DB Justin Denson Jr. Planning Return Trip to Florida After Official Visit
Providence (R.I.) La Salle Academy cornerback/safety Justin Denson Jr. walked out of his official visit with the Florida Gators reassured of the program's interest in his services. With family in tow, Denson appeared to feel like a superstar during his three-day Gainesville, Fla. stay.
"I liked the hospitality, dealing with my family, knew everybody's name, making sure everybody's comfortable all the time, taking us around," Denson shared with All Gators after the June 9-11 visit. "It was like red carpet treatment. Like, my little brother said he hadn't touched a doorknob all weekend."
But while the elegancies of an official visit always make for a good time, Denson was focused on the football aspect of his recruitment to UF during his meetings with the Gators coaching staff.
One of Florida's most appealing attributes from Denson's point of view is the coach who would oversee his development if he were to pick the Gators, defensive backs coach Corey Raymond.
The duo connected again over the weekend after first doing so during Denson's April unofficial visit to The Swamp. Raymond offered the versatile defensive back tips to apply to his game moving forward.
"I learned so much, so so much. My little time with him, my meetings with him, it was amazing," Denson said of his time with Raymond. "Just being around him, he's such a real guy, such a smart man. The legend. Just really love him as a coach and as a person.
"I feel like I became a better DB after this weekend. Matter of fact, just 20 minutes speaking with him briefly before my real long meeting, I learned so much. I learned different techniques, different stances, different plays. It was just amazing. Loved it. Learned a lot."
Denson's player host, Gators cornerback Ja'Keem Jackson, also provided the recruit with invaluable knowledge. A member of the 2023 class, Jackson's recruitment to Florida similarly involved Raymond and head coach Billy Napier compared to older players on the roster.
Like Denson, Jackson's recruitment bloomed between his junior and senior seasons of high school following a position change, from offense to defense. Their comparable resumés created a friendship.
"Jah [Jackson] is my dog. He told me a lot," Denson said. "We both have similar backgrounds, we both played receiver forever and switched to DB. But the players, they did a good job recruiting. They was really pushing, they were in on it. But Jah kept it real with me the whole time about his recruitment, coaches. We had a lot of similar offers. and he kept it real."
Denson has heaped praise on Florida in the past, declaring the Gators a top-three team in his recruitment in the wake of releasing his top 12 schools. Following the visit, UF is "definitely" Denson's No. 1 program, he said.
The Gators' allure, Denson said, has shaken up his visit schedule. Originally scheduled to attend Oklahoma from June 16-18 and Michigan State from June 23-25, his travel plans are now up in the air as he intends to return to UF this week.
"I don't know anymore. Michigan State will definitely get one out of me," Denson said about future official visits. "But I think I'm gonna be back down here this week."
Denson then shared his plans to return to Florida on Wednesday, June 14, for one of the program's summer recruiting camps.
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