Gators coach Billy Napier and his staff have been busy this past week, passing out offers to many recruits in the class of 2023. One player to recently receive the green light from Florida is four-star defensive lineman T.J. Searcy who hails from Thomaston, Georgia.
Napier was the coach who extended the offer to Searcy. His conversation with the head coach was his first one to date, but Napier made a strong first impression.
“He seems like a real cool guy,” he said. “He seemed really down to earth. He seemed like he knows what he is talking about. He seems like he cares about his players.”
However, linebackers coach Mike Peterson is someone Searcy has had a previous relationship with from when he recruited him to South Carolina. It’s made the transition between Florida and him smoother.
He likes Peterson because of how their talks don’t always center around football.
“He will ask me about myself and checks up on my family,” Searcy said. “I find those things important to me and he has already got that bond with me.”
He finds Peterson’s coaching style effective because of his ability to slow the game down for his players.
The Gators like Searcy as an edge outside rushing linebacker in their defense and believe his 6-foot-5-inch, 250-pound frame fits what they want from that position.
He added that he doesn’t have any favorites at this point or when he wants to make a decision, but hopes to make a trip to Florida as well as Tennessee, Clemson and Auburn.
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