Miami commit calls Florida Gators atmosphere different

On Saturday several members on the Florida Gators recruiting visitors list were prospects committed elsewhere and they were treated to a good finish in the Swamp.

Miami receiver commit Mark Pope (6-1, 175, Hialeah, FL. Southridge) was one of those in the stands and he left speechless by the ending of the game.

“It was good, I loved it,” Pope said of his visit to Florida. “It was shocking, the atmosphere was loud, I always wanted to get to a game like this. It was crazy.”

Pope who has been committed to Miami since March noted that gameday in the Swamp was something he hasn’t seen before at other schools.

“The atmosphere is just different at Florida,” Pope said on what stood out to him. “This is like a real college town here. This is different than most places. Miami is just Miami as a city.”

Receivers coach Kerry Dixon was one of the coaches who spoke with Pope on Saturday about needing the receiver in Gainesville.

“I talked to Coach Dixon and Coach [Corey] Bell,” he said of the coaches he spoke to on Saturday. “They’re just being coaches and recruiting me hard. They’re telling me they want me.”

Head coach Jim McElwain and Dixon keep in touch with Pope and share a similar message to him.

“They just tell me that they need a guy like me,” Pope said on what McElwain and others tell him. “They say they need a guy like me in the Swamp. They like how I can play inside and outside and also return kicks on special teams.”

Pope noted that the offense struggled at times but he sees that as an opportunity in Gainesville.

“I sure can come in and help,” he said on if he sees an opportunity to come in and play early. “With the guys here, I feel I can play early if I come in and put in the work. I just need to get prepared.”

 

 

INSIDERS TAKE: December 15th is the only official Pope has set right now and that’s to Miami but the Miami commit says he’s thinking about returning to Florida for another visit.

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.