic.
Hevesy and the staff are also in hot pursuit of Miami commit Laurence Seymore, who will either be a guard or center at the next level.
Switching back over to Slaughter and what he bring to the table, the 6-foot-5, 310-pounder made a solid impression at the Rivals Camp Series event in Orlando earlier this year.
Rivals recruiting analysts Chad Simmons and Rob Cassidy listed the three-star junior as one of the "biggest surprises" at the camp, and said the following about him.
"Slaughter worked out at center and held his own against a number of highly regarded defensive tackles, winning the majority of the reps he took," they wrote. "A three-star prospect, Slaughter holds offers from Florida State, Georgia Tech and Miami among others and should see a boost in ranking soon. Slaughter would have been in the running for offensive line MVP honors if Micah Morris didn’t turn in such a dominant effort from start to finish."
UF fans, you can also check out Slaugher's junior season highlight reel by clicking on the video below.
Stay tuned to GatorsTerritory.