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Orlando (Fla.) Jones 2019 safety Marcus Tillman has seen more than his fair share of interest and offers over the last several months. It started out with Florida being the first major program to extend him an offer back during the spring evaluation period and ended with him committing to the Gators earlier Wednesday.
“Ever since I was a kid, since I was five years old, I always wanted to be a Gator,” explained Tillman. “I wanted to stay close to home, it's close to home and I have a lot of family up in Gainesville - so when I met with Coach [Jim] McElwain, I couldn't wait. It's a dream come true.”
The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder walked Inside the Gators through how the commitment took place.
“When we first got to Gainesville, me, my teammate [2020 wide out Dominick Hill] my head coach [former Florida Gator Elijah Williams] went straight to [Coach] McElwain's office. Coach [Corey] Bell was in there and and he [McElwain] started talking to us about the football program and what is changing with the facilities and how he's running things and in my head I started thinking, 'I want to be part of this.' After I heard all of that I committed to him. The coaches were really excited. They gave me a big hug when I committed.”
Though his current head coach at Jones has a long history with the Florida football program, according to Tillman, Williams didn't try to sway him in favor of the Gators.
Other than Florida Tillman has received offers from programs such as Kentucky, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Syracuse. He was receiving interest from the likes of Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Michigan State, North Carolina and Tennessee.
“He really didn't play a big part in it. I had already walked off so I had to call him and tell him I committed."
Depending on where you are getting your updates, Tillman is listed as either a safety or an outside linebacker.
With two years of high school still to go, where he eventually lines up remains to be seen.
"They say I can line-up at both safety and linebacker, but mainly safety," replied Tillman when asked.
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