In the wake of the decommitment from defensive end Eric Mitchell, Jim McElwain simply replaced him with somebody better.
Meet David Reese, a consensus three star linebacker from Farmington, MI, who committed to Florida over Texas, Michigan and Nebraska. He’s not the most prominent recruit in the Class of 2016, but he’s got the natural ability to someday become one of them. He stands 6’2, 230 and runs a 4.78 40 yard dash. And his highlight tape shows even more promise. He’s a quick, rangy linebacker with a nose for the ball and the ability to make the tackle in the open field.
Most importantly, he could have a chance to showcase those skills right away. Florida got a huge boost next year when Jarrad Davis announced he would return, but with Antonio Morrison graduating, there will be a major hole to fill in the middle level of the defense. And with such a need at linebacker, it became imperative for McElwain to recruit more of them, and now he has; Reese gives Florida its third linebacker recruit in this class, along with Jeremiah Moon and Vosean Joseph.
So, nice pickup, Coach Mac. There’s still a long way to go until National Signing Day, but McElwain’s first full class is turning out to be a great one. Now let’s see how he can finish it.