Jim McElwain just got a big one.
Literally.
Defensive tackle Jordon Scott (Largo, FL) has announced his intentions to become commitment number six for the Gators’ class of 2017. He stands 6’1, 345 pounds, and becomes Florida’s first DT commitment in two years… so yeah, this was a big need-filler. And don’t be fooled by his three star status; Scott also received offers from FSU, Arizona and Minnesota.
But there was little doubt he’d be a Gator. Scott grew up a big Gator fan, and quickly developed great relationships with defensive line coach Chris Rumph and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier.
Now: can he play? The initial glance at his tape says yes. Scott is a disruptive force in the backfield, and can literally bulldoze his way past opposing linemen at the high school level. He’ll probably have to slim down a bit once he arrives at Florida in order to get a little quicker, though, because you can’t solely rely on brute strength in the SEC, even on the inside. But if he trades in a few pounds for some agility- just a little- he could make an immediate impact for the Gators, in a manner not unlike a bigger Cece Jefferson would.
But there’s plenty of time for that later; for now, let’s just celebrate the fact that we added a big time player at a position of need. Scott is a mammoth run stopper as it is, and not a bad pass rusher to boot. McElwain just pulled in a gigantic lump of clay, and with the right coaching, he could be molded into a star.
