10:05 pm | July 26, 2019 | Go to Source | Author: Graham Hall
Florida’s Friday Night Lights event was once again a spectacle to behold.
Following Florida’s inaugural preseason practice, the Gators coaching staff hosted an instructional camp in the indoor practice facility for nearly 300 high school football players before UF’s annual recruiting showcase commenced just after 7 p.m. under the bright lights of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Those in attendance witnessed a multitude of rising underclassmen working with the Gators coaching staff throughout the night, although it was clear much of the attention centered around the powerful arm of quarterback Carlos Del Rio.
Del Rio, a 6-foot-3, 201-pound quarterback in the 2021 class out of McEachern High in Powder Springs, Georgia, once again made the trip to Gainesville to display his talents for Dan Mullen and quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson.
While several rising signal callers were in attendance Friday, it was Del Rio who was seemingly a notch above the rest.
And it’s a sentiment he agreed with.
“It was a great experience, a great camp. I think I performed great,” said Del Rio, who is not related to the former UF quarterback Luke Del Rio. “Coach Brian (Johnson) really liked my performance. He told me I was doing great with my throws, and he wanted me to go back to back.”
And he did, often displaying elite arm strength while hitting receiver after receiver in stride, even when his throw didn’t result in a completion. For a quarterback who has visited the Gators multiple times since picking up an offer last summer, Friday seemingly solidified his decision.
“I’m still gathering a lot of info, but I think it’s coming to a time where I’m ready to make my decision,” Del Rio said. “(Florida) is probably my top school.”
That sentiment, however, didn’t last long.
Before leaving campus, Del Rio committed to Mullen and the Gators.
For others, Friday served as an opportunity to re-evaluate the program.
Four-star athlete Kamar Wilcoxson was back in Gainesville for the first time since decommitting from the program April 27. The class of 2021 prospect is still showing Florida plenty of love despite backing off his pledge as he arrived to campus sporting an orange Gators shirt and a ‘Chucky’ doll in his backpack.
“It was a good feeling, I enjoyed myself,” Wilcoxson said. “They showed me they wanted me back and stuff, wanting me to see how they coached.”
Many prospects tend to rule out programs after de-committing, but that’s not the case when it comes to Wilcoxson. The 6-foot-2, 196-pounder out of Decatur, Georgia, said an early connection to the program will continue to keep the Gators in the mix.
“It’s really just the tradition. I grew up liking them, so it’s like they’ll always stand out to me,” he said. “They’re telling me they need me in The Swamp, they like the way I play. Telling me they want to play with somebody like me.”
That’s a message Keyvone Lee has heard consistently since backing off his pledge to the Gators on Feb. 22. Ranked the No. 8 running back in the 2020 class by 247Sports, Lee was back on campus Friday to take in the sights and sounds.
“They keep asking me when I’m committing, when I’m coming back,” Lee laughed. “It’s still the same. I like Florida, it’s cool.”
Although the Gators will have to beat out former UF coach Ja’Juan Seider, now the running backs coach at Penn State, if Florida hopes to get Lee back in the fold.
“He wants me bad,” Lee said of Seider. “I posted my location here and he commented ‘Nah, that’s not the place.”
For now, Lee isn’t sure where he plans on playing collegiately. But events such as Friday Night Lights will keep the Gators in the mix.
“Just stay consistent, stay loyal, and keep talking to me,” Lee said. “I’m definitely going to keep coming back up here.”
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