McKitty a priority for Florida in 2017

Head coach Jim McElwain and the Florida Gators are trying to take back the state of Florida in recruiting and one of the biggest areas Florida is focused on is the Tampa area.

Defensive line coach Chris Rumph has been designated with that area and last week the Gators’ assistant offered talented 2017 defensive end Tre McKitty (6-4, 225, Tampa, FL Catholic) after he evaluated him in person the week before.

“I got an offer from Florida last week, it was coach Rumph that offered me over the phone,” McKitty said. “He had been talking to me before and then came out and watched me practice a few weeks ago so when I called him he said that he was going to offer me a scholarship to Florida.”

McKitty has been playing both sides of the ball in high school and Rumph believes that the 2017 prospect can play multiple positions in college.

“He said that he isn’t sure where I’ll play yet because I have a lot of versatility,” McKitty said. “He said that he likes me on both sides of the ball at the defensive end position or the tight end position. He said that we can figure that out later on.”

Not only has McKitty been talking to Rumph but he has also been in contact with quality control coach Marquell Blackwell, who is a Tampa native himself.

“I’ve been talking to coach Rumph and to coach Blackwell,” McKitty said. “Coach Blackwell said that Florida really likes me and really needs me. He said that they’re low at the tight end spot right now and that I could potentially play there.”

McKitty is no stranger to Florida, as he’s visited the Gators campus several times as youngster, and that’s one reason why he was excited to get the offer from Florida.

“Coach Rumph is a cool guy,” McKitty said. “He has been telling me a lot about Florida but I remember going up to Florida as little boy so I know all of the basic stuff about them already. I’ve watched them growing up so I know about Florida.”

Now that McKitty is officially a prospect of the Florida Gators he plans to see Gainesville several more times in the coming months.

“My 7-on-7 team is going on a bus tour so I’ll be seeing Florida then with my teammates on Unsigned Preps,” McKitty said. “Once that’s over then I plan to go back up there to see everything by myself.”

 

INSIDERS TAKE: McKitty is a prospect that Florida is targeting early on and is someone that the Gators could land this summer or early fall. McKitty is someone that can play multiple positions and will likely not have a position set until he arrives on a college campus.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.