2021 Recruit, DE Kelvin Gilliam Places Florida Gators in Top 10
The Florida Gators have landed in the top-10 for a 2021 recruit, this time defensive end Kelvin Gilliam from Highland Springs Highschool out of Highland Springs (Va.).
Gilliam, a four-star recruit, has announced his top-10 teams for his recruitment cycle, announcing his intentions on Twitter. Along with the Gators, Gilliam placed Penn State, Minnesota, Texas, Virginia Tech, LSU, Cal, Oklahoma, Kentucky and South Carolina.
Gilliam, 6-foot-3.5, 255 pounds went on a virtual visit with the Gators in May, finding himself feeling much better about the program, and enough to raise them on his "tier" list in terms of teams he'd like to commit to. During a phone interview with AllGators in May, Gilliam spoke highly of the program, stating he had "just an overall great experience" in speaking to the team.
Gators quarterbacks coach, Brian Johnson, is a Virginia-area recruit for the Gators and has been recruiting Gilliam for some time. His official offer would be extended to him by defensive line coach David Turner, someone who Gilliam said saw his potential immediately and "loved" it, offering him on the spot.
Florida has been on his mind ever since the team's impressive 11-sack performance in week 0 of 2019 against the Miami Hurricanes, something that made the defensive end say "I wish they offered me". Now they have, it and it looks as though his recruitment is heading in the right direction.
The Gators likened Gilliam to current defensive end Zachary Carter, who has become one of the team's most versatile defensive linemen, able to play inside and out, providing pass rush from multiple angles.
Heading into his senior season, Gilliam will hope to improve on his technical skills, able to translate it better to the college game.
"[It's] all about reaction. Reaction to offensive linemen stance, reaction to screens, just reaction to the blocking itself, so just all about reaction," he told AllGators in May.
The Gators have landed several 2021 recruits over the past several weeks and adding someone like Gilliam will bolster their already-impressive 2021 recruiting class. One thing is clear, Gilliam will absolutely be keeping the Gators in mind, and don't be surprised if they end up on a future top-five list or perhaps further.