This past weekend was a big weekend for the Florida Gators on the recruiting front as several big instate targets were on campus watching the Gators practice on Saturday.
Offensive lineman Richard Gouraige (6-5, 271, Tampa, FL. Cambridge Christian School) was one of those guys on campus and it was a successful visit for the lineman.
“I loved it, it was a great experience,” Gouraige said of his Florida visit. “Talking to Coach [Brad] Davis and Coach Mac made it a great time. We got to sit down with all of the coaches, talk to the players, watch film and then we went to the practice.”
This was the first time for Gouraige to meet new Gators offensive line coach Brad Davis and the two of them hit it off on Saturday.
“It was great, we had a good chemistry with each other,” he said of his first time meeting Brad Davis. “We’re still making our chemistry better with each other after meeting him for the first time. I loved it, I liked how he was coaching up his position.”
Davis didn’t waste any time giving Gouraige his recruiting message about how bad the Gators need him in Gainesville.
“He sees me as an offensive tackle,” Gouraige said of Davis’ message to him. “He said it would be huge if I went to Florida, he said I would make a huge impact on the offensive line there. He was saying that they have a need for tackles and that I could come in and compete for a spot instead of sitting out for a year. He said there was a possibility of me being the guy as a freshman.”
Head coach Jim McElwain really impressed Gouraige and his mom with his approach of talking about things outside of football with the lineman.
“He was just telling me to keep working hard and to not let the recruiting process get to my head,” he said of McElwain’s message to him. “He was just talking about the foundation of Florida and the alumni and all of that. Just different stuff like that.”
Saturday was a big visit for the Gators because Gouraige brought his mom on campus with him and she enjoyed her time in Gainesville.
“She loved it, this is her first time ever going to a college campus,” Gouraige said of how his mom liked the visit. “Seeing everything and talking to the coaches, she loved it all. She really liked Coach Mac.”
Gouraige got the chance to watch the Gators practice in full pads and the speed of the Florida practice impressed the lineman.
“It’s fast-tempo practice and the offense is a fast-tempo offense,” he said of Florida’s practice. “I really liked everything and how physical the offensive line was.”
Heading into this visit many thought the Gators had ground to make up on Gouraige and he says this visit helped Florida out.
“It made a good little difference, I wanted my mom to see what the coaches had to say,” Gouraige said on if this visit helped Florida out. “Ever since Coach Davis got there they’ve been recruiting hard. They’ve talking to me a lot.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Gouraige doesn’t have a leader or anything like but Florida has stepped up its game with the big offensive lineman. Getting his mom on campus was a big step for the Gators because she hasn’t been on any visits yet.