Westbrook commits to Florida

Florida picked up their 17th commitment in the Class of 2011 on Tuesday when Coconut Creek (Fla.) North Broward three-star defensive end Tevin Westbrook pledged to the Gators.

According to Eagles head coach Rex Nottage, after receiving over 15 offers, Westbrook narrowed his choices down to North Carolina, Purdue, South Florida and Connecticut before the edge rusher decided on the Gators.

"He was very impressed with the staff that coach Muschamp has put together," explained Nottage. "He loved the atmosphere. He loved what the University of Florida has to offer academically and he really took to the relationship he was able to develop in such a short period of time with his future teammates."

When asked to describe Westbrook, Nottage replied, "What Florida is getting is a 6-foot-6, 265-pound defensive lineman who is extremely explosive and very athletic for someone that size. He had 15 quarterback sacks, 8 tackles for loss, 2 fumble recoveries, 3 forced fumbles and blocked 2 field goals this year."

Though he was unavailable for comment today, a couple of weeks ago, Westbrook described his interactions with new Florida head coach Muschamp to Chris Nee of Rivals.com: "I have spoken to him like five times," said Westbrook. "He said he liked my size and athleticism and that he thought I would be good for the program."