Spring Tour: Anymore from Armwood
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SEFFNER, Fla. -- Simply hearing the name "Florida" used to bring a smile to Alvin Bailey's face.
The Gators were his favorite team growing up. Head coach Will Muschamp was picking up interest in the Seffner (Fla.) Armwood wide receiver. His best friend, 2012 running back signee Matt Jones, was headed to UF.
Bailey isn't nearly as positive about Florida anymore. It's been months since it seemed like a UF offer was surely coming. Oklahoma came to Seffner to offer Bailey in person on Monday, putting his offer count at 25. The Gators are noticeably absent.
"Right after the season when I thought Florida was fixing to offer me, I was going to commit straight off top," he said. "I was going to commit to Florida and go there and not decommit. ... It's been kind of frustrating, but I mean God has a plan so anything can happen right now."
After a breakout junior season, Bailey got the attention of some of the nation's premier universities. Before all the attention came, his focus was narrow. He liked Florida and his concrete offers were scarce. Vanderbilt, South Carolina and South Florida came first.
Then the four-star prospect helped lead the Hawks to a state championship and everything came together. He has not given much thought to schools at this time and is open, but that's about to change. Bailey plans on narrowing his college list to 10 or 15 schools after spring football ends.
Any school that has not offered him at that time will be eliminated, even Florida.
"Whatever schools aren't offering are just going to be out," Bailey said.
Florida's reasons for not offering Bailey are not clear to him. He insists he's not being "cocky" but feels everything the Gators need to see is on his film. This summer he will be headed on the road with one of his assistant coaches and will visit a number of schools and camps.
He then plans to set recruiting aside during the fall as he focuses on academics and getting Armwood back to Orlando and a state title opportunity. He will then make a decision after his high school season has ended.
Bailey admitted this semester has been tough. Jones, the teammate he calls his "big brother," will be leaving him in about a month and Bailey might not have an opportunity to join him.
McQuay's spring uneventful: Rivals100 safety Leon McQuay III was part of Armwood's light practice on Monday and has taken a bit of a breather from the recruiting process.
After a busy fall, McQuay attended spring games at Vanderbilt, Florida and South Florida but has done little else. His summer plans include participating in the inaugural Rivals Five-Star Challenge in Atlanta and Nike's The Opening showcase in Oregon. He is also preparing to play both defensive back and safety for the Hawks in 2012.
"It's pretty easy so far," McQuay said of learning the offense. "I don't know if it's going to get any harder."
Click Here to view this Link.Southern California defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and defensive backs coach Marvin Sanders dropped by to see McQuay practice Monday. It was Kiffin's second trip to Armwood this spring.
While schools like Florida State and Miami have told McQuay they are interested in him playing cornerback, Florida is recruiting him solely as a safety.