Gators’ wild win impresses Apopka recruits.
GAINESVILLE — Apopka teammates Will
Barnes and Ed Montilus, two of the Florida Gators top recruiting targets for the 2018 recruiting cycle, were at the Swamp for a visit Saturday along with about 50 other prospects for the Gators’ thrilling walk-off victory over SEC rival Tennessee.
Both players said the wild atmosphere in the fourth quarter, especially at the end of the game, will leave a lasting impression as the two further assess their college futures.
Montilus, in fact, went so far as to say the Gators would be at the top if he were to make a list of favorite schools.
“It’s definitely a school that I would go to. I really enjoyed myself,” said Montilus, a 6-foot-4, 305-pound offensive lineman who is ranked as the No. 25 guard in the country by 247Sports.com’s composite rankings. “I don’t think I really have a list, but they’d probably be top.”
In a game the Gators led only 6-3 after three quarters, Montilus was impressed by how fans stuck with the home team, and he also said settings like that definitely have an impact on a prospective recruit like himself.
“I thought it was a great game, the way it finished with that pass,” said Montilus of the Feleipe Franks-to-Tyrie Cleveland 63-yard TD pass to win the game. “It makes me feel good about how the fans are with the team no matter how the games going. The fans are still cheering and it makes you feel good when you are in a game.”
Barnes agreed with his teammate’s assessment.
“I was just thinking about how they kept on fighting and that’s how we are at Apopka. We keep on fighting no matter what the circumstances are,” said Barnes, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound offensive tackle who is ranked as the No. 6 tackle in the country by 247Sports. “It definitely opened my eyes about the university.
“It was a great game. I really enjoyed it. They didn’t hang their heads down and they kept on playing to the best of their ability and I just think they’re a great team that stays together. They worked hard and it was a win that they deserved.”
Friends since the seventh grade, Barnes and Montilus have made no secret about their plans to play college football together. Both are already considered to be leaning heavily toward Florida.
“We are trying to go to the same school,” Montilus said. “It’s one of the biggest things. I like having somebody that I know with me through the process and when I’m in college I’ll be more comfortable than going somewhere by myself.”
They still plan to hold out until National Signing Day, Feb. 7, before announcing their decision.
Several other top targets were on hand Saturday at the Swamp, including two of the top defensive backs in the state in Tyreke
Johnson, a senior safety out of Jacksonville Trinity Christian, and Patrick
Surtain Jr., a cornerback from Plantation American Heritage.
Johnson, the younger brother of former FSU and current FAU quarterback
De’Andre Johnson, has been receiving recruiting attention since the seventh grade, when he picked up his first scholarship offer from FSU.
“That was truly a great atmosphere,” said Tyreke Johnson, who said he spoke with linebackers coach Tim Skipper afterward. “I talked to Coach Skip a little bit. He said just, ‘Come be a Gator. We find a way to win. Having you here would make it easier to win.’ ”
The 6-foot, 191-pound Johnson is ranked as the No. 4 safety in the country by 247Sports, though he has said he’ll likely play cornerback in college.
The Gators also had a number of players spotted on campus who are already committed to UF.
a 2018 linebacker out of Vero Beach, was at Reese, Wilson WardrickDavid the Swamp, as well as 2019 offensive tackle
of Miami Norland. Also spotted was 2018 Ohio State cornerback commit Sevyn Banks of Orlando Jones High. The Gators would love to flip Banks, who is the younger brother of UF injured senior safety
and the cousin of Harris Dawson, Marcell Duke Gators cornerback
who had an interception in Saturday’s game.
“That was crazy, I didn’t think it was going to end like that,” said Banks. “And my cousin had a little pick and a good drive, like five plays in a row.”
Banks said the Gators do talk to him about recruiting once in a while, but for him it’s more of a family affair when he attends games.
“It’s more like they know me like family than recruiting me anymore. They’re just cool with me,” Banks said.
With Banks was Jones High teammates quarterback Quadry Jones, and
Brandon Cross, a cornerback who is committed to Tennessee, as well as 2019 cornerback prospect Allen Briton
of Lake Highland Prep. Allen is one of the top junior defensive backs in the Orlando area.
Cross said future teammate Tanner Ingle ,a cornerback at Orlando Dr. Phillips who is also committed to Tennessee, was at the game as well.