Jordan pulls the trigger for Florida

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For a while now Ridgefield (Conn.) three-star offensive lineman Tommy Jordan has known that he wanted to be a Florida Gator. Over the weekend he traveled to Gainesville with his parents with the idea of committing in his head. On Monday, he made his plan known publicly.

"Actually, I made the plans [to visit] about two weeks ago," Jordan explained on Monday night. "I wanted to check it out one last time with the intentions of going there and committing."

Connecticut's No. 1 rated prospect then detailed why he decided on getting his decision out of the way so early in the recruiting process.

"I pretty much knew what I needed to know about all the schools I was considering and I knew Florida's the place I wanted to go. There's no one better right now. The coaching staff is a great group of guys I would be honored to play for. This is just a great opportunity, it's too good for me to pass up. I'm happy to get on board."

This past weekend Jordan made the long trek to UF along with his parents.

"We've been to Florida before. We went down last November for the Florida State game. This is their second trip down. There's no apprehension for them with me going so far away. I think having my aunt there helps, but if they didn't feel comfortable or want me to go, they would say something."

Though he hails from out of the region, if Jordan follows through on his commitment and eventually signs with Florida in February, he shouldn't feel like an outsider by any means when he arrives on campus.

Next year he will become the fourth signee from the Nutmeg State during the Urban Meyer era - joining former tight end Aaron Hernandez and current Gators Tyler Murphy and Jordan Reed.

And even though his 'home' is quite a ways away, Jordan will not only have the luxury of several home state teammates on the Gator roster, he has another advantage that even some Floridians don't have, he has a relative in Gainesville.

"It wasn't the decision maker, but having my aunt in Gainesville actually helps. Having someone already in place there is going to be good for me. My parents already support my decision, but having her there helps."

According to the 6-foot-5, 280-pounder, though he isn't exactly sure where he'll lineup on the next level, he has a pretty good idea: "We talked about it briefly. I told them I'm open to anything, but they talked about offensive guard and center. Obviously I could play tackle too. Right now it's open, but it will probably be guard."

Jordan picked UF over offers from Boston College, Wisconsin, Rutgers and Cal.