.png)
Randy Shannon has helped the Florida Gators increase their recruiting presence in South Florida. / Gator Country photo by David Bowie
By ANDREW SPIVEY
DECEMBER 21, 2015
Friday was a big day for the Florida Gators as linebacker David Reese (6-1, 235, Farmington, MI High) committed to Florida and the big time linebacker spoke to GatorCountry about why he made that decision.
“My last meeting with Coach [Jim] McElwain and Coach [Randy] Shannon was what sealed my decision,” Reese said. “They took me through all of the academic stuff that I need to know and showed me how the defense was going to be run and they showed me how thin the depth chart was. I already had a great relationship with Coach Shannon so I felt it was the best move for me.”
Reese had previously told Gator Country that he thought of Shannon as a legend and that relationship between the two of them is what helped the Gators land Reese.
“Coach Shannon just told me that he needed linebackers bad in this class,” he said. “He said that he saw the potential in me to become one of those guys that he coached in the past and he has coached some great guys in the past so it was an honor to be offered by Florida. It’s an honor to be recruited by Coach Shannon who’s a guru at coaching linebackers and he’s a big reason as to why I picked Florida.”
Prospects all year have said that McElwain has taken an easy going approach with them when talking about picking a school and Reese says the same thing, plus says McElwain’s personality helped him pick the Gators.
“I had some very important talks with Coach McElwain about what being a Gator is all about,” Reese said. “Coach McElwain seems like a very family oriented guy and when I went down on my visit, he welcomed me into his house with his family. He kept telling me that he wanted to welcome me into the Gator family but that he didn’t want to pressure me into a decision because he wanted me to make the best decision for myself and I think I did that by picking Florida.”
There is no hiding the fact that Reese, who early enrolls in January, will be looked at to contribute next year and he says that he knows what he must do in order to play early.
“I think I need to keep working hard and follow what Coach Shannon tells me to do and then I think I will be able to get on the field early,” he said. “I think if I better myself as a person and a player then the rest will come along with it.”
Now that Reese is committed to Florida, he will turn his attention to another top target from the state of Michigan.
“My biggest target in recruiting right now is Donovan People-Jones, he’s a 2017 receiver,” Reese said. “He likes Florida a lot and he’s the one that I want to get down there with me.”
INSIDERS TAKE: Reese is very polite and humble guy that really did his homework in making his decision to commit to Florida. Reese and his father both have a tremendous amount of respect for Randy Shannon and that played a large part in getting Reese to Gainesville.
