Billy Napier and Co. got some great news on Monday night when three-star offensive tackle [autotag]Mike Williams[/autotag] out of Baltimore (Maryland) Charles Herbert Flowers announced his verbal commitment to the University of Florida. The 6-foot-5-inch, 210-pound lineman is coming off his first visit to Gainesville, which clearly made a strong impression on him.
“Why not Florida? My parents live in Orlando so that’s not far,” he offered to Swamp247. “I live with my godmother back home in Maryland. Parents live in Orlando, and the two offensive line coaches got me. Not a lot of coaches do that. Coach Stapleton, Coach Sale, Coach Sale has a great background, and Coach Stapleton has a great background coming from the Steelers. Coach Napier has a beautiful, well-rounded background coaching at Louisiana. So like I said, why not Florida.”
The rising high school senior was very pleased with the synergy he saw with the Gators’ staff and appears to have bought into their philosophy.
“What stood out about Florida was how the coaches and players interacted with each other.” Williams told Gators Online. “It’s all about family in Gainesville especially with the offensive line. Being there this weekend really showed me how they are able to bond off the field and transition it to the field.
“Another thing that stood out was that they have basically 2 offensive line coaches, which is great for development compared to just one coach coaching 15-18 guys. Their motto is 5=1 and they stand by that. Coach Stapleton and Sale have a developmental system that works and I would love to be a part of it and will.”
With his commitment now made, the Old Line State product plans a return visit to the Swamp next month.
Williams is ranked No. 1,326 overall and No. 107 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 1,356 and 100, respectively. Prior to his commitment, he held five crystal ball projections from 247Sports for Florida while On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine had the Gators in front with a 64.7% chance of landing him.
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